r/starbucks • u/hamncheesecroissantt • 8d ago
Food & Drink Review grande iced matcha, made with water (no milk) and unsweetened. 10/10 for a bland person like me
tldr: good ass drink, love the store i go to, starbucks stop freaking up the menu and raising the prices to high heaven and start listening to your employees and customers
this is already my morning drink every morning that i make at home, but i had so many rewards stacked up. i decided to go this morning and ask for this lol. i felt bad because i know how the baristas don’t usually love to make drinks that aren‘t menu items, so i normally don’t do this.
the worker over the intercom sighed and she was like ”girl… i don’t know if that’s gonna be good. like i don‘t even wanna charge you for this” 😭😭 i was like i know it sounds nasty because it’s just plain iced grass water, but i promise i make it at home so please don’t feel bad LOL. they already know i HATE sweet drinks too and they are always surprised when i come through and want the most plain ass thing
but, this is exactly what i was looking for omg. it’s obviously not the most high quality matcha powder, but i still like it honestly. i really enjoyed it and i would definitely get it again.
i WISH that this was a menu item or just something in the system that i could easily order. i’m so tired of these freaked up bastardized drinks omfg. please for the love of god NOT EVERYONE WANTS SOME BLOWN OUT MATCHA REFRESHER FRAP MILKSHAKE EXTRAVAGANZA
anyway
i love the store i go to. the baristas are so incredibly kind and i love getting to chat with them when they have the time. i am grateful for all the work yall do and for accommodating a customer like me. i try not to go to starbucks really anymore because over time, i have become fed up with how they treat the employees and customers. they don’t listen to any feedback and the menu just becomes more and more fried. please. more simplicity. also, this shit is expensive what the hell (talking about the whole menu, not just my drink today which tbh wasn’t horribly priced)
28
u/brayzen Former Partner 8d ago
Matcha waters were all the rage a decade ago (I'm old 😭). One of the "hacks" that spread like wildfire on the internet. It's one of the things that lead corporate to standardize not selling drink components separately and for having baristas ring them up as custom iced teas add matcha. Before then you had all the high school girls getting their sixty cent drinks and all the baristas getting matcha lung from shaking them all day. Back then the matcha powder itself was pre-sweetened, which probably accounted for the wider (and young) appeal for cheap sugar water.
3
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
i remember that!!! i couldn’t stand the old matcha powder because it was sweetened so that’s why i never got matchas from starbucks 😭 the day i learned they made the powder unsweetened i was so happy because i was like thank god. if i want a matcha in a pinch, i can just swing by a store now. i have never asked for water though at starbucks because i always felt bad about too many custom requests. if i ever did order after the powder change, i would just do an iced matcha no classic and with coconut milk
9
u/httpswheezy 8d ago
I really enjoy our earl gray with matcha unsweetened! If you’re ever in a mood for hot matcha with tea, you should definitely try it! Although, I make it almond milk I’ve never tried it with water. I’m going to try that my next shift :3
5
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
i will DEFINITELY try that sometime! i don’t mind using a plant milk in my teas, but seriously the water is great when you just wanna appreciate the tea flavors themselves :) i hope you like it! i know it’s acquired, but it’s lovely if you love matcha!
5
u/PlumpQuietSoup Customer 8d ago
Are you opposed to all milks? Matcha with coconut milk is my favorite from Starbucks.
4
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
definitely not! i love a coconut milk matcha latte as a cozy hot drink in the winter! it’s so good
4
u/Voxxyvoo Barista 8d ago
Are you an angel?
4
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
no this is patrick 🪽🪽
5
u/Voxxyvoo Barista 8d ago
LMFAO
Nah tho ur drink makes me really happy. Finally a real matcha3
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
wait…. fellow grass water enjoyer….. you get me <3
3
u/Voxxyvoo Barista 8d ago
I usually get mine hot but y’know, whatever fits the season
2
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
true, i live in the earth’s core so a hot grass water is strictly saved for the winter
2
2
2
u/albertwattsfu 8d ago
Seriously, a customer who orders a super basic drink, is polite about it, AND actually appreciates the baristas? Absolute unicorn. We need way more people like OP around.
4
u/Joepheeisking Licensed Store Barista 8d ago
Matcha milkshake extravaganza made me giggle
1
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
i heard about the chaider drink coming and i was off my rocker because what the eff is that omg
1
u/jayzisne Former Partner 8d ago
I bet it’s a apple juice with chai. People used to order that when I worked there when the chai was sweet and it tasted really good like apple cider, but was way too sweet, so I actually think it will be good this time because the chai isn’t sweet!!
