Earlier this year, I cut out coffee (I know, I’m devastated). The move was pivotal in curing my insomnia, and immediately sent me into an quest to make a café-quality matcha latte. While I make a protein- and collagen-packed latte most mornings, few things feel as special on a slow morning as a well-made (and strong!) matcha latte.
I packed incredibly minimally for the van, yet still brought the essentials to make a perfectly balanced and just-sweet-enough matcha latte. Here’s how I do it:
You will need:
3 to 4 grams matcha powder (I use 4 grams, which creates a fairly strong matcha latte)
6 to 8 ounces milk (I prefer whole milk)
1 teaspoon honey, or to taste (if using)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or to taste (if using)
Nice to have:
Matcha sifter (keeps the matcha from being clumpy in your final sips)
Kettle with temperature control (I use a Fellow kettle)
Culinary scale
Matcha whisk
Matcha bowl (I used a small cereal bowl for years before buying a dedicated bowl)
Electric whisk (I use this one for whisking honey and vanilla into the milk)
How to make it:
Heat water to anywhere between between 140°F and 175°F, to avoid scorching your matcha powder. I prefer the high end of this, around 175° F.
As your water warms, place your matcha bowl (or any small bowl) on a culinary scale, and lay your sifter over it, then tar the scale. Measure out three to four grams of matcha into the sifter. Use the edge of a spoon to gently to press the matcha through into the bowl, through the sifter. Remove the sifter.
When the water warms, place your bamboo matcha whisk into your mug of choice—I often use a 6- to 8-ounce mug—and add warm water. This will warm the whisk, to make it more flexible for whisking (actually makes a big difference!) at the same time it warms your cup!
Add 6 to 8 ounces of your preferred milk to either a warmer or a pan, then add honey and vanilla bean paste to the milk, and whisk to blend (I use an electric whisk to do this). Warm over low, but keep an eye on it—it’s such a small amount of milk, it’ll warm quickly and you don’t want to scald it!
Once warmed, add ten-times the amount of water to your matcha, so for 4 grams, tar your scale, then add 40 grams warm water. Set a timer for 1 minute and use your warmed whisk to whisk vigorously to blend! You can alternate between bringing the whisk closer to the surface and deeper into the matcha blend, to create a nice, cohesive foamy top and micro-bubbles.
Pour the water out of your mug, and add the matcha and the milk to your mug (doesn’t matter which order first, though for an iced matcha, it’s nice to add the matcha after the milk to watch it cascade!). Enjoy! x
Pssst… if you’re more of a coffee person! x
This is so helpful as a novice matcha maker! Also, Leslie, just so you know—this didn’t come through my inbox like all my other subscriptions (and yours normally) do! Not sure if anyone else might’ve had this problem! I saw this one in the “Notes” feed :)