Japanese green tea named stain of the year as survey finds Aperol spritz and bubble tea are also leaving their mark
It used to be curry sauce, egg yolk and red wine that ruined Britain’s clothes but in a sign of the times laundry detergents are being reformulated to tackle stains left by matcha lattes, Aperol spritz and bubble tea.
In a month when year-end gongs are dished out, from BBC Sports Personality to Pantone’s Colour of 2026 (a white called “cloud dancer”), matcha has received the dubious accolade “stain of the year”.
The honour has been handed to the Japanese green tea after it topped the inaugural “stains index”. The ranking, compiled by the washing detergent maker Unilever, identified “new and emerging stains based on evolving lifestyles and culture”.
To this end, matcha, Aperol and bubble tea top what was an actual laundry list of the country’s hottest stains. However, it could also be a proxy of the zeitgeist, given gen Z’s thirst for morning matcha coffees and fluorescent boba teas.
