The matcha latte is not common in British coffee shops, I don’t even think Starbucks sell their version of the matcha latte over here. Matcha is a finely powdered green tea. It can be expensive, particularly the higher grades, but a little goes a long way (and when compared to alcohol the costs of tea seem fairly reasonable). It is used in tea ceremonies and to flavour ice cream, cakes and sweets. I go for a mid range grade for something like a matcha latte. There is quite a bit of talk about how good matcha is for you but really that is an added bonus if you like the taste. Matcha loses its freshness quickly so now I have opened the cannister I will be having matcha every day (yay).
A matcha latte might seem rather an uncouth drink compared to the refinement of a tea ceremony but it is nice as a substitute for hot chocolate in this cold weather. To make matcha latte I use soy milk as it feels easier for me to digest when consumed as a drink, but dairy milk is happily substituted if that is what you would rather. Iced matcha latte is also very nice, there is a picture here of one I had in Kyoto recently, in the Kinokuniya bookshop cafe in New York they serve their iced matcha latte with a huge mound of cream on top.
Needed: Matcha, soy milk (or dairy milk), 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, whisk, saucepan, cup. If you would like to sweeten it with agave, honey, sugar or sugar syrup then that is fine, I don’t bother.
Warm the soy milk in a saucepan, whisk it until frothy.
Measure 1/2 teaspoon of matcha into your cup. You can add more to your tastes, I am quite sparing as it is expensive.
Pour a little of the warm soy milk into your cup and whisk this until all the matcha is combined and there are no lumps. If you are adding a sweetner then do so now.
Pour the rest of the whisked soy milk into the cup. Give a little stir.
Enjoy.
13 Comments
It looks great! Maybe I’ll try it soon =D
It is great if you like the matcha taste :)
Looks good. I like matcha but have never bought it Where did you get yours?
I got mine from some a shop here, I am not sure what they are called, I don’t think I will use them again. I should have bought some in Japan! I will have to see if my dad can pick me us some when he is over again.
I’ve found great and inexpensive matcha here
http://www.teazonline.com/servlet/the-Matcha/Categories
I believe they only ship in the US though
That looks good. As I was saying in reply to ai I really should have bought some when I was in Japan. I will have to remember it next time.
V cool looking drink!
You should try it :)
Mmm this looks yummy. I used to work at a little Japanese bakery that made matcha lattes but I haven’t had one in forever!
You worked in a Japanese bakery? That sounds so cool!
yum. thanks so much for your recipe. i have tried these at pain quotidien and starbucks (lsome versions have actual coffee in there as well, but that seems like overkill), but never thought to make it myself. and, i just so happen to have a fresh container of matcha unopened in my freezer that i bought last week. perfect timing. will be having this for breakfast tomorrow! i am so lucky to have two very good japanese groceries nearby that have all the japanese ingredients i need. happy new year.
oishisou!
This is such a great post (as is your site, I love it!) I do a similar iced version with 1 tsp of warmed honey, then add the matcha to make a paste the whisk in cold soy milk (it just seems to taste better than dairy to me) and add some ice cubes, amazing!!