Best Matcha Latte in a Can: Creamy, Refreshing, and Convenient

Bottled cold brew and canned lattes get a lot of attention, but canned matcha lattes are quietly popping up in American supermarkets and convenience stores, too. It’s good news for those who enjoy matcha but don’t always want to deal with powder, whisks, or boba tea house prices. This beverage trend is on the verge of a breakout, I can feel it. We’re not there yet—even for this taste test of the best canned matchas, I wasn’t able to find too much variety—but it’s coming. In the meantime, I’m excited to review what’s currently out there.

How we sourced the canned (and bottled) matcha lattes

I recognize that canned matcha lattes are sort of niche. We found the majority of them at H Mart, the largest Asian supermarket chain in the U.S. Obviously, access to an Asian grocer is a luxury not everyone has—but we found options at Walmart that we liked enough to recommend below, too. And if you’re still struggling to find canned matcha lattes, may we point you to our matcha powder and boba kit rankings? (We’re gonna help you get your matcha fix one way or another, promise.)

What we looked for in the best matcha lattes in a can

I may be delusional in other aspects of my life (Jacob Elordi, I know you’re reading this; call me), but I’m not expecting something from a can to taste exactly like my $8 matcha latte from Boba Guys. I just want it to taste like something I’d actually buy again. Most brands are going to be quite sweet and dessert-adjacent, which is fine by me. But I’m definitely also looking for that grassy-earthy kick of real matcha powder, too. So without further ado, these are the four best matcha lattes from our first taste test of this small (but growing) emotional support beverage category.

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Best Sweet

Ito En Milk Tea

Walmart

If you’re the type of person who pours more than four packets of sugar into your coffee, boy have I got the matcha milk tea for you. This is uber sweet, with a slight grassy finish. It tastes a bit backwards to me—usually matcha lattes start bitter and finish smooth—but I know someone out there will adore this little sugar bomb. Plus, you can find this at Walmart!

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Best Big Can

In Tea Bubble Tea

Walmart

Real talk: I think we all need to stop putting boba in canned milk teas. Coming from a boba snob, the small, mushy boba pearls at the bottom of this drink ain’t it—but you can still avoid them pretty easily by just skipping the big straw. The rest of this canned matcha is a nice sweet treat that’s pretty reminiscent of what you’d get from a cheap bubble tea spot. It’s a Taiwanese brand, and it comes in a pretty massive can—and, like Ito En, you can grab it at Walmart. No need to drive an hour to a specialty store.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Runner Up

O’s Bubble Gummy Boba Latte Matcha

H-Mart

Spoiler alert: Our top two best matcha lattes seem, for the time being, to only live in Asian supermarkets. But the quality difference is really not that stark, believe it or not. (For example, I’d also skip the boba pearls in this one, too, even though they’re not as mushy as the previous brand). O’s Bubble Matcha Latte is a little less noticeably sweet than our previous two, and that’s why it really stands out. But you aren’t missing out on that much.

Credit: Merc / H-Mart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

UCC Matcha Latte

Amazon

Tokyo Central

This canned matcha latte is such a cutie patootie. Just look at her. She might be small in stature, but her flavor more than makes up for it. She’s dreamy, creamy, and despite being the least sweet of the bunch, definitely the smoothest sip overall. UCC nails the balance here. This is a great introduction to matcha as a refreshing, not-too-sugary, not-too-grassy, gently caffeinated beverage—and I know that, because I made my colleague and known matcha skeptic Gwynedd Stuart try it, and she loved it. It’s the best canned matcha latte we’ve found to date… but I’m excited to see these blow up more in the future!

Rating:

9/10

Sporks