The Most Likely To Replace Water As The Staple Liquid Award goes to matcha

SINGAPORE – A commonly circulated myth on the internet, fuelled by Hollywood’s depiction of wine-slinging nobles gathered around a feast, is that the people of the Middle Ages consumed alcohol instead of water.

So, too, might future generations look back on the social media relics of this era and conclude that its population must have survived on matcha alone. 

These days, if you try to squeeze water from a rock, you will probably get a trickle of green instead, followed by a strawberry or two. To say matcha is everywhere might well be an understatement. It can be found at home, cafes, vending machines, on tap and more.

The folks of the future will have their theories. Did the reservoirs run dry? Was the water contaminated? Was matcha mania carried on the wave of J-culture sweeping Singapore and the rest of the world? Are Gen Zs, having thumbed their noses at traditional partying, jettisoning another time-honoured vice – coffee? 

That nutty brown staple shows no signs of going the way of alcohol yet, but Mr Dale Thia, a 36-year-old who co-founded local pastry supplier and cafe chain Wunderfolks, concedes that “matcha is a lot trendier than coffee”. “Young people have the impression that coffee tends to be for older people, so they don’t enter their coffee phase until their late 20s.” 

Matcha, with its vibrant green hue, is also far more Instagrammable and less likely to overload your body with caffeine. And, as cafe owners around the island have discovered, it pairs well with just about anything. 

In 2025 alone, matcha has been made to share a cup with passionfruit, banana pudding and, most ubiquitously, strawberry. Whether these foreign bodies adulterate or accentuate the purity of its crisp, vegetal taste depends largely on your taste buds.  

To Mr Thia, pairing it with strawberry makes the most sense. “The sweetness and tanginess of the strawberry elevate the flavour of matcha.” 

Banana pudding matcha latte is not quite his cup of tea, but other cafe owners swear by it.

“The creaminess of our matcha complements the natural sweetness of bananas, making the combination feel indulgent but not heavy,” says Ms Alexan Tang, 23, founder of SugarBelly, a store at Jewel Changi Airport selling mochi doughnuts and matcha on tap. 

This earthy powder has ended up in savoury dishes too. Take, for instance, the matcha udon at For You Cafe, matcha ramen at Takagi Ramen and Mensho Tokyo, and matcha curry grilled masala chicken at now-defunct restaurant Equatorial. 

Mr Caleb Ang, who used to be chef and co-owner of the pan-Asian restaurant in Duxton Road, told The Straits Times in April that matcha had become a lifestyle. “If you run a Japanese-inspired F&B concept in Singapore, it’s almost expected that matcha, yuzu or both will be on the menu. It’s as essential as salmon sashimi for Singaporeans.” 

That lifestyle, however, is now under threat from its popularity. With demand for matcha soaring the world over, farmers in Japan are struggling to keep up, hampered by bad weather. 

In 2024, this drove matcha retailers in Singapore to

raise prices

and

implement purchase limits

. Still, the situation has not completely resolved itself. 

“It’s almost like a dog fight trying to get supply from Japan now. Most farms only work with more established brands and are now charging almost triple the amount for matcha,” says Ms Flora Cheong, 31, founder of Creamie Sippies, a cafe with outlets in Keong Saik Road and Jalan Bukit Merah.

Her solution is to deal directly with farms – an arrangement that helps to reduce material costs and stabilise the prices in her cafes. Ms Tang, who also extols the close relationship she enjoys with her suppliers, maintains her flow of matcha by planning imports well in advance. 

So, if the urge to start your day with a bright cup of green lingers past the new year, rest assured that there is enough matcha to go around, for now at least.

As for what that cup comes with, that is up to 2026 to decide. Let us just hope we do not start seeing chocolate Labubus bobbing to the top any time soon.