A grande Iced Matcha Tea Latte from Starbucks contains the same 80 milligrams of caffeine as the regular version of this beverage. In contrast to the hot version, the Iced Matcha Tea Latte is served over ice with ordinary milk and is then mildly sweetened.
The answer is a resounding yes; matcha does have caffeine. A matcha beverage produced with one scoop (2 grams/one teaspoon) of matcha powder has around 70mg caffeine. Matcha has approximately three times the caffeine found in a cup of regular tea and a similar amount of caffeine as brewed coffee.
Since a matcha latte is made with green tea, it certainly does have caffeine. How much it will have depends on how it’s prepared. You may want to compare it to an average green tea, which has about 28 mg in an 8-ounce serving.
Matcha has 1/4th the caffeine of coffee, and thanks to amino acids like L-theanine, the energy from matcha is more focused so you can skip the crash and jitters that coffee usually gives! Is Iced Matcha good for you? Iced matcha is so good for you.
It sure does! In fact, don’t let the “green tea powder” fool you – matcha has way more caffeine than regular green tea. Green tea has about 25mg of caffeine per cup, but matcha has double the amount, with at least 70mg of caffeine per cup!
Pros and cons
- Pros of matcha. Promotes relaxation. As mentioned, by increasing alpha waves in your brain, L-theanine relaxes the mind without causing feelings of drowsiness ( 49, 50 ).
- Cons of matcha. More expensive.
- Pros of coffee. Less expensive.
- Cons of coffee. May create dependence.
While both of these drinks are caffeinated, they also have different effects. Coffee has more caffeine than matcha, but matcha offers more health benefits. The caffeine in matcha is also absorbed more slowly into the body, making for a smoother effect and experience while drinking it.
Matcha, made from ground green tea leaves, is significantly more potent than regular steeped green tea. So, should you be drinking it everyday?
The caffeine content in matcha will vary depending on how it is brewed, but generally speaking one can expect approximately 30mg to 60mg of caffeine per cup (small serving) of boiled matcha. This is comparable to the amount found in coffee, which has about 45-150 mg per 8 ounces.
How much caffeine is in a matcha latte?
While you won’t be getting quite as much caffeine as you’d get in an iced coffee with these new drinks, the company says you can expect a medium Matcha Latte to contain an average of 120 milligrams of caffeine.
To put that in perspective, that number falls somewhere in between how much liquid energy you could expect from an iced tea (being on the lower end) and an iced coffee, which has the most caffeine.