If you’re a milk tea lover chasing that perfect matcha latte, there’s one popular chain you might want to skip: Paris Baguette.
Despite its reputation for tasty pastries and coffeehouse vibes, its matcha latte has landed at the bottom of the rankings in a recent taste test by Chowhound — making it the worst-rated matcha among 10 major U.S. coffee chains.
At first glance, Paris Baguette’s matcha looks promising with its bright green hue — typically a good sign in the world of matcha. But that’s where the appeal ends.
The taste tells a different story. Instead of the signature earthy bitterness and grassy complexity matcha fans crave, what you get is more of a sweetened milk drink with barely any tea flavor.
The issue, according to the review, lies in both ingredient quality and preparation technique.
Paris Baguette’s version likely uses culinary-grade matcha — made from older tea leaves and lacking the refined flavor of ceremonial-grade matcha, which is what top-ranked Blue Bottle Coffee uses. Combine that with an overly generous dose of milk and sweetener, and the matcha is drowned out completely.
A well-made matcha latte requires balance: about ¼ teaspoon of quality matcha, 2 ounces of hot water, 6 ounces of milk, and just a touch of sweetener (if any).
Paris Baguette’s drink, however, throws off that ratio, resulting in a muted, overly sugary experience that disappoints fans of the classic green tea beverage.
With matcha’s growing popularity, many chains have added it to their menu — but getting it right takes skill and intention. Unfortunately, Paris Baguette seems to be prioritizing aesthetics over authenticity, delivering a latte that looks the part but fails on flavor.
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