The Matcha Latte, Properly Made

To make a matcha latte, sift 2 g of matcha into a wide bowl, add 60 ml of water at 70 to 80 °C, and whisk in a rapid W or M motion until a fine foam forms. Pour into 180 ml of steamed or cold milk. Water above roughly 80°C scalds the powder and makes the drink bitter, and sifting is what prevents lumps. A whisk alone won't break up clumped matcha.

Matcha is unusual among drinks in that you consume the whole leaf rather than an infusion of it. That's why it's so vivid, and it's also why it's less forgiving than tea. There's nothing to strain out, so whatever you do to the powder ends up in the cup.
The good news is that home matcha nearly always fails in one of three places, and all three are easy to fix.

Choosing the powder

Ceremonial grade is made from the youngest leaves and milled fine for drinking. Culinary grade is milled for baking, where sugar and butter will cover a multitude of sins. Use culinary grade in a latte and you'll get something coarse and bitter, then conclude you don't like matcha.

Look for a vivid, almost fluorescent green. Dull or yellowish means old or lower grade. Matcha fades fast in light and air, so buy small tins and keep them sealed in the fridge.

The three things that decide the result

Sift it

Matcha compacts in the tin and forms clumps. Whisking doesn't break clumps up, it just moves them around, which is why you end up with green specks floating in an otherwise smooth drink. Push 2 g through a fine sieve into your bowl first and the problem disappears entirely.

Get the water below 80 °C

70 to 80 °C. Boiling water scalds the powder and pulls out a harsh, drying bitterness that no amount of milk will hide.

Without a variable-temperature kettle, boil it and leave it two minutes. If you make matcha daily, the Lyra holds a set temperature and takes the variable away.

Whisk in a W, not a circle

Stirring in circles pushes the powder to the sides and produces no foam. Use a brisk W or M motion from the wrist, keeping the whisk near the surface, for about 15 to 20 seconds. You're aerating it, not mixing it.

What you want is a fine, even layer of foam across the top. That foam carries the aroma, and it's the difference between matcha that tastes flat and matcha that tastes like it does in a good tea house.

A wide bowl matters here, because a mug doesn't give the whisk room to move. The double-walled matcha bowl is the right shape, and the double wall holds the temperature steady while you work.

Building the latte

1. Sift 2 g of matcha into the bowl.
2. Add 60 ml of water at 75 °C.
3. Whisk in a W for 15 to 20 seconds until foamed.
4. Pour into 180 ml of milk, hot or cold.

Matcha into milk, not milk into matcha. Pouring milk onto the paste knocks the foam flat.

For an iced version, whisk with 60 ml of cold water instead, then pour over ice and cold milk. Cold water needs a few more seconds of whisking to foam properly.

Kit

The Matcha Collection Tea Set at £85 gathers the bowl, whisk and stand. The Zen Matcha Tea Set at £55 is the smaller option. For serving, the double-walled matcha cup keeps an iced latte cold without sweating onto the table.

Once you're comfortable with the technique, our matcha horchata guide takes it somewhere more interesting.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature should water be for matcha?
70 to 80 °C. Boiling water scalds the powder and turns the drink bitter.

Why is my matcha lumpy?
It wasn't sifted. Whