August 6, 2025 • 7 mins
"Is your $12 matcha latte just a drink… or a desperate cry for attention?"In this laugh-out-loud episode of The Ben and Skin Show, the crew dives into the cultural chaos surrounding the matcha boom—and how it’s turning unsuspecting dudes into TikTok punchlines. From skyrocketing prices to accusations of being “performative woke males,” Ben Rogers, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Kevin “KT” Turner, and Krystina Ray unpack the absurdity of trying to stay caffeinated and cool in 2025.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ben and Skin Show ninety seven point one The Eagle.
We will be giving away Pantera tickets at some point today.
Be listening, have that free iHeart app and you will
have your chance to win. Coming up at the bottom
of the hour the Super Bowl halftime show. We have
the odds on who's going to be performing. We'll give
that to you then, but right now we'll do this.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Skin is Track, another edition of things. It is tracking,
all right. Here's where I want to start.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Ben and I have been talking lately about well, I
was getting real into Macha and then Ben kind of
dabbled in it a little bit, and I kind of
started hearing this story and so I wanted to bring
it to you. This is from NBC News yesterday. Your
midday Macha latte is getting more expensive and harder to
come by as a supply shortage and skyrocketing demand. Squeeze
(00:54):
cafes bitsch up, guys, he guess thanks. It goes on
to say that its popularity is fueled by social media
and a post pandemic tourism boom in Japan.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Relax, have a MATCHA.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah, your tourism boom of interval walking right, spiking prices
that could rise even more with the new fifteen percent
tariffs on Japanese imports into the United States. Thanks a
lot Ben lauden T experts say true macha has only
grown and produced in Japan. The shortage has made it
harder for cafes to get machya. So here we are
(01:30):
in the middle of a macha boom, as it were.
I call it the macha March. I've been out there
marching around getting mauchas everywhere. And there's that, but then
there's another issue. Let me read you a New York
Post headline, and before we get to the story, you guys,
tell me what it makes you think. Headline woke men mocked,
mocked by women for obnoxious performative drinking habit. You guys
(01:55):
ruined Maya.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
That's why I didn't take more on that. That is
on point, go bro. I knew there was a reason
Skin was getting into it.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
I just I just thought, what died the delicious matcha? Yeah, yeah,
I mean it was new to my life. I was excited.
I did want to eliminate you and I talked about this.
I wanted to eliminate the afternoon coffee. But I just
get worn down. I need some sort of thing to get.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Me through the last leg, you know, and you need
a little something extra, Like you don't want to just
go for a walk, It has to be Japanese interval walking. Really, Yeah,
you don't just want tea. It's got to be some
really rare type of tea. And now it's now, it's
wildly popular. Now you might have to distance from it
just because it's corny. Now, well you need Indye t
(02:46):
Now my problem is just too expensive.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I can't afford it. There's a watch of shortage.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, I had I ordered one yesterday because of you,
you son of a bitch. And it was after I
paid the tip. Of course, it was ten dollars and
there's so much it's ice in it. It was like
and it really just tasted like milk.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Oh dude, what kind of milk?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
We're just talking about that.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
So in this article, it's basically it's it's kind of
like your girl.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
VICKI wou Vicky woe Vicky whoa.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
She was saying, it's like, look, it just be for
why girls. But now ayby machya at least at least
at least it's been knowing about this. Yeah, can I
do you have her over there, Christiana.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Well, relax, have a macha.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
That's what I was trying to do, and now it's
so if inexpensive, and now I gotta deal with the backlash.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Of being a woke, performative male. Listen to some of this.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Some ladies who suspect that these men are adopting habits
like macha drinking to appeal to single women, have taken
their teasing to TikTok Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
That's what you've been trying to do this whole time.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Trying to get out there with these single ladies and
be like, hey, look at this old guy drinking machya?
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Are that are single women like look for guys that
are into like Japanese culture.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Is that the thing?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Know what they're saying is they're like, you think you're
drinking this macha to appeal to us, but really, oh,
you're just ruining bitch. Okay, they're calling me a performative bitch.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And the single women used to be like that guy
works out, but now they're like, I bet he interval walked,
So here's okay.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
So now these women are going around and they're taking
pictures of men ordering macha and they're posting it.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
And making fun of them.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
So I'm gonna end up in someone's timeline looking like
Chris Elliott, just trying to enjoy my twelve dollars matcha
so I can.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
I can get through my day, and now some TikTok
gal is making fun of me.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
You know, my wife was watching the Herpes Island, The
Bachelor or whatever that's and for whatever reason, now they're
what they're doing is they're combining the senior citizens and
the young people together fantastic and they're not like dating
each other, but they're all like getting together. They're dating
people their own age or whatever. And these old birds
were at a bar. They'd had so much work done
(05:00):
and they're at a bar talking and there's this kind
of a hefty guy like me or whatever, but he's
he's got gray hair and he's just trying to like
eat in peace, and they're bothering him and these ladies
go ooh, he's a catch.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Like they were like, oh my god, this is old.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I was like Lena's old dude.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I was even on this show.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
There's nothing but gray hair, out of way, overweight, and
they're just like he's a catch.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I'm damn silver Fox. The silver Fox.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
People think he's got money. He's got the silver and
they think he's got money, especially.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
If he's buying Macha. He definitely has money, right.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Which I'm swimming out of my depths right now. So
I have to read you this one comment because I
felt like it was coming specifically after me.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Here's a quote.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Might as well have Macha and a Claro vinyl with you.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Oh No, I love the new Clara. It's so good.
She's a singer. She's a little skinny singer.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And yeah, it's not gonna like take you on a big,
wild head thumping ride, but it's gonna get you right
in the middle of the lane. And it's it's and
it's a guy who's tangentially related to us produced the
record and it was nominated for a Grammy. Like I
was listening to the Red going God, I love the
way this record sounds.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
This is amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Then you take a big sip off your Macha like
some wooden clogs that are in there right now.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
I got strawberry oat milk caught in my mustaches.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
I'm nodding my head to the Claro record.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Being a performative male wearing loafersus my son, make the
edges of your mustache twist up. But anyways, I was
just having a good time. I was excited about my Macha.
I wanted to take my Claro record home. And now
I'm a performative woke bitch. The hell.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Wants to be oh macha. So anyways, if you're out
there listening, f me, yeah, rest in peace, Rest in peace.
Jeff skin Way, performative woke mail art. All right.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Coming up next in the Hollywood Shuffle, the odds on
favorite to host the Super Bowl halftime show.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
We now have some of the finalists. We'll talk about
it next.
Ben and Skin Show ninety seven point one The Eagle.
We will be giving away Pantera tickets at some point today.
Be listening, have that free iHeart app and you will
have your chance to win. Coming up at the bottom
of the hour the Super Bowl halftime show. We have
the odds on who's going to be performing. We'll give
that to you then, but right now we'll do this.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Skin is Track, another edition of things. It is tracking,
all right. Here's where I want to start.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Ben and I have been talking lately about well, I
was getting real into Macha and then Ben kind of
dabbled in it a little bit, and I kind of
started hearing this story and so I wanted to bring
it to you. This is from NBC News yesterday. Your
midday Macha latte is getting more expensive and harder to
come by as a supply shortage and skyrocketing demand. Squeeze
(00:54):
cafes bitsch up, guys, he guess thanks. It goes on
to say that its popularity is fueled by social media
and a post pandemic tourism boom in Japan.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Relax, have a MATCHA.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah, your tourism boom of interval walking right, spiking prices
that could rise even more with the new fifteen percent
tariffs on Japanese imports into the United States. Thanks a
lot Ben lauden T experts say true macha has only
grown and produced in Japan. The shortage has made it
harder for cafes to get machya. So here we are
(01:30):
in the middle of a macha boom, as it were.
I call it the macha March. I've been out there
marching around getting mauchas everywhere. And there's that, but then
there's another issue. Let me read you a New York
Post headline, and before we get to the story, you guys,
tell me what it makes you think. Headline woke men mocked,
mocked by women for obnoxious performative drinking habit. You guys
(01:55):
ruined Maya.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
That's why I didn't take more on that. That is
on point, go bro. I knew there was a reason
Skin was getting into it.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
I just I just thought, what died the delicious matcha? Yeah, yeah,
I mean it was new to my life. I was excited.
I did want to eliminate you and I talked about this.
