Does Matcha Count Toward Hydration?
A cup of matcha provides liquid. Green tea evidence informs the question without proving matcha hydrates better than water.
By Roseline Zhou, Founder
Contents
You drink matcha with water and wonder whether its caffeine cancels out the liquid you drank. A cup counts among the day's beverages. Caffeine alone isn't enough to call it dehydrating; the evidence reviewed here doesn't show that it hydrates better than water either.
When you simply want to quench your thirst, we'd choose water, with no preparation needed. Matcha has its place for its taste and the act of making it.
Does matcha dehydrate you?
Tea and coffee count among drinks that contribute to daily fluid intake. Matcha is also prepared with water. Its caffeine alone is therefore no reason to ignore the liquid in the cup.
We'd first look at the water actually drunk over the day rather than classify every tea drink as “dehydrating.” This general guide doesn't replace advice tailored to you if a medical situation changes your needs.
What does a trial say about green tea's diuretic effect?
A crossover trial compared green tea, water, and caffeinated water after mild dehydration. During the two hours observed, fluid retention and urine volume did not differ significantly between the drinks. The study was about green tea, not matcha.
We wouldn't turn that result into a guarantee for every amount or every person. Under the conditions tested, it only addresses the idea that a tea drink must cause you to lose more water than it provides.
Matcha with water or a latte: what changes?
Both drinks provide the liquid used to make them. Milk changes the recipe and its nutritional value without removing the caffeine from the powder. Adding more water increases the volume in the bowl; the weight of matcha added stays the same.
To taste the tea without other ingredients, we'd make it with water. A latte serves a different preference. To compare these drinks' energy content, the matcha calorie calculation includes every ingredient in each one.
What if you're thinking about weight?
A cup made with water provides liquid. That says nothing about its effect on weight: hydration and weight loss are separate questions.