A warm cup of Matcha Latte (抹茶ラテ) was one of my guilty pleasures back in the day when I was working in the office. I used to swing by Starbucks in the afternoon to get their matcha latte with just one pump of syrup. I soon realized that making a matcha latte at home is really easy (you don’t need any fancy barista skills or equipment) and costs only a fraction of the latte price from the big coffee chains. It’s simple to make at home and easy to customize with either dairy or plant-based milk. While I enjoy this healthy drink without sweetener, you could also add a bit of sugar. The beautiful bright green color and earthy, sweet matcha flavor make for a cozy and soothing morning! Too hot to drink a hot beverage? Try Iced Matcha Latte!

Make a Matcha Latte at Home

You can enjoy a really good homemade matcha latte because you can now purchase premium-quality matcha at the cost of several cups of matcha lattes from coffee shops. No more lattes with low-quality matcha! You can…

Save a lot of money in the long run!Customize the milk and sweetness level (if you add any sweetener).Create a perfect balance of creamy, earthy, and smooth flavor that suits your taste.

With my recipe below, you’ll be able to enjoy the tastiest matcha latte at home! I also find making a matcha latte at home has a therapeutic effect. Stirring the lovely green hue in a cup has the effect of calming my mind, allowing me to take a mental break on a busy day. Unlike espresso, you don’t need any special machine to make the latte; all you need is milk, matcha, and a whisk. But if you do have an espresso machine, you can elevate your cup with decorative designs. My husband aka Mr. JOC has been practicing his latte art every morning with his espresso machine and he would fix me with a cup of matcha latte that would make me smile.

What is Matcha?

You hear “matcha” often these days, but do you know what it is? Matcha (pronounce: “ma(t)-CHA” 抹茶), literally “powdered green tea,” is a fine powder made of ground green tea leaves. Unlike regular green tea, matcha is made from shade-grown tea leaves to prevent direct sunlight, which slows down growth and stimulates an increase in chlorophyll level, which turns the leaves into a darker shade of green.  While green tea is an infusion of tea leaves, matcha incorporates the entire leaf, resulting in a more concentrated source of nutrients and caffeine. Depending on the quality and production, the flavor can range in bitterness, smoothness, and umami. This Japanese powdered green tea contains high amounts of substances with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. If you want to learn more about matcha, click here. Later in the post, I share matcha shopping tips for those who want to purchase it.

How to Make a Matcha Latte at Home

Ingredients You’ll Need

All you need is just 3 ingredients!

Matcha, also known as powdered green tea or green tea powderHot water, about 176ºF or 80ºCMilk*Sugar (optional)

  • Whole milk froths the best and low-fat is okay; however, non-fat milk is hard to froth. For vegan/vegetarian, use soy, oat, or almond milk. Oat milk froths better than other non-dairy milk options.

Tools You’ll Need

Small whisk – I highly recommend getting a bamboo whisk called chasen, which blends matcha and liquid really well without much effort and aerates so that matcha has foam and froth. If you don’t want to get one, I recommend this flat whisk. This is a great tool for whisking a small amount of dry and wet ingredients.Milk frother – You can get this handheld milk frother. We use Mr. JOC’s espresso machine, which comes with a steaming wand. You can skip frothing the milk if you like, but you will miss out on the airy mouthfeel of the latte’s warm milk foam.Small fine-mesh strainer (optional) – I will keep this optional, but I highly recommend using a fine-mesh strainer. Matcha is such a fine powder that it becomes lumps as soon as the liquid is introduced. If you don’t sift the matcha, it would take a longer time to get rid of lumps.

Overview Steps

Sift the matcha powder into a bowl or cup. This will minimize any lumps and yield a smooth latte. Add the hot water to the bowl. Whisk briskly, drawing a letter W, not the usual circular pattern. Blend the hot water and matcha powder until no lumps remain. The matcha should be smooth and a little foamy.Steam the cold milk with a steaming wand or froth the warmed milk with a handheld milk frother.Pour the milk into the matcha. Sprinkle additional matcha on top.

Where to Buy Matcha

As matcha becomes a mainstream beverage outside of Japan, you’ll find countless varieties and brands of matcha out there. So I want to share my favorite brand of matcha powder (the most popular question!) and tips on how to get good quality matcha powder. You can also find a small tin or bag of matcha powder imported from Japan at Japanese grocery stores like Mitsuwa, Marukai, and Nijiya, or local tea shops.

Matcha Shopping Tips

Matcha Grades

Typically, there are two grades of matcha: Ceremonial or culinary grade. The highest-quality ceremonial grade matcha is used for a tea ceremony and the culinary grade is for baking matcha desserts. Even within the ceremonial grade, there may be a few different levels. It’s really up to your budget, but my recommendation is to go with a ceremonial grade for drinks, such as traditional matcha tea drink or matcha latte), and to go with the low-end ceremonial or culinary grade for baking desserts.

How Long Does Matcha Keep?

When you open a matcha package, it will start to oxidize, slowly turning matcha from a vibrant green to a dull brownish-green. Therefore, it’s best to use matcha within two to three weeks of opening the package. Oxidized matcha is safe to consume, but it tastes stale and bitter and loses its flavor. Unfortunately, it won’t carry all the same health benefits and it deteriorates over time. 

What Should I Look For?

When it comes to matcha, it’s all about the quality. First, check the color. The powder should be a vibrant bright green color, not yellowish or brownish-green. The color indicates its quality and its proper storage and shipping. There should not be other ingredients such as sugar or natural flavorings. Also, check for the country of origin and expiry date. The texture of high-quality matcha should be silky smooth, like baby powder or eyeliner. If it feels coarse and gritty, it’s low quality. You could also look into where it was harvested. The regions famous for green tea are Kyoto, Shizuoka, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima prefectures.

Get a Small Size

When you purchase matcha powder for drinking, I strongly recommend getting a small tin, about 20-40 grams (0.7-1.4 oz), and do not buy a big value pack unless you own a tea shop or cafe. Even high-quality matcha will become dull with time, so consume it quickly. A small 20-40 gram tin of premium-quality matcha costs about $30-45 and up. I get this premium-quality matcha (40 g) from Ippodo, which costs $35. One cup of matcha latte would roughly cost $2.70 plus milk.

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