Curious Travels

After ditching coffee for the past two months, I’ve locked in a strict morning ritual of at least one matcha latte every morning to start the day. But in a couple of weeks, my family and I are heading on a road trip around New Zealand, and we’re mostly staying in remote countryside farmstays, vineyard houses, and generally off-the-grid spots. I was a bit worried where I would get my daily matcha lattes fix as not sure if there will be any accessible good cafes with matcha lattes around (though I’d love to be proven wrong!). 

So, my backup plan is to stock up on portable instant matcha latte powders, since I’m too lazy to bring a whisk and matcha bowl. Over the past few weeks, I’ve taste-tested every promising option available to me. Here’s my honest ranking and reviews (I’ll keep updating as I try more!).

Disclaimer: The thoughts on each product below are my personal opinions, not facts. Please try them yourself to see which ones you guys like!

1. Nittoh Uji Matcha Au Lait 

Surprisingly, this was my absolute favourite! I got it in a massive Costco 60-stick pack which makes it insanely travel-friendly.

What stands out: genuine matcha flavour with that classic grassy, umami-rich Uji depth that doesn’t get buried. It’s the only one that was not overly sweet. It’s balanced and lets the authentic green tea taste shine. The creaminess is milky and comforting without feeling artificial or too thick. My go-to prep is doubling up i.e. two sachets in around 200ml water for a more concentrated café-like cup that’s rich, aromatic, and delicious. For me, this was the clear winner.

2. Tsujiri Uji Matcha Milk Powder

This was the only non-sachet option I tried – it comes in a resealable bag. More eco-friendly, but definitely not as convenient for a road trip.

I had high hopes since Tsujiri is a reputable name in the matcha world – and it delivered quite well! Flavour is quite nice; solid grassy matcha notes, milky and comforting, pleasantly sweet without going cloying. It’s lighter and smoother than expected (not as thick and velvety as some of the others) – but a very nice matcha latte (especially if you make it with real milk instead of just water).

This is a great option and strong contender overall. I’ve only tried the regular version for now, and it might be even more impressive with the Double Rich version. Will try and let you guys know!

3. Starbucks Japan Premium Matcha Latte Mix

Japan-exclusive (co-developed with Nestlé), small box of 4 sticks. This was surprisingly enjoyable – it came the closest to mimicking an in-store Starbucks matcha latte with velvety mouthfeel, creamy texture, solid earthy and aromatic matcha notes, and indulgent milkiness. Very satisfying, especially on a chilly morning.

The downside is that it’s a bit too sweet (sugar is the first ingredient), leaning dessert-like rather than letting matcha lead. Nevertheless this is still quite a good option if you want the typical Starbucks matcha latte taste, and the sweetness is not as overpowering as some others.

Credit: Japanese Taste website

4. KANU Espresso Matcha Latte

Korean import from celeb-favorite KANU, single-serve sticks. This one was slightly different from the others because it is a matcha latte + concentrated espresso. It’s smooth, rich, with a balanced sweetness and more interesting than plain versions because you can definitely taste the underlying coffee notes (and actually it works quite well!). Only issue for me is that I don’t drink coffee anymore so this was a no-go, but if I did drink coffee, this would also be a strong contender.

5. OSULLOC Jeju Matcha Milk Tea

Portable single-serve sticks from premium Korean brand OSULLOC. Well-made, smooth, dissolves easily, velvety creaminess, polished feel.

Overall, this is a solid product – the milk-forward, mildly sweet Korean-style profile of matcha latte is generally quite enjoyable. But for me, the sweetness dominates a bit too much, and the matcha taste feels unfamiliar (it’s more woody/earthy Jeju character vs. the bright, grassy Japanese Uji I prefer). But if your palate leans sweeter/milkier or Korean-inspired, it’ll shine.

Credit: Olive Young website

6. Sawai Coffee 3-in-1 Matcha Milk

Classic sachets, blending deep Uji intensity + fragrant Nishio aroma with milk and sugar.

It has stronger tea flavor with noticeable grassy bitterness for more authenticity than milder and sweeter competitors. It also has decent creaminess. For me personally though, the sweetness pushes it toward dessert rather than a morning matcha latte drink, but the bitterness helps balance it a bit. Generally good if you like punchier, tea-forward instants with edge.

7. Dripo Farm Matcha Milk Instant Drink

Travel-practical sachets from Dripo’s popular “Farm” series – it’s Japanese Kagoshima matcha + creamy milk powder. I expected this to be quite good but unfortunately it was a bit of a miss for me. 

It was overwhelmingly sweet – the sugar drowns everything and because of that you can barely taste any real matcha character, just cloying sweetness with vague milky backdrop. It felt more like dessert syrup than latte. The creaminess was present but just couldn’t save it from the candy-like sweetness. 

8. Nestlé Aromatic Matcha Latte

Box of 20 tiny sachets – ultra-convenient, low-effort, with Nestle’s “Fuwa Latte” foam tech. But again, this was quite a letdown – the sweetness once again dominates and the matcha barely registers. More of a sweetened milk drink with faint green tea hint than actual latte. The milkiness/froth is good, but low on matcha latte authenticity. Maybe could work toned down with unsweetened milk if you like a dessert?

9. AGF Blendy Stick Matcha au Lait

Single-serve sticks from big Japanese brand AGF. Sadly this was the worst in the lineup by a margin. It has this flat, harsh bitter vegetal tea taste with some creaminess (but quite thin and artificial) that has no resemblance to any matcha latte I’ve ever had. Tasted like weak over-steeped green tea + creamer.