5 Tips For Ordering The Best Matcha From Starbucks

While Starbucks is a coffee chain, its menu offers a lot more than espresso and cold brews. The company first introduced its "green tea latte" in 2006, but in recent years, the matcha offerings have greatly expanded. According to the Starbucks website, there were four matcha drinks on the menu in 2023, but in 2026, this number tripled, and that's not even counting all the seasonal offerings and possible modifications.

Whether you prefer matcha iced, hot, or customized with flavored syrups and cold foam, there is a matcha drink for every palate (unless you think the tea powder tastes like dirt or grass!). Ordering a basic matcha latte might be the best choice for the regular matcha drinker, but there are still tips to order the best version of this popular drink.

For those who love more creative drinks from Starbucks, the right combination of milk, sweetness, and add-ins can make all the difference, bringing out matcha's earthy flavor without overpowering it. If you want to upgrade your usual order or have a positive introduction to this style of green tea, here's how to order the best matcha at Starbucks.

When you order a matcha latte at Starbucks, it automatically comes with 2% milk, while the frappuccino is made with whole milk. This may be fine for some customers, but those who don't drink dairy or like the flavor of cow's milk in their matcha will want to pick another option. Luckily, Starbucks has many alternative milk choices, and they don't cost extra.

For a more neutral flavor but creamy texture, soy or oat milk work well in matcha lattes. Regular Starbucks matcha drinkers on Reddit cite oat milk as their top choice. Coconut milk is also tasty, as long as you're okay with the nutty flavor it will add. Some may find almond milk too watery.

In Japan, matcha is traditionally served in a small, concentrated amount with no milk. It is possible to order matcha with just water for the full green tea flavor to shine through. However, this is only a smart move for regular matcha drinkers, as those who are used to sweet, creamy drinks at Starbucks will likely find it too bitter or earthy. Water-based matcha is not on the menu at Starbucks and will need to be rung up as a custom tea. The coffee chain does not use bamboo whisks to prepare the powder. It will likely be shaken with water if cold or stirred with water if hot, and will lack the aerated texture of traditional Japanese matcha.

In the past, Starbucks' matcha powder mix included sugar, so drinks that included it couldn't be ordered sugar-free. Now, the green tea powder comes without sugar, but it is standard for a matcha latte to contain classic syrup. A 16-ounce grande comes with three pumps of classic, but you can easily order the latte without it if you want to appreciate the natural, unsweetened flavor of matcha.

Removing sugar from the powder allows for more customization, as you can opt for your sweetener of choice. Honey pairs particularly well with matcha, and agave syrup is another alternative to cane sugar that complements the drink. This also means you can add flavored syrups without having to worry about the drink being too sweet. Vanilla syrup is a timeless choice for a matcha latte, while adding a pump or two of mocha makes for a rich drink that balances the tea's earthier notes.

Another way to sweeten the drink is adding cold foam on top. With flavors like horchata protein or raspberry cream cold foam, the hardest part is narrowing the choices down to one. On r/starbucks, Redditors recommend ordering matcha with cold foam flavors like strawberry, lavender (when in stock), vanilla sweet cream, and brown sugar. There are also plenty of non-dairy cold foam options, although the protein cold foams cannot be made dairy-free.

At Starbucks, you can order a matcha latte hot, iced, or as a frappuccino. The temperature you order matcha will change its flavor. For starters, the water used to prepare the drink can cause different flavors to stand out more. Very hot water can make matcha more bitter, and you may notice this if the barista steams the matcha powder with water. If the matcha is shaken with cold or room temperature water, it will taste sweeter and smoother.

Iced matcha drinks and frappuccinos will have a grassy, lighter flavor, while hot matcha brings out stronger umami flavors. If you're new to matcha or always order cold cafe drinks, start with an iced matcha latte or a frappuccino for a gentler introduction to the powdered green tea. In either cold or hot drinks, the addition of milk and syrup will mute the stronger flavors of matcha.

If you want a stronger, more caffeinated coffee drink at Starbucks, you can add a shot of espresso. For matcha, a similar modification is possible — you can add an extra scoop of powder. A 12-ounce tall matcha has two scoops, the 16-ounce grande has three scoops, and the 24-ounce venti has four scoops. Upcharges for an extra scoop of matcha vary by size and drink type, and additional scoops in a matcha latte that total five or more cost $1 each.

Since Starbucks' matcha powder does not have added sugar, you won't increase the drink's sugar content with extra scoops of it. More scoops do, however, mean a higher caffeine content and stronger flavor. Be prepared for more of the grassy, vegetal flavor and possibly more bitterness, but know that you can always balance this out with milk, cold foam, sweetened syrup, or all three.

As for the caffeine content, two scoops of matcha powder equate to about 40 milligrams of caffeine, so about 20 milligrams per scoop. This is helpful to keep in mind if you decide to add extra matcha. Each scoop of matcha has considerably less caffeine than a shot of espresso, which contains 75 milligrams per shot. BTW: You can always go for a "dirty matcha" if you are seeking a more caffeine-heavy experience, and add an espresso shot for $1.25.

As you might have seen in social media videos, the ways you can modify your coffee or matcha drink at Starbucks seem endless. If you have choice paralysis, the coffee chain already offers unique on its standard menu. There's the iced Dubai chocolate matcha with pistachio syrup, chocolate cream cold foam, and salted brown buttery topping, and the seasonal iced pumpkin cream matcha for fall. 

An important tip for ordering any custom drink at Starbucks is keeping modifications minimal. Too many syrups mixed with cold foams can totally mask the flavor of the matcha. One matcha order posted to the Starbucks subreddit received rave reviews from customers who tried it: iced matcha with oat milk, brown sugar syrup, and salted caramel cold foam. Multiple commenters gave it a 10/10, with one writing, "This is really the best matcha recipe I've tried so far!!"

Another easy substitution recommended by Reddit users is replacing the standard simple syrup with vanilla syrup for another layer of flavor. If you're looking for something more refreshing and not creamy, go for a matcha lemonade. This beverage is not on the menu, and it does not appear that you can create this custom drink on the app, but at a Starbucks store you would order a lemonade, specify how many scoops of matcha you would like, and request any desired flavored syrups.