Toro Matcha

Possibly the worst RTD I’ve ever tried.

This is an oat milk based matcha latte, so I definitely didn’t expect it to have the same level of richness/creaminess as a “regular” matcha latte. What I didn’t expect was for it to taste just this level of vile. I took a sip of it from the can, and immediately spat it out on impulse. It tasted like seaweed mixed with lemon juice and starch. The mouthfeel was slimy. It felt unnatural. I tried to give this the benefit of the doubt of potentially “seperating” so I poured the can into a mason jar to give it a stir, and I was shocked that this “latte” was not opaque. Mind you, it was cloudy but the same kind of cloudy as a strongly brewed matcha would be. I would not have been able to tell you based on visual that there was anything in this to make it a latte.

It’s basically just very bad matcha, mixed with citric acid as a preservative. Noooope.

Of the three Sparkling Matcha flavours that I tried from Toro Matcha, this was the worst one. It had the exact same off putting flavour to the matcha that i observed in the Sparkling Ginger, but without as intense of a flavour to mask it. The Lemon was a little too pithy and unrefined, and didn’t lean enough into being either a tart lemon or a sweet one. The mint felt at odds with this type of shrill lemon, and the more menthol quality of it only seems to exaggerate the seaweed-y taste of the matcha.

If you’re going to try one of these Sparkling Matcha drinks, I think Peach is the one I’d recommend. The matcha seems the least off putting in that one.

This is a canned sparkling matcha RTD like the Sparkling Peach from the same company that I’ve already reviewed…

I have a complex relationship with ginger – sometimes I really loathe it but in other specific circumstances (like paired with sweet and tangy fruits) I enjoy it a lot. Ginger Beer and Ginger Ale are both in that weird zone of uses of ginger that I like. This RTD tastes a lot like a Ginger Beer, and so far that reason I enjoyed it.

However, there’s an undertone of something that tastes a bit funky and by the end of the can it was building up and really tainting my impression of this tea. I’m sad to say that that thing was the matcha itself in the beverage – it was just so seaweed-y, while also tasted a little bit like a wheatgrass shot, which isn’t a pleasant flavour either. I think it’s just a not super great quality matcha; which doesn’t really surprise me because you probably wouldn’t use an amazing top notch quality matcha in an RTD in the first place and based on the marketing it seems like this is more promoted as a “natural energy booster” and less towards traditional matcha drinkers in general!? Hard to say.

But it’s sad that the matcha was the least good part of this Sparkling Matcha.

I have seen sooo many “Sparkling Teas” this summer, but I think this is the first Sparkling Matcha!? There are two other in the line up as well as a matcha latte, and I got a can of each one because I just have this compulsive need to try all the things…

I do typically have lower expectations for RTD beverages because I understand that there are limitations in the flavour you can deliver given the format and that convenience/lack of needing to prep the drink is worth some trade off of flavour versus making a fresh version. However, this was very off tasting to me. The matcha was kind of swampy and unappetizing tasting, with a bitter grassy note and almost a slimy quality that left a light film on my tongue. Conversly, the peach was CRAZY sweet and artificial and those two very different profiles were cacophonous with one another.

Holding my breath for the rest of the line up, now…