When Did Matcha Become The Hot Girls’ Drink Of Choice?

I started noticing something on my hot girl walks — okay, let’s be real, my depression girl walks, since Lexapro doesn’t hit quite right in summer. While all the girlies were once toting iced lattes, they now had iced matcha lattes. It didn’t stop there: at cafes, I stopped hearing anyone order a classic dirty chai (or a filthy chai with two shots — make it a thing) and instead…matcha. Even Instagram stopped pushing mushroom coffee (NO) and started flooding me with matcha starter kits, matcha with vitamins and unicorn poop dust, and celebs launching their own matcha lines like it’s 2016, and they just discovered Kylie Lip Kits.

I couldn’t help but wonder…is matcha making a comeback? Or did it never actually leave? The green hype is real, and all the girlies are mixing and sipping something that looks like the Grinch’s piss after a mad night out. But matcha is different from the whipped coffee craze of lockdown or the dirty chai takeover because we pretend it’s not a trend. It’s not a highly caffeinated drink that will spike your anxiety — it’s a lifestyle. Hot girls don’t drink coffee anymore; we drink matcha and claim it’s for the antioxidants, not the soft caffeine drip that keeps our internal chaos barely in check.

I spoke to Cartia Mallan, founder of Melo Matcha and all around Cool Girl™, to find out what the hell is happening to our collective caffeine habits — and why hot girls love matcha.

What makes matcha so different from other caffeinated beverages?

Image Credit: Darina Belonogova via PEXELS

Drink four coffees in a day, and everyone thinks you’re on the verge of a breakdown. Drink three matchas and suddenly, you’re a calm, radiant, thriving being who journals daily and owns crystals.

Coffee is like your hot toxic ex — chaotic, intense, gives you the jitters, but you keep crawling back. Matcha is your emotionally available situationship with a skincare routine: calm, grounded, and just better for your nervous system. Coffee hits fast and crashes hard; matcha gives you a slow, steady buzz thanks to L-theanine (AKA the chill pill of amino acids). Translation: You still feel awake but without spiral-texting your ex or sweating through your silk blouse.

“A different frequency” is how Mallan describes it. “You get clarity without the crash, alertness without the anxiety.” Unlike mushroom coffee — which is often marketed purely for function (brain boost, immunity) — matcha carries a “ritual energy.”

“You don’t just consume it, you prepare it, you feel it, you create a moment with it, which helps people slow down and feel centered in their day, ”

Why is matcha so trendy right now?

Hear me out: matcha has been around. But lately? It’s everywhere. I can’t sneeze without it coming out green. I include myself in this problem — I bought one of those overpriced ceramic matcha kits with the tiny wooden whisk and spoon. Why? Because I’m a child with adult money, and I need something to believe in.

Last year it was dirty chais. Before that, iced lattes had a moment. Now it’s matcha’s turn in the spotlight. But why?

“Instagram is a huge reason for this, as it’s the cutest new accessory in pics and is no longer just a health trend or an alternative to coffee,” Mallan, a content creator herself, explains. She believes matcha’s resurgence is rooted in a cultural shift. “People are craving calm energy, intentional rituals, and aesthetics that support well-being,” she says. “We’re living in an age of burnout, and matcha offers an antidote to this. We’re also seeing a huge cultural moment around Japanese influence. There’s this growing respect for slowness, minimalism, and ritual, and matcha fits right into that. It carries history, meaning, and intention.”

Honestly? She’s right. Beige iced lattes feel like the equivalent of the flat lay photography of 2014. A vivid green matcha next to your $7 croissant feels like soft girl wellness energy. And yes, I am taking that photo.

Before buying my silly little matcha set, I had never thought of matcha as a ritual. Since then, I’ve had to slow down. You can’t rush a proper whisking. Even when I order it from a cafe, I’m suddenly watching every step like I’m witnessing a sacred ceremony. It feels intentional. It forces mindfulness.

Is matcha actually good for you?

Let’s be real: everyone who drinks matcha acts like it cancels out their entire weekend of damage. One iced matcha on Monday morning, and suddenly, you’re Gwyneth Paltrow. Girl, you were doing shots of tequila in a bathroom stall 36 hours ago and eating gas station chicken nuggets. (It’s me. Hi.)

Can matcha undo the damage we regularly do to our bodies? All we need is matcha, apparently.

Health benefits of matcha:

• It’s high in antioxidants, including catechins, which can protect cells from damage and reduce disease risk.
• It may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, which is great because dating apps have done irreparable harm to mine.
• It contains L-theanine, which helps reduce stress and smooths out the caffeine buzz.
• It’s great for digestion, which is why your morning matcha is always followed by a “do not disturb” bathroom moment.

That said, matcha isn’t a miracle. You can’t destroy your body and expect one cup of green powder to fix it. “Matcha works best when it’s part of a broader lifestyle — health, routine, and general wellness. It’s not a band-aid,” Mallan says.

Why is matcha such an identity?

Every now and then, something stops being a drink and starts being a personality. Spin class. Stanley cups. Labubus. Reformer Pilates. And now, matcha. We all know that girl — the one who floats into a cafe, doesn’t look at the menu, and breezily orders iced matcha with oat milk and lavender syrup like it’s her birthright.

So why do we cling to a drink as an identity? Because it’s more than a beverage. It’s a symbol. It says: I have my life together (or at least I’m pretending to). It signals soft discipline, gentle wellness, and a little bit of aesthetic delusion. It tells the world we care about our nervous systems, our skincare, and our trauma cycles.

And maybe that’s the whole point. Matcha is a coping mechanism dressed up as a wellness ritual. It’s a tiny way to tell ourselves, “I’m fine. I’m grounded. I’m thriving.” Even if we’re five seconds away from crying on the Pilates mat again.

So no, matcha won’t save you. But it will make you feel like a hot girl who’s got it together — one frothy, pastel-green sip at a time. And sometimes? That’s enough.