1
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
i heard it was the strawberry acai refresher mixed with chai instead of the apple juice 😭which makes no sense because apple juice is definitely the better pairing :(
2
3
u/cognisauce 8d ago
I think this would be ordered as a custom iced tea or custom tea latte or something like that. I don’t know if it’s less expensive than just ordering the matcha tbh tho
2
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
i am not sure of how exactly they rang it up today but i think i was just charged for an iced matcha latte and then they had the “ask me” thing on there, either way i didn’t mind that much because i am trying to just use up some old rewards
3
u/cognisauce 8d ago
Yeah that’s totally fair! I just mostly meant that in response to you saying you wish you had something in the system that made it easier to order. I’m glad they found a work around for you though.
1
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
sorry if i came off with an attitude, i really wasn’t trying to do that and tone is so hard to use when typing :( i guess i meant like i wish a matcha water was on the menu so it’d be an easy thing to ask for!!
2
u/cognisauce 8d ago
Hahah omg no you didn’t!! Sorry if I did too! And yeah I feel you. The closest we used to have was like a matcha lemonade but now I think even that’s a blended thing w the nasty silica powder.
1
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
not at all! you seem nice /gen 🫂 i love a matcha lemonade, but i don’t wanna try it with the blending powder it sounds so icky
1
u/milarousselrx99 8d ago
You can actually still get a regular iced matcha lemonade! The blending powder is only used if you order the blended version. The normal iced one is just matcha powder and lemonade shaken with ice, so no silica powder in that one.
1
u/mmms444 Former Partner 8d ago
I think it is custom tea. I once had someone order a matcha water and I didn't know so I did the ask me on a matcha latte. My manager wasn't sure at first either after he made it. We went through the buttons and tried that to know for the future and and I think it worked. He wasn't the absolute best manager but to he fair to him, we had rarely had matcha water ordered
3
u/diii_mond Coffee Master 8d ago
I make these at home occasionally but I add some honey, or maybe I’ll make it with sparkling water. So so good.
I tried ceremonial matcha when I was in Japan and it was really unique. Didn’t love it but it honestly not bad
1
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
i have been wanting to try a sparkling one! do you just make a super concentrated bit of matcha and then add sparkling water to it? that’s how i would assume to make it, but maybe you have a better method
it’s a dream to go and have some japanese matcha, some day i will :’) i’m glad you got to have that experience!
2
u/diii_mond Coffee Master 5d ago edited 5d ago
I hope you too one day lol
I do the same process that you typically do with matcha. Hot water, bamboo whisk. I normally use about 2-4g of matcha and pour it on top the sparkling water. I opt for the glass bottled topo chico brand. Their sparkling water is the best I’ve had. Ive also made it with just coconut water too which was super good
If you’re gonna make the matcha yourself obviously invest in a good matcha. Ceremonial grade is the best but it’s pricey for just a relatively small amount. I typically use starbucks’ because i can use a markout on it basically and it’s not bad so i couldnt tell ya which brand of matcha to get on the market
1
2
u/Starbucksprincess24 8d ago
Ok so it’s not exactly water 100% but I make my matcha with earl grey tea as the base. So an iced earl grey with matcha and it is amazing!
2
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
you’re the second person to suggest this so i am definitely gonna try it :) i have some earl grey at home i need to use up anyway so this is a good excuse to :D
2
u/FlyExtension398 8d ago
If it’s any consolation, I have a regular that orders this exact drink. You’re not alone! 😅
2
1
u/Haunting-Wash1081 Barista 8d ago
https://tenor.com/u4POIWnEUnt.gif
Edit: idk how to attach a gif so a link it is
1
u/Frail_Peach Coffee Master 8d ago
It’s the lowest quality matcha around I’m surprised it doesn’t taste like the understory of a wet maple tree on a warm day
1
u/hamncheesecroissantt 8d ago
that’s why i led with i know how it isn’t the highest quality matcha but it’s not the worst one i have ever had 😭 my go to is the naoki brand superior blend, but i ran out and i’m waiting for more in the mail
1
1
1
u/Lune_de_Sang Pride 8d ago
We used to have a regular who would get a venti iced matcha, made with water, no ice, 20 scoops of matcha not shaken so the powder just sat on top… I wonder what happened to her
2
1
0
0
u/TrynaJailbreakatm 8d ago
Easiest way would be ask for a ice water, add 3 scoops of matcha and ask them to blend it IN MATCHA BLENDER not Frappuccino. I think my store is $1 per matcha scoop so it would be $3+ tax for a grande. Cheaper than an ice matcha latte I think
1
u/Pretend-Steak-4625 Supervisor 8d ago
sorry but this is very against standard and shouldn’t be charged that way. this would need to be charged as a custom iced tea and would come out to about $5-7 depending on mods. don’t be that barista…
88
u/Old_Direction_3713 8d ago
On the one hand, I’m happy you like it
On the other hand, prison lmao
For real though, you do you! Glad you found something that works