If you are one of the millions who loves latte, or you are a green tea enthusiast, then you have got to try matcha latte! Many are replacing their afternoon Starbucks latte with a much healthier version that will not leave you with that shaky caffeine feeling and late afternoon crash associated with coffee. Now you can have your latte and take advantage of all of the healing antioxidants associated with matcha green tea!
One of the first things that come to mind when making this green drink (other than the look) is the taste. The taste of matcha latte has been described as a blend of grassy with a slight nutty taste, very mildly earthy flavor. This depends on the quality of the matcha: high quality matcha will have less of this earthy flavor and a crisp grassiness with a hint of green tea.
Second thing we notice when we are making matcha latte is the color. As a rule of thumb, the ceremonial grade matcha is the highest quality,
followed by premium culinary grade. Even so, matcha will vary by brand. The best matcha is bright spring green type of color. This is the best way for you to recognize if the matcha is high quality or not.
Since matcha is globally demanded product, many countries cultivate the matcha. Keep in mind where you are ordering your matcha from. The best matcha comes from Japan; if you want your matcha to be of high quality, be sure to order Japanese matcha.
Click here for the best place to buy matcha powder.
Since this is a latte, every latte has to contain milk, but when making matcha latte, you should use non dairy milk. Matcha and dairy milk don’t go well together because dairy milk may interfere with absorption of green tea antioxidants. One of the best alternatives is almond milk. It makes a great latte and it allows more foam to form.
Many people like to sweeten their matcha latte. While I don’t personally use sweetener, you can certainly sweeten your latte. Sweetener options include: agave syrup, maple syrup, organic sugar, etc.
Best Organic Matcha Powder
Encha Matcha
- Encha Ceremonial Grade Matcha
- Hand-picked from organic farm in Uji, Japan
- First Harvest Matcha - Vibrant green color
- Highest quality matcha, never bitter
- Our Rating: 4.9 of 5 stars
Tenzo Matcha
- Tenzo Organic Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea Powder
- Authentic Japanese Matcha
- Rich in antioxidants, helps boost metabolism
- Ceremonial Grade - Vibrant Green Color
Our Rating: 4.8 of 5 stars
Pique Matcha
- Pique Matcha - Organic Japanese Matcha Green Tea Powder
- Harvested from a family-owned organic tea farm in Japan
- Increases energy and focus
- Highest-quality, shade grown ceremonial-grade
- Our Rating: 4.8 of 5 stars
Kenko Matcha
- Kenko Matcha Organic Ceremonial Matcha
- Gold Class Ceremonial Grade Matcha
- Country of Origin: Japan
- First Harvest Matcha - Vibrant Green in Color
- Our Rating: 4.8 of 5 stars
Blend it! Matcha is traditionally made with a bamboo whisk, but if you don’t own one or don’t want to go with the tradition, you can blend everything in a blender of your choice, the blender will produce a lovely airy, foamy texture to the latte. Matcha Latte should be served hot. However you should not overheat it. Overheating will destroy the flavor and raw nature of the matcha. So this is how you should do it: blend the hot water and then add super hot and preheated non-dairy milk once the matcha has dissolved into the water. And most importantly – don’t microwave your matcha latte! It will overcook it, and the taste can be sour and bitter and you don’t want that.
Matcha latte with a twist. The list of extracts and flavorings that you can add to your latte are endless. Some of my favorite natural extracts and flavors to add are mint or vanilla. Adding vanilla to matcha latte can be a great combination because of the sweetness that vanilla possesses. Or if you like mint, you can add real peppermint extract for that flavor.
Serve matcha latte in your favorite mug!
Matcha Latte Recipe
MINT MATCHA LATTE
INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup non-dairy milk (soy/almond)
½ cup water (if you want creamier latte, you may use more or 100% non-dairy milk as the liquid)
2 tsp matcha green tea
1-3 drops of peppermint extract
sweeten to a taste
Bring water to a slow boil in a small sauce pot. Add water to blender. Turn blender on low and add in the matcha while blender is blending. Warm non-dairy milk to just under boiling, in same sauce pot. Pour the warmed non-dairy milk into the blender. Add mint and sweetener as well. Blend for a few minutes for whip air into the latte and help foam form and there you have your mint matcha latte.