I wanted to eliminate the afternoon coffee. But I just
get worn down. I need some sort of thing to get.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Me through the last leg, you know, and you need
a little something extra, Like you don't want to just
go for a walk, It has to be Japanese interval walking. Really, Yeah,
you don't just want tea. It's got to be some
really rare type of tea. And now it's now, it's
wildly popular. Now you might have to distance from it
just because it's corny. Now, well you need Indye t
(02:46):
Now my problem is just too expensive.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
I can't afford it. There's a watch of shortage.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, I had I ordered one yesterday because of you,
you son of a bitch. And it was after I
paid the tip. Of course, it was ten dollars and
there's so much it's ice in it. It was like
and it really just tasted like milk.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Oh dude, what kind of milk?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
We're just talking about that.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
So in this article, it's basically it's it's kind of
like your girl.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
VICKI wou Vicky woe Vicky whoa.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
She was saying, it's like, look, it just be for
why girls. But now ayby machya at least at least
at least it's been knowing about this. Yeah, can I
do you have her over there, Christiana.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Well, relax, have a macha.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
That's what I was trying to do, and now it's
so if inexpensive, and now I gotta deal with the backlash.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Of being a woke, performative male. Listen to some of this.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Some ladies who suspect that these men are adopting habits
like macha drinking to appeal to single women, have taken
their teasing to TikTok Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
That's what you've been trying to do this whole time.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Trying to get out there with these single ladies and
be like, hey, look at this old guy drinking machya?
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Are that are single women like look for guys that
are into like Japanese culture.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Is that the thing?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Know what they're saying is they're like, you think you're
drinking this macha to appeal to us, but really, oh,
you're just ruining bitch. Okay, they're calling me a performative bitch.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And the single women used to be like that guy
works out, but now they're like, I bet he interval walked,
So here's okay.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
So now these women are going around and they're taking
pictures of men ordering macha and they're posting it.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
And making fun of them.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
So I'm gonna end up in someone's timeline looking like
Chris Elliott, just trying to enjoy my twelve dollars matcha
so I can.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
I can get through my day, and now some TikTok
gal is making fun of me.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
You know, my wife was watching the Herpes Island, The
Bachelor or whatever that's and for whatever reason, now they're
what they're doing is they're combining the senior citizens and
the young people together fantastic and they're not like dating
each other, but they're all like getting together. They're dating
people their own age or whatever. And these old birds
were at a bar. They'd had so much work done
(05:00):
and they're at a bar talking and there's this kind
of a hefty guy like me or whatever, but he's
he's got gray hair and he's just trying to like
eat in peace, and they're bothering him and these ladies
go ooh, he's a catch.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Like they were like, oh my god, this is old.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I was like Lena's old dude.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I was even on this show.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
There's nothing but gray hair, out of way, overweight, and
they're just like he's a catch.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I'm damn silver Fox. The silver Fox.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
People think he's got money. He's got the silver and
they think he's got money, especially.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
If he's buying Macha. He definitely has money, right.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Which I'm swimming out of my depths right now. So
I have to read you this one comment because I
felt like it was coming specifically after me.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Here's a quote.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Might as well have Macha and a Claro vinyl with you.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Oh No, I love the new Clara. It's so good.
She's a singer. She's a little skinny singer.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
And yeah, it's not gonna like take you on a big,
wild head thumping ride, but it's gonna get you right
in the middle of the lane. And it's it's and
it's a guy who's tangentially related to us produced the
record and it was nominated for a Grammy. Like I
was listening to the Red going God, I love the
way this record sounds.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
This is amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Then you take a big sip off your Macha like
some wooden clogs that are in there right now.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
I got strawberry oat milk caught in my mustaches.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
I'm nodding my head to the Claro record.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Being a performative male wearing loafersus my son, make the
edges of your mustache twist up. But anyways, I was
just having a good time. I was excited about my Macha.
I wanted to take my Claro record home. And now
I'm a performative woke bitch. The hell.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Wants to be oh macha. So anyways, if you're out
there listening, f me, yeah, rest in peace, Rest in peace.
Jeff skin Way, performative woke mail art. All right.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Coming up next in the Hollywood Shuffle, the odds on
favorite to host the Super Bowl halftime show.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
We now have some of the finalists. We'll talk about
it next.
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