From strawberry matcha to ube latte, what India is drinking next

India’s beverage culture is all set to enter a more experimental phase, as familiar favourites make room for new flavours and at-home rituals. According to Google Trends, searches for “how to make matcha” have surged 1300% in the past year in India, while purple yam ube and roasted Japanese green tea Hōjicha have both reached all-time search highs in 2026. The data offers a glimpse into how Indians are not just discovering new drinks, but learning how to make, customise and incorporate them into everyday life.

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Matcha: From café menus to home kitchens

Matcha may have started as a specialty café staple, but growing search interest suggests it is becoming part of the everyday beverage ritual. The drink is also evolving with the seasons. Searches for “mango matcha” rose 200% over the summer, while “strawberry matcha” climbed 400%. As the monsoon arrived, combinations including “dirty matcha” and “coconut matcha” began gaining traction, reflecting a willingness to experiment with flavour, texture and format.

The matcha trend is no longer confined to the cup. Over the past year, Google Search saw breakout interest in terms such as “matcha shoes” and “matcha enzyme scrub”, while August 2026 brought surges in searches for “matcha candle”, “matcha face wash” and “matcha perfume”.

Matcha’s rise is also extending beyond taste. Searches for “matcha health” increased 1000%, while “matcha protein” saw a 2500% rise, suggesting that consumers are exploring the drink through the lens of wellness and functional beverages. At the same time, people are becoming more curious about what they are drinking. Searches for “does matcha have caffeine” rose 70%, while “matcha vs coffee” became a breakout search, highlighting a growing interest in understanding matcha as an alternative to familiar caffeinated drinks.

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Ube brings a new colour to the cup

The next wave of beverage experimentation is increasingly purple. Ube, the sweet purple yam commonly used in Filipino desserts, reached an all-time high in Google Search interest in India in August 2026. Its appeal is extending into drinks, with “ube matcha” and “ube coconut” emerging as breakout combinations, while searches for “ube latte” and “ube cafe” continue to grow. Telangana currently leads searches for Ube in India, offering another indication of how interest in global flavours is spreading beyond the country's biggest metropolitan centres.

Hōjicha offers a roasted alternative

For those looking beyond matcha, Hōjicha is emerging as another tea to watch. The Japanese roasted green tea reached an all-time high in Indian search interest in March 2026, while August saw another breakout surge around queries such as “what is hojicha” and “hojicha latte”. The curiosity is also comparative, with “hojicha vs matcha” registering breakout growth. With its roasted profile offering a distinct alternative to matcha, Hōjicha is finding its place in the expanding vocabulary of contemporary tea culture.

With Ube and Hōjicha also gaining momentum, the next phase of India's beverage culture appears to be less about a single drink dominating the conversation and more about discovering what comes next, one experimental sip at a time.

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