Matcha Still a Novelty For Many

Matcha is a big hype, but at the same time, more than half of Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 surveyed by Statista Consumer Insights said that they had never tried it or had never even heard of it. The novelty factor therefore still prevails in terms of the trendy Japanese tea drink, which is made of a special green tea variety and ground to a fine powder.

When those respondents who had tried matcha or who had at least heard of it were asked for a reason to choose the drink over others, 27 percent said they wanted to try something new. This was followed by 22 percent saying they did chose it or would chose it for health and wellness reasons. While matcha has a high caffeine content, consumers feel that it is less likely to lead to energy spikes and crashes or to an upset stomach, the same benefits usually prescribed to getting caffeine from tea. 19 percent of respondents did actually say they drank matcha instead of coffee or would like to do this swap.

The biggest group, 30 percent, said they did not want to go ahead and try matcha, representing 60 percent of those who knew matcha but had never tried. However, this applied to only 18 percent of those who had tried, alluding to the fact that trying matcha could potentially change a person's mind. 19 percent also saw matcha as a treat, while 14 percent did or would swap for soft drinks or energy drinks.