A café matcha latte costs 120–180 baht. At home it costs about 20–30 baht and tastes better, because you control the sweetness and the amount of tea. This recipe follows the ratios of Ippodo, a Kyoto tea house in business since 1717.

Ratio (one cup)

Item Amount
Matcha 3 g (about 1.5 level teaspoons)
Hot water at 80°C 100 ml
Milk 100 ml, warmed or frothed
Sugar or syrup To taste (optional)

This gives a latte with a clear tea taste. For a milder drink, raise the milk to 150 ml and keep the same matcha.

Hot version

  1. Sift 3 g of matcha into a wide bowl. Don't skip this, or lumps will float on top.
  2. Add 100 ml of water at 80°C (boil, then pour through an empty cup twice).
  3. Whisk to a foam with a bamboo whisk or handheld frother, back and forth in an M shape for about 15 seconds.
  4. Warm 100 ml of milk until hot but not boiling; froth it if you like.
  5. Pour the milk into a mug, then the matcha on top (or the reverse for a layered look). Sweeten now if you want.

Iced version

  1. Sift 3 g of matcha into a glass.
  2. Add 30–50 ml of warm water and whisk to a smooth paste. Never pour cold milk straight onto the powder; it clumps.
  3. Fill the glass with ice and add 150 ml of cold milk.
  4. Sweeten with syrup if you like (it dissolves more easily than sugar in a cold drink) and stir.

For the green-on-white layered look, pour the whisked matcha slowly over the ice as the last step.

Which matcha to use

You don't need the most expensive tin. Milk hides most of the fine nuances of a high-grade matcha. Choose a drinking matcha with a slightly bolder taste, mid-priced and bright green, for a good colour and a clear tea flavour. Culinary matcha works too but is more bitter and duller in colour. Read more in Ceremonial vs culinary matcha.

Choosing milk

  • Fresh cow's milk gives the best foam and the roundest taste
  • Oat milk pairs well with matcha, creamy without masking the tea; a café favourite
  • Soy milk can taste beany against the tea; choose unsweetened
  • Almond milk is light, so the tea stands out more than the milk

Common problems

Problem Fix
Lumps Sift first, and whisk with a little warm water before adding milk
Too bitter Water above 80°C or too much powder; drop to 2 g
Tea taste too faint Too much milk; cut to 100 ml or raise matcha to 4 g
Dull, yellowish colour Stale matcha; read how to store matcha

We're selecting drinking and latte matcha at the source in Japan. Add us on LINE @095sahzq to hear first when it's ready.

Sources: Ippodo Tea — Matcha latte recipe · Ippodo Tea — Iced matcha latte