riyagohalblog

Gen Z has this incredible talent for turning the most random things into full-blown personality traits. One week it’s Labubus, which, let’s be honest, are just expensive plush toys. Then it’s Dubai chocolate. Now it’s matcha’s turn to dominate the timeline.

And I like matcha. I really do.

What I don’t understand is why everything suddenly needs to be matcha.

Matcha lattes? Sure. Ice cream? Fine. But matcha protein powder? Matcha chocolate? Matcha chewing gum? And please explain to me why a matcha lip balm exists. Who woke up one morning and thought, “You know what this needs? Some notes of ceremonial-grade green tea to put on dried up lips”

Don’t even get me started on the protein obsession. That’s a whole article on its own.

If you live in Bandra, you’ve definitely noticed it. Every café suddenly has an entire matcha menu. Walk in on a Sunday morning and you’ll probably spot someone carrying an iced matcha after Pilates, wearing neutral activewear, hair slicked back into a bun, ready to post their “slow morning” photo dump.

Which made me wonder. Is matcha really that good, or do we just love what it represents?

Let’s be honest. On its own, matcha isn’t exactly a universally loved flavour. Depending on who you ask, it tastes earthy, vegetal, or… like grass. Yet somehow we’ve collectively decided this is the drink of the moment. I don’t think people are buying matcha just for the taste anymore.They’re buying the lifestyle that comes with it.

Matcha has become shorthand for being healthy, put together and effortlessly cool. It fits perfectly into the clean girl aesthetic, the Pilates era, the morning routine videos and the idea that your coffee order somehow says something profound about your personality.

Maybe that’s why it took off. Social media doesn’t just create trends anymore. It creates identities, and somehow, a bright green drink became one of them.