In December 2019, I was walking with a few friends along a busy street in Honolulu on a warm, sunny afternoon. Visiting Hawaii on a school trip, I had been using any free time I had to explore the local food scene. It was on Kūhiō Ave, where I stumbled upon a tiny cafe, Matcha Cafe Maiko, where I had the best matcha latte in my life.
I consider myself a matcha connoisseur, and I’ve tried all the matcha lattes you can think of. I’ve spent $6 on lattes that taste like nothing other than milk, and sipped matcha so strong I could feel the undissolved powder leftover on my tongue.
I would estimate the amount of money I’ve spent on matcha over the course of my life to be in the hundreds, if not thousands. So you can imagine my delight when Matcha Cafe Maiko had their recipe displayed right next to the photo of a latte on their menu! I snapped a picture and purchased a tin of matcha as soon as I got home.
Since then, I’ve been making the latte once a week with Jade Leaf Matcha. It’s become my little Saturday morning routine — sifting matcha powder, whisking matcha and sugar, then frothing the milk. I’ve adapted their recipe only slightly to fit my taste, and thought it was time that I share it. This matcha latte recipe (more of a milk-tea recipe — as Matcha Cafe Maiko didn’t add water to the matcha!) is perfect if you love strong, concentrated, sweet matcha that packs an earthy punch into every sip.
Kitchen Tools For This Recipe:
Although improvising with what you have is totally fine, too!
– Gram Scale
– Small Sieve
– Milk Frother
– Ceremonial Matcha Whisk
– Small Bowls
The recipe is super easy, and not to mention, cost efficient — I bring my tools on-the-go to made this recipe on vacation, outside, and even in my own dorm room! I’ve been doing this instead of spending $5 on an unpredictable latte from an overpriced cafe.
If you’re not feeling like a barista any day, there’s a Matcha Cafe Maiko just down the street from Northeastern! Just through the Fens, it’s a short walking distance from campus. Besides Cafe Maiko, Cafe Bene on Mass Ave also has a great matcha latte!
I know everyone likes their matcha a little different, and that’s where the experimentation with different recipes becomes your best friend. Tweak measurements, use funky jars or glasses, make it your own matcha!
I swear, it tastes a little better when you make your matcha by yourself.
Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte
Ingredients
Instructions
Sift the matcha powder into a small bowl, measuring as you sift it on a gram scale.
Add in sifted sugar.
Pour a little bit of the 200g / 3/4 cups of milk into the matcha-sugar mix, and use whisk to mix into a concentrate.
Pour concentrate into the left over milk, and use your milk frother to continue mixing until the you begin to see a level of foam you are satisfied with.
Pour over ice and ENJOY!