Matcha’s glorious run in India is now under threat. A new colourful drink has entered the Instagram algorithm and is all set to become the next cool thing in cafes. Ube—pronounced ‘oo beh’, in case you were about to embarrass yourself—is set to capture the Indian market.
Let’s start with the basics. Ube is made from purple yam, which is native to the Philippines. It’s not new, not rediscovered, not some ancient ‘superfood’ which has been unearthed. In fact, farmers in Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Odisha have been farming purple yam for a while.
What’s new is the West’s obsession with it. And once the West gets obsessed, you know what happens. Indians follow.
If there is one thing we have mastered, it’s importing trends—be it Avocado toast, which we sell for Rs 500, or the boba tea we line up for. Or the Korean corn dogs now spotted at every food festival. Matcha itself was once a foreign concept here, and now it sits on every single cafe menu.
But ube is different from the green Japanese beverage that South Delhi women have made a status symbol. While matcha leaned into minimalism, ube is playful. It doesn’t whisper wellness. It doesn’t pretend to detox your life or align your chakras. It just wants to taste good and look pretty doing it.
Ube’s sweet, nutty, almost vanilla-like flavour doesn’t need convincing. You don’t have to acquire a taste for it. It had to happen sometime; matcha fatigue is real.
But the real reason ube is set to dethrone matcha isn’t just taste, it’s visual drama. Colour sells on social media. And purple is rich and vibrant. It stands out in a sea of beige coffees and green lattes. If matcha was the Pinterest girl, ube is the Instagram baddie.
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Ube is coming
When ube finally lands nationwide—it already has in some Bengaluru cafes—it will come with a bang. First, a limited-edition ube latte. Then an ube cheesecake. And before you realise it, there will be a full purple section on the menu.
It will also undergo its own transformation. I am expecting fusion experiments that range from genius to disgusting. I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw ube kulfi, ube mithai, ube boba tea, or ube frappes going viral on Instagram.
Soon, there will be debates. Loyalists vs newcomers. Matcha purists will clutch their bamboo whisks, insisting nothing beats the ‘depth’ of their green potion. Ube enthusiasts will roll their eyes, saying at least their drink doesn’t taste like boiled leaves. Instagram will do what it does best: pick a side, milk it, and move on. And just like that, the cycle will continue.
The truth is, the trend was never really about matcha itself. And it won’t really be about ube either. It’s about the thrill of discovering something new. It’s about that one perfect picture, that one viral reel. And that one moment of feeling in sync with the West. But this too shall pass.
So yes, ube is coming. It will trend, it will peak, and eventually, it will fade into the background, right next to your forgotten jar of matcha. Until the next colour shows up (from the West, of course).
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(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)