An algae green beverage has been invading Starbucks since 2025: Matcha. Well, that’s not entirely true—Starbucks first offered Matcha in 2006, and has offered Matcha beverages for a while. But, it never really took off as much as it did until 2025, especially when Starbucks switched from their sweetened matcha powder to an unsweetened powder. What is Matcha anyway? It is the powdered leaves of green tea, which is why it’s so green. That is unlike regular green tea, which is just brewed from the leaves. Matcha is much more concentrated in flavor, caffeine, and whatever antioxidant benefits there is from green tea—but the caffeine content is what makes it a great alternative to coffee to those that want to try something different (or just like green tea).

To Matcha or to Mocha?

One of Starbuck’s newest Matcha beverages is the Iced Dubai Chocolate Matcha (it also comes in a Mocha variant for those that would rather prefer the coffee). I actually got to try both, and they’re pretty good. The Iced Dubais have a foamy, chocolate layer at the top, with the coffee or matcha right below. Each sip you take from the cup gives you a bit of the sweet foam to mix nicely with the not-so-sweet matcha or coffee. You could just take a straw and blend the two layers together for a consistent bitter-sweet experience.