The Drink Formula Starbucks Is Reportedly Revamping For Its 2025 Winter Menu

Matcha enthusiasts will be excited to learn that Starbucks is reportedly revamping its matcha formula for its winter menu in 2025. While it won't drop officially until January 2, in less than a month you might be able to sip a matcha latte from Starbucks that's completely sugar free — one of the main caveats to its current recipe, which uses pre-sweetened matcha powder. It will also be possible to enjoy one without getting any clumps in your mouth, which has been a recurring textural issue experienced with Starbucks' iced matcha lattes.

This should be good news for matcha drinkers everywhere, who can now feel a bit of relief knowing they'll be able to get their fix anywhere there is a Starbucks. While that might be the case now, the new formula ensures better standards for the matcha itself. For one, the matcha recipe will include simple syrup instead of pre-sweetened matcha, offering those who enjoy the pure taste the option to order it without. It will also be blended in a blender rather than shaking by hand, ensuring a better consistency too.

Without sweetener, one has to wonder if Starbucks will be getting its matcha powder from another source. Currently, the type of matcha Starbucks uses comes (broadly) from Korea, Japan, and China. But, without the sugar, it will be imperative that the powder is top quality, ceremonial grade — and all matcha drinkers know that the best comes from Uji, Japan.

In October, Starbucks announced that it would be offering less discounts going into the holidays, and eventually do away with them completely in the new year. The announcement, however, came with some good news too. The bright side is that, while you might be paying more for your Starbucks drinks going forward, the new CEO, Brian Niccol, will also be putting forward some new initiatives in an effort to distinguish the brand as a quality coffee house. His vision includes better customer service, better customer and employee experience, and better drinks. And apparently, that includes better matcha, too.

The matcha revamp will be going hand-in-hand with some other initiatives, like the return of the classic café feature, the condiment bar. The upcoming 2025 winter menu is also reported to come with the addition of cortados, a short form drink made of equal parts espresso and steamed milk that is intended to highlight the quality of the coffee beans, along with a brown sugar oat milk cortado, a pistachio latte, and a pistachio cream cold brew. The new matcha formula, however, levels up Starbucks' non-coffee beverages, potentially putting its matcha on par with third wave shops like Blue Bottle, which serves ceremonial grade matcha from Uji.