Matcha coffee in London
1 speciality roast from 1 London roaster feature matcha notes.
Matcha as a coffee flavour note presents as a smooth, vegetal greenness with a gentle earthiness and a subtle, pleasant bitterness reminiscent of powdered green tea. In the cup it tends to feel soft and rounded rather than sharp, often accompanied by a creamy, slightly umami-like quality that lingers on the finish. This character typically arises from specific amino acid profiles in the green coffee, particularly elevated levels of theanine and certain chlorogenic acids, and is preserved or enhanced by lighter roast levels that avoid masking delicate vegetal compounds.
Matcha brings a gentle, grassy sweetness to the cup, layered with a soft vegetal depth and a subtle earthy finish that lingers quietly on the palate. Sourced from shade-grown tea leaves, primarily in Japan, it is produced by stone-grinding the dried leaves into a fine, vivid green powder that preserves its delicate character. In London, Urban Baristas are currently the sole roasters exploring this distinctive note.
Top rated matcha coffee roasts in London
Speciality roasts carrying matcha notes, ordered by community rating.
Roasters producing matcha coffee
London roasters with the most approved coffees carrying matcha notes.
Flavours that pair with matcha
Notes that most commonly appear alongside matcha in the same roasts.
How matcha notes develop
This note is most often associated with coffees grown at high altitude in East Asian or East African origins, where cooler temperatures slow cherry development and encourage complex amino acid accumulation. Washed or lightly processed Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees can sometimes express a quiet matcha-like quality, though it appears with particular consistency in some Japanese and Taiwanese specialty lots where the humid, temperate growing conditions echo those of tea cultivation. Natural or anaerobic processing methods occasionally amplify these vegetal green tones, though the note tends to read most cleanly in washed coffees.
What to look for
On a bag or cafe menu, look for tasting notes that combine words such as "green tea", "vegetal", "umami" or "earthy sweetness", as matcha often appears alongside these descriptors rather than in isolation. Brew methods that allow a longer, gentler extraction tend to express this quality most clearly, with filter methods such as pour-over and Chemex generally highlighting the note better than high-pressure espresso. A water temperature slightly below boiling is worth considering, as excess heat can push the note towards a harsher bitterness and reduce its characteristic smoothness.
Find coffee matched to your taste
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