Another day, another matcha launch - and we’re really not too mad about it. One of our favourite high street coffee spots has just unveiled its spring 2026 menu, and there’s one fruity flavour that’s destined to fly off the menu because it tastes EXACTLY like a cherry Bakewell.
From Thursday 5 March, Costa Coffee will be serving up a limited-edition Cherry Vanilla Iced Matcha Latte (from £5.15), and it might just be our favourite seasonal drink yet. There’s clearly no slowing down the matcha craze, so it’s no surprise Costa is leaning into it. What we love most is that they’re not just following trends - they’re pairing matcha with flavours that actually work.
We popped in store to try it for ourselves and can confirm: it genuinely tastes like a Bakewell tart in drink form. The cherry flavour is bold and jammy without tipping into overly sweet territory. Once it mixes through the earthy matcha, everything blends beautifully into a balanced, slightly indulgent but still refreshing drink. Visually, it’s stunning too - deep red syrup swirling through pastel green and creamy white. A proper Instagram moment if we ever did see one!
Costa is also introducing two brand-new ube drinks, marking the first time the brand has showcased this vibrant ingredient. Ube, also known as purple yam, has a subtly sweet, nutty and vanilla-like flavour and a striking purple hue. It’s already had a moment elsewhere (Pret flirted with it last year), so it feels like a natural next step for more coffee chains to follow suit.
First up is the Sweet Ube Frappe (from £4.35), a blended mix of milk, ice and ube syrup, topped with a surprisingly light whip. It gave us strong tropical Bounty vibes with its coconut notes and hints of buttery biscuit. This was very, very good.
There’s also a Sweet Ube Hot Chocolate (from £4.65), which is more understated in appearance (brown with a faint purple tint), but delivers a gently nutty, vanilla-forward flavour that feels cosy and comforting.
That said, if you’re only ordering one thing, 100% make it the Cherry Vanilla Iced Matcha Latte. The menu is only available until the end of April so once it's gone, it's gone!!
Mel is the Senior Food & Drink Writer for Good Housekeeping UK, covering all the delicious new product launches that come her way, writing about food and drink topics, and curating gift guides for the best foodie products to buy. Alongside that, she can be found developing and creating cocktails for GH and holds her WSET Level 2 in Wine and Spirits. She was part of the Good Housekeeping Institute food testing team for over four years before moving over to the digital side, so knows a thing or two about great food products. You'll find her scouring the supermarket shelves in her spare time for new and exciting ingredients to experiment with in her kitchen.
