matcha

noun

ˈmä-chə 

ˈma-

plural matchas

: a green powder made from ground green tea leaves that is used to make tea and other beverages and as a flavoring agent

Our meal began with matcha, the traditional green tea of the tea ceremony. The powder is spooned into a ceramic bowl, hot water added and the mixture whisked to a frothy jade.

—Alan Brown

Walk into a coffee shop or peruse Instagram and you're sure to have seen a matcha latte.

—Alysha Witwicki

also : tea made from matcha

At the time, he often experienced midafternoon malaise and began drinking hot matcha on his brother's recommendation.

—Jill Radsken

Examples of matcha in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Put down your matcha lattes and trade in your Birkenstocks for boots, folks. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025

Look forward to playtime with the adorable animals (the kittens are adoptable), along with social media-worthy photo activations, healthy bites from Vale, matcha lattes and coffee. —Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025

Not unlike matcha in Japanese culture, there’s a sense of sophisticated polish to this. —William Goodman, Allure, 14 Apr. 2025

Go deeper: Plaza Midwood coffee shop expands with South End cafe Gotcha Matcha & Espresso The vibe: This popular matcha and coffee shop operated as a pop-up until opening its first permanent cafe in Uptown in late 2024. —Mckenzie Rankin, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, from mat-, form in compounding of matsu "to rub, daub, paint" + cha "tea"

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above