Taste Test: We Try Krispy Kreme's New Matcha Doughnuts + Drinks

(SPOT.ph) You can agree or disagree, but I find matcha trends tend to come and go—but that doesn't mean there's no stable fanbase for this delightful Japanese green tea. To the delight of these tea enthusiasts, matcha has become a staple in most coffee shops and bakeries, even fast-food restaurants.

Take for example, the case of Krispy Kreme. They're not launching just one or two matcha-fied items on the menu, they just added six—two new doughnuts, two new drinks, and one doughnut dip. In this Taste Test, we're trying all of these out and see which ones are a match-a made in heaven.

Also read: Taste Test: Krispy Kreme's New Churro Doughnuts

A Taste Test of Krispy Kreme's new matcha doughnuts and drinks:

Krispy Kreme's meeting our matcha (heh) with the launch of a complete collection of drinks and treats that sport the distinctive green hue. The two new doughnuts are the Matcha Cheesecake and Matcha Berry that’s made in collaboration with KitKat chocolate—more specifically, this collection highlights KitKat Matcha.

The Matcha Cheesecake is a ring doughnut piped with a Cheesecake Kreme and topped with a velvety matcha glaze, crushed KitKat Matcha, and more of the Cheesecake Kreme piped on top and center. The Matcha Berry is on the sweeter-tarter side with creamy strawberry filling and the bright pink strawberry-flavored powder sprinkled on top, plus one whole stick of KitKat Matcha balanced on top.

As for the drinks, there’s the Matcha Mango and Matcha Strawberry. Think of these layered drinks with a fruity slushy at the bottom and a matcha latte on top. These are refreshing cold beverages that put together tropical vibes and earthy zen in one sip.

Then there’s also the famous Churro Doughnuts, which I did a separate Taste Test review of before, but now, the Caramel Dip is replaced by a new Matcha Dip. I don’t know if the Caramel Dip will ever make a comeback, or if it’s even worth considering should the Matcha Dip prove to be the better-tasting dip between the two—but more on this in the next part of this review.

What do Krispy Kreme's new matcha doughnuts and drinks taste like?

There's always this notion that Krispy Kreme's doughnuts, all except the Original Glazed, are "too sweet." While I do feel there is truth in this hasty generalization, the "too sweet" judgment does not apply to all doughnuts—not the Matcha Cheesecake and Matcha Berry, at least.

Yes, the Matcha Cheesecake is sweet because it does have white chocolate used, but you can still taste the earthiness of the matcha. It does help that the Cheesecake Kreme barely has any taste to it, in consequence, mellows the sweetness and earthiness but adds a velvety feel to each bite. The Matcha Berry 100% has a stronger taste because of the added layer of fruitiness in the filling and topping. The strawberry flavor is even stronger if you happen to take a bite of a big chunk of the strawberry powder.

The idea of mixing matcha with mango instantly brought me back to the orange juice-espresso combination which, to this day, I'm still on the fence about, so I was trying not to form an opinion before I took a sip of the Matcha Mango. Thankfully, no preconceived notions were entertained as I absolutely loved the drink—so much that I fangirled about it online. What I loved (understatement) about this drink was that the two layers did not overpower each other; I could clearly distinguish what I was drinking even if I was blindfolded.

The mango slushie takes me back to sunbathing on the gorgeous beaches of the Philippines with a glass of mango shake in hand, while the matcha reminds me of Japan—two of my favorite things, really. It's so good that I wish all fruit shake stands had the option of adding a matcha latte on top; it's so good that I hope Krispy Kreme never removes it from the menu.

When it came to the strawberry-matcha counterpart, the Matcha Strawberry has this artificial strawberry taste, one we've all encountered in candies and other desserts, that balances out the earthiness of the chocolate matcha. This has long been a tried-and-tested—frankly, quite overrated in my opinion—flavor combination that's proven to work, but I'm personally not a fan of it. Hence, I'd pick the Matcha Mango in a heartbeat.

As for the Churro Doughnuts, I don't think it should have been the Caramel Dip that needed to be replaced. Even though it was deemed "too sweet" by most, the Matcha Dip is too similar to the White Chocolate Dip, just with an added layer of matcha's earthy, bitter taste. For the sake of covering all bases, I think it would have been better if the Churro Doughnuts came with Dark Chocolate, Caramel, and Matcha.

Are these worth trying?

Recommending matcha doughnuts and lattes from Krispy Kreme was something I did not see coming, but 2025 is starting strong and full of pleasant surprises. The entire matcha collection from Krispy Kreme is great, but I am sure some would disagree, and those "some" are most likely matcha snobs purists.

With that said, I would never buy all these matcha items all in one go again—only to be questioned by the cashier multiple times if I was obsessed over matcha (I am, just to set the record straight) and if I was going to eat and drink all the matcha items I ordered (I wasn't going to, I planned on bringing home what I couldn't finish).

I do have my matcha favorites which are the Matcha Mango for the matcha latte. As for the Churro Doughnuts with the Matcha Dip, you can skip and just order the Matcha Cheesecake or Matcha Berry ring doughnuts instead.

See a list of Krispy Kreme branches. For more information, check out Krispy Kreme's Facebook page.

Hey, Spotters! Check us out on Viber to join our Community and subscribe to our Chatbot.