In this two-part series, we explore Matcha, coffee, and nitro drinks that are becoming popular with consumers.
The beverage world has been undergoing quite a transformation in recent years, reshaped by evolving consumer tastes, health-driven priorities, social-media influence, and a quest for novel, shareable experiences. Menus aren’t just about classic coffee and tea anymore; they feature drinks that do something for the customer, tell a story, or deliver a moment of indulgence that drives a memory that can be snapped and uploaded online. Here we explore these trends.
Once a ceremonial staple of Japanese tea culture, matcha has been reimagined in the American bar and restaurant space as a versatile, vibrant ingredient valued for its earthy profile and high antioxidant content. From matcha iced lattes to sophisticated mocktails, appealing to younger generations who prioritize wellness benefits like sustained energy and antioxidants over the intense caffeine spikes of traditional coffee, matcha has become a staple where beverages are served.
Nitrogen-infused teas and coffees are also booming (more the latter). The infusion of nitrogen gas creates tiny dense bubbles that cascade down the drink, creating a creamy mouthfeel that is similar to a milky or creamy beverage – without the calories. In Australia, nitrogen-infused teas made by a company called East Forged, with added flavors featuring local fruits, have become an unexpected hit at bars for those who like the look of a beer in their hand but prefer the taste of a flavored iced tea. In the U.S., establishments like BSweet Dessert Bar located in West Los Angeles and Koreatown are making inroads for Nitro-brewed teas.
Matcha Mania
The brilliant green tea, matcha, headlines novel beverage enthusiasm. With the global matcha market expected to nearly double this year from $2.46 billion in 2025 to $4.5 billion by the end of 2026, a significant element of the projection is the upward trend of matcha-based beverages and foods containing matcha.
According to Noli Ergas, director of Product at Two Leaves and Bud, a Colorado-based tea vendor and wholesaler, the character of matcha – that it’s a granular suspension rather than an infusion like other teas – lends itself well to being used in different beverages and foods.
“It can be flavored with other things – but the traits of the tea aren’t overpowered when used in different culinary forms,” he says. Indeed, the somewhat grassy, savory flavor sometimes known as umami, remains even as additives sweeten, add texture, and increase functionality.
The utility of the intensely green tea powder has lent it well to new beverages. A matcha-based beverage tends to be frothy, creamy milk mainly used to make lattes, making it no accident then that the first matcha variation was the matcha latte.
It is now popular to make matcha lattes with plant-based milks like oat, almond, and soy as well as to flavor it with something sweet like fruits, agave, or even chocolate. Vanila and lavender add another layer of flavor without increasing the sweetness level. Coconut ‘cloud’ matcha drinks (the cloud being coconut cream, which floats on top of the green ‘base’ of the drink) are also becoming popular. The addition of activated charcoal for toxin absorption enhances the already functional nature of matcha (the L-theanine amino acid in the tea binds to caffeine creating a calming effect as caffeine enhances alertness). Protein powders, whey, and even collagen appeal to clientele with fitness and recovery goals.
The breaking news around matcha in the bar & restaurant space is Jack in the Box launching a matcha line in February 2026. The fast-food chain offers its own variant of the matcha iced latte, which is matcha tea swirled with sweetened cream and vanilla, served over ice as well as their OREO® Matcha Shake – a beverage they describe as “a creamy vanilla shake mixed with matcha tea and OREO® cookie crumbles, finished with whipped topping.”
The inclusion of matcha beverages to a fast-food chain celebrating its 75th anniversary in the same month as the new announcement was made evidences the company’s drive to stay relevant and offer appeal to younger, especially Gen Z, customers.
“The matcha platform represents a different side of Jack in the Box innovation, it’s about expanding the flavor palate, and not just pushing indulgence for indulgence's sake,” says Ciaran Duffy, executive chef at Jack in the Box. “While we’re known for bold, craveable food, we’re also focused on evolving with consumer tastes and where trends are headed, especially with younger Millennials and Gen Z.”
Duffy adds: “When we looked at matcha, the goal wasn’t to chase a hyper-niche or ceremonial product, it was to find a matcha that delivered consistent flavor, color, and performance at scale.”
That involves, as Duffy says, selecting a grade of matcha “that holds up in milk-based beverages, integrates smoothly into our equipment, and still delivers that recognizable matcha character guests expect.”
The irony of the matcha-based drinks is that afficionados driven by social media don’t understand the nature of the critical ingredient used in them. A case in point: while researching this article, this writer watched an influencer try and rate all the oat milk matcha lattes in LA. She talked about how certain lattes she tried “definitely” were made from ceremonial grade matcha. In truth, ceremonial and culinary terms aren’t actually used in Japan. They’ve evolved as matcha became more commercial. Normally, the best matcha – those from younger leaves, which have developed more flavor compounds than a mature leaf, providing a more complex tasting experience with a mélange of notes – is normally best enjoyed the traditional way. Additives, beginning with any kind of creamer like milk or plant-based milks, tend to eclipse these subtle notes. Whether it’s labelled ceremonial or not, high-grade matcha is rarely used in anything but straight matcha tea, whisked by a pro and drunk hot.
Still, Ergas says tradition is being trumped by the desire to experiment and snap the result for social media: “We’re getting all kinds of creative matcha beverages, like Matcha Lemonade, Black Forest Matcha, and Strawberry Foam Black Forest Matcha…strawberry foam on top with dark fudge going down the side and the matcha latte base in the middle," said Ergas. "I think a lot of these are really ‘Instagrammable’ drinks.”
Nitrogen Infusions
Nitrogen: It’s not just a gas that comprises 78% of the atmosphere as we’re taught in science class at school; rather, nitrogen as an infuser is revolutionizing how cold coffee and even tea is being imbibed.
Nitro Cold Brew Coffee basically is a cold-brewed coffee, meaning coffee brewed with cold water (rather than hot coffee that is cooled) steeped for 8 to 12 hours (sometimes up to 24).
It’s the cascading tumble of tiny soft bubbles of nitrogen gas infused into the brew that produce a velvety texture with a head of foam like no other – this too without any additives – which forms the signature of the drink. The dense bubbles produce a texture similar to a stout beer,creating a creamy mouthfeel often mistaken for milk. It is also known to be a “supercharger” because nitrogen-infused cold coffee invariably contains more caffeine than an analogous cup of joe.
In fact, cold brewing not only increases caffeine content by around 30% per cup, but the tight bubbles of nitrogen in the liquid also catalyze absorption into the body, causing an abrupt jolt. Since nitro-brews are less acidic than regular coffee, the natural sweetness of the coffee beans – especially high-quality beans – are coaxed into the brew enhancing the perception of sweetness on the palate, which tends to remove the need to add sugar. The creamy texture of the liquid usually pre-empts the addition of milk or cream. As a result, the beverage is considered to be superior to that of its older cousin, the iced pour-over, and is lower in calories sans milk/cream and sugar.
Nitro-brews didn’t just happen overnight. The process draws its roots from the brewing industry. In the 1990s, an enterprising chemical engineer, namely Dr. Murthy Tata, working for Leinenkugel Brewing Company, which had just been purchased by Miller Brewing Company (now a part of the giant Molson Coors Beverage Company) developed a process for infusing nitrogen into beer instead of carbon dioxide. The result was a much-loved beer called Creamy Draft. Despite being welcomed by many beer drinkers, nitrogen infusion of bottled beer was found to be unsustainable due to issues in maintaining consistency throughout the distribution chain where differences in pressure and temperature affected the beer-gas proportion, adversely impacting quality.
“How many times have you had a nitro beer that was flat or didn’t have a head of foam,” Tata says. “It’s a disappointment.”
Tata was more skeptical about infusing coffee with nitrogen gas. Still, he reached out to specialty coffee companies, and experiments proved to be delightfully successful. With the process of infusion being done on site (at the serving outlet), problems associated with distribution no longer impeded serving a consistently high-quality beverage.
As one might imagine, coffee-drinkers were drawn to the naturally sweeter, velvety, and more potent fueler in the morning or sharp afternoon pick-me up, and nitro brews exploded once they became well-known.
The smooth, thicker, and concentrated cold coffee can not only be drunk black, but also serve as the base for various coffee-based beverages. Evolving variations include: Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro (nitro-brew with an added splash of vanilla syrup and topped with a creamy vanilla-infused foam); Mocha Nitro (nitro brew blended with chocolate syrup or cocoa powder); Hazelnut Nitro (nitro brew mixed in hazelnut syrup for a nutty, aromatic cup); and Cinnamon Honey Nitro (the brew sweetened with honey and sprinkled cinnamon for a bit of a Christmas spice finish).
Summer brings out a craving for citrus drinks, giving rising to demand for such drinks as: Orange Nitro containing orange zest and citrus bitters; Lemon Mint Nitro in which lemon is squeezed and garnished with mint leaves; Pineapple Coconut Nitro, having a tropical character with pineapple juice topped with coconut cream; and Berry Bliss Nitro - a nitro brew blended with fresh raspberries or berry syrup.
ROI Timeline: According to the Australian website, coffeeoncue.com, “The financial appeal of nitro cold brew extends beyond premium pricing. Sydney café operators report that batch preparation methods reduce labor costs significantly compared to individual espresso-based beverages. While the initial equipment investment ranges from $3,500-$7,000, most venues achieve return on investment within 4-6 months through:
- Enhanced profit margins from premium pricing structures
- Reduced labor intensity with batch brewing processes
- Extended product shelf life of 2-4 weeks versus 24 hours for traditional cold brew
- Increased operational efficiency during peak service periods
Other Coffee-Based Beverages
For those who are hesitant to make the investment in equipment required by nitro infusion, an alternative drink to nitro brews called an “Aerocano” offers a similar experience. An airy and frothy iced espresso drink – which can be described as essentially a high-aeration, textured version of an iced Americano – it delivers a creamy mouthfeel similar to nitro cold brew, similarly without needing dairy. The effect is created by steaming espresso, water, and ice together, resulting in the production of that much sought after cascading, velvety foam.
The eatery Fresh Aisle, which started as a gourmet market store, offers a coffee that actually contains cheese. Their hot Vienna Creamy Latte not only contains strong espresso made from fine beans, but it is also blended with mascarpone cheese – an Italian cream cheese that is often used in desserts due to its natural sweetness (as opposed to the tanginess of regular cream cheese).
They also offer a host of cold brews, including: a honey and cinnamon cold brew; a citrus cold brew; and each of coconut, cranberry, and even pomegranate – achieving a true reinvention of coffee as a beverage.
Coffee is not just coffee anymore. But as we’ll see in Part II, the same can be said of other beverages, including water.
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