Why Ube, Matcha and Colourful Iced Lattes Are Taking Over Café Menus

Why Ube, Matcha and Colourful Iced Lattes Are Taking Over Café Menus

Café Trends & Drink Menu Inspiration

Why Ube, Matcha and Colourful Iced Lattes Are Taking Over Café Menus

Colourful iced lattes are no longer just a seasonal extra — they are becoming a serious menu opportunity for cafés.

Ube Latte Matcha Latte Iced Drinks Café Menu Ideas

From vibrant purple ube lattes to earthy green matcha drinks and layered iced creations, customers are looking for drinks that feel refreshing, premium and visually exciting. Ube has recently gained attention across UK cafés and high-street coffee chains, with major brands launching ube drinks and pairing the flavour with familiar options such as vanilla, espresso and matcha.

Recent food and drink coverage has described ube as one of the standout café trends of 2026, with The Guardian reporting on the rise of ube cocktails and coffees in the UK, while Starbucks EMEA has also launched a spring Ube Vanilla range. FoodNavigator has also highlighted ube as a growing ingredient trend, asking whether it could become “the next matcha”.

What café owners are asking

  • Why is ube suddenly trending?
  • Is matcha still popular?
  • What makes colourful iced drinks sell?
  • How can cafés add these drinks without slowing down service?
  • Which Fonte products available from RapidSips help cafés create these drinks consistently?

Let’s break it down — then put it into practice with café-ready recipe ideas.

Why Are Colourful Café Drinks Trending?

Colour is powerful on a drinks menu.

A bright purple ube latte or layered iced matcha instantly feels different from a standard iced coffee. It catches attention at the counter, photographs well for social media and gives customers a reason to try something new.

Ube is especially well suited to this trend because of its naturally vibrant purple colour and sweet, nutty, creamy flavour profile. For customers, it feels playful and modern. For cafés, it creates an easy way to refresh a menu without rebuilding the entire drinks list.

Further reading: For more background on the flavour itself, read RapidSips’ guide: What Is Ube? Taste, Origin, Benefits and How to Use Ube Concentrate.

What Is an Ube Latte?

An ube latte is a milk-based drink made with ube, a purple yam commonly used in Filipino and East Asian desserts.

The flavour is often described as lightly sweet, nutty, creamy and slightly vanilla-like. That makes it easy to pair with milk, espresso, white chocolate, coconut, vanilla and matcha.

A good ube latte should feel smooth and indulgent, but not overly heavy. It can be served hot, iced, blended or layered. For cafés, the iced version is especially useful because it is quick to prepare, visually striking and ideal for spring and summer menus.

Product spotlight

For a café-ready option, Fonte Speciality Concentrate Ube 750ml is available from RapidSips and is designed for hot and cold ube drinks.

Shop Fonte Ube Concentrate

Is Matcha Still Popular?

Yes — matcha is still a strong café menu option.

While ube is being talked about as the “new matcha”, that does not mean matcha is disappearing. In fact, matcha has moved beyond a short-lived trend and become a regular alternative to coffee for many customers.

Recent food and drink coverage continues to highlight matcha, flavoured matcha and visually striking iced drinks as part of the wider café trend landscape. FoodNavigator has also covered flavour innovation in the coffee sector, including ube, matcha and colourful café drinks.

For cafés, the smartest move is not to choose between ube and matcha. It is to use both.

Matcha brings earthy, slightly bitter balance. Ube brings colour, creaminess and soft sweetness. Together, they create layered drinks that look premium and taste more interesting than a standard syrup-based iced latte.

Matcha options available from RapidSips

RapidSips stocks both FONTE Green Matcha Latte and Fonte Speciality Concentrate Matcha, giving cafés options for both creamy matcha lattes and quick liquid concentrate builds.

Shop Green Matcha Latte

 

Shop Matcha Concentrate

Why Colourful Iced Lattes Work So Well for Cafés

Colourful iced drinks are not just attractive — they are practical.

They can be built quickly over ice, customised with different milks and positioned as premium seasonal drinks. RapidSips’ own guide to Spring Coffee Shop Menu Ideas That Actually Sell highlights the value of drinks that are easy to prepare, simple to train and strong for seasonal menus.

1. Instant menu appeal

A purple ube latte or green matcha latte stands out on a chalkboard, counter display or social post.

2. Premium pricing

Customers often expect to pay more for drinks that feel seasonal, layered, colourful or limited edition.

3. Easy customisation

Oat milk, coconut milk, vanilla syrup, espresso, cold foam, white chocolate sauce and fruit flavours can all change the drink.

4. Repeat seasonal sales

Once customers find a colourful drink they love, it can become their go-to summer order.

Ube vs Matcha: What’s the Difference?

Both ube and matcha work beautifully in café drinks, but they offer very different flavour experiences.

Ube

Ube is creamy, sweet, nutty and visually bold. It works well for customers who enjoy dessert-style lattes, milkshakes, frappes and iced drinks.

Best pairings:

  • Vanilla
  • Coconut
  • White chocolate
  • Espresso
  • Oat milk
  • Cream or cold foam

Try it with Fonte Speciality Concentrate Ube.

Matcha

Matcha is earthy, smooth and slightly bitter. It works well for customers looking for a coffee alternative that still feels energising and premium.

Best pairings:

  • White chocolate
  • Strawberry
  • Vanilla
  • Coconut
  • Honey
  • Oat milk

Try it with FONTE Green Matcha Latte, Fonte Speciality Concentrate Matcha, or Fonte Culinary Grade Matcha.

RapidSips’ white chocolate guide also explains how white chocolate sauce can improve texture, balance and creaminess in drinks such as coffee, matcha, hot chocolate and lattes: White Chocolate in Hot Drinks: Sauce vs Syrup, Café-style Recipes.

Some Recipe Inspiration...

These drinks are designed for speed, consistency and strong visual appeal using café-ready Fonte ingredients available from RapidSips.

Recipe 1

Iced Ube Vanilla Latte

Creamy, colourful and easy to serve all summer.

This is the simplest way to introduce ube to your menu. Vanilla makes the flavour approachable, while the purple colour gives the drink instant visual impact.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Fill a clear cup with ice.
  2. Add Fonte Speciality Concentrate Ube to the base of the cup.
  3. Pour over milk or oat milk.
  4. Add espresso if serving as a coffee-based latte.
  5. Stir lightly or leave layered for presentation.
  6. Finish with whipped cream or cold foam if desired.

Why it works

Ube gives the drink colour and creamy sweetness, while vanilla makes it familiar and easy to enjoy. Add espresso for customers who want a coffee hit, or serve without coffee as a caffeine-light option.

Shop Fonte Ube Concentrate

Recipe 2

Iced Ube Matcha Latte

Purple, green and made for social media.

This drink brings together two of the biggest visual café trends: ube and matcha. It works especially well in a clear cup where the purple and green layers can be seen.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Prepare the matcha with a small amount of hot water, whisking until smooth if using powder.
  2. Fill a clear cup with ice.
  3. Add Fonte Speciality Concentrate Ube to the base of the cup.
  4. Pour over cold milk or oat milk.
  5. Slowly top with the matcha.
  6. Add Fonte White Chocolate Sauce for a creamier, sweeter finish if desired.

Why it works

Matcha adds earthy balance, while ube adds sweetness, colour and a smooth dessert-style finish. The result is a premium iced drink that feels modern without being complicated.

Shop Fonte Matcha & Ube Ingredients

Recipe 3

Strawberry Matcha Iced Latte

Fruity, fresh and perfect for spring/summer menus.

Strawberry matcha has become a popular iced drink format because it combines fruitiness, colour contrast and the earthy flavour of matcha. FoodNavigator has also covered flavour innovation in the coffee sector as part of wider 2026 drinks trends.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Add strawberry syrup or purée to the base of the cup.
  2. Fill with ice.
  3. Pour over milk or oat milk.
  4. Prepare the matcha separately until smooth.
  5. Pour the matcha over the milk to create a layered finish.
  6. Stir before drinking.

Why it works

Strawberry softens matcha’s earthy flavour and adds a bright, fruity finish. It is colourful, refreshing and easy to position as a summer special.

Recipe 4

White Chocolate Ube Iced Latte

Dessert-style, smooth and indulgent.

This is a richer option for customers who want something sweet, creamy and memorable.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Add Fonte White Chocolate Sauce and Fonte Speciality Concentrate Ube to the cup.
  2. Stir with a small amount of milk until smooth.
  3. Fill the cup with ice.
  4. Pour over the remaining milk.
  5. Add espresso if desired.
  6. Finish with whipped cream or a light drizzle of sauce.

Why it works

White chocolate adds body and creaminess, while ube brings colour and a sweet, nutty flavour. It feels indulgent enough to sit alongside frappes, milkshakes and dessert drinks.

Shop Fonte White Chocolate Sauce

How Cafés Can Add Ube and Matcha Drinks Without Slowing Service

The key is to keep the build simple.

A colourful drink should look premium, but it should not create delays during busy service. That is where concentrates, sauces and latte blends are useful. They allow staff to prepare drinks quickly, keep flavour consistent and reduce the need for complicated recipe training.

Start with a focused seasonal menu

  • Iced Ube Vanilla Latte
  • Iced Ube Matcha Latte
  • Strawberry Matcha Iced Latte

This gives customers choice without overwhelming the bar.

Use clear cups for iced drinks

Layering is part of the appeal. A clear cup shows off the purple, green, white and pink colours.

Offer plant-based milk

Oat milk and coconut milk both work well with ube and matcha. Coconut is especially useful because it complements ube’s creamy, vanilla-like profile.

Make it seasonal

Position colourful iced lattes as a spring/summer menu feature. Limited-time drinks create urgency and give customers a reason to try something new.

Train with simple recipes

Every recipe should be easy to repeat:

Base flavour Ice Milk Top layer Finish

That structure keeps service fast and consistent.

For more seasonal planning ideas, read: Spring Coffee Shop Menu Ideas That Actually Sell.

Are Ube and Matcha Worth Adding to Your Café Menu?

Yes — especially if your café wants to create more premium iced drink options.

Ube and matcha work because they combine flavour, colour and customer curiosity. They are also flexible enough to use across lattes, frappes, milkshakes, hot drinks and dessert-style specials.

For cafés, the opportunity is not just to follow a trend. It is to build drinks that are easy to prepare, visually exciting and profitable to sell.

The Bottom Line

Ube, matcha and colourful iced lattes are taking over café menus because they offer exactly what today’s customers want: flavour, freshness, colour and a sense of discovery.

Ube brings a bold purple finish and creamy sweetness. Matcha brings earthy balance and coffee-alternative appeal. Together, they give cafés a simple way to refresh their menu with drinks that look premium, taste modern and work beautifully for spring and summer.

Ready to create colourful café drinks that stand out?

Explore Fonte café-ready concentrates, matcha, sauces and seasonal drink ingredients available from RapidSips to build iced lattes that are quick to prepare, consistent to serve and easy to love.

Shop Fonte Café Ingredients at RapidSips

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