Lucknow’s ‘Garmatcha’ goes viral: Desi street-style matcha divides and delights the internet

Matcha has officially met Indian street food chaos — and social media can’t look away. A viral video from Lucknow shows a local vendor reinventing the Japanese green tea in full desi style, tossing out traditional rules and replacing them with brass vessels, steam, and a kulhad. The result? A loud, frothy, unapologetically Indian version of matcha that has the internet buzzing.

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Matcha, But Make It Desi

The viral clip shows bright green matcha bubbling away in a large brass vessel, much like roadside chai. Stirred with a long steel ladle and cooked over heat, the drink looks nothing like the minimalist café version matcha is known for. Steam rises dramatically as curious onlookers gather, instantly turning the preparation into a street-side spectacle.

What truly seals the desi makeover is the serving style. The frothy green drink is poured straight into a kulhad — the clay cup synonymous with Indian tea stalls. The video’s cheeky overlay reads, “Matcha ke Chacha” and “Garmatcha, exclusively in Lucknow,” setting the tone for the reactions that followed.

Internet Reacts: Memes, Jokes and Doubts

Social media users were quick to react, and the comments section turned into a meme fest. “Matcha crying in the corner,” wrote one user, while another joked, “Chicken tikka ki chatni hai yeh.” Some creatively dubbed it “kulhad chai,” while others imagined even wilder experiments like matcha pani puri.

Not everyone was convinced. A few users questioned the method, calling it “chemical lag raha hai” or pointing out that matcha isn’t meant to be boiled. Still, even sceptics couldn’t deny the sheer entertainment value of the video.

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Matcha’s Growing Indian Avatar

This isn’t the first time matcha has surprised Indian social media. Earlier, a video of a creator making matcha mid-flight had gone viral. In India, the beverage has already taken several experimental forms — from matcha cheesecake and matcha dosa to matcha biryani.

The Lucknow version was shared by local food blogger Ayan Ahmad, who introduces it saying, “Yahape Lucknow main matcha launch huyi hai.” True to his words, the vendor prepares “garam matcha chai” using traditional chai-making techniques.

Whether seen as innovation or sacrilege, one thing is clear: India’s street food culture has once again hijacked a global trend and made it unmistakably local — and the internet is loving every sip of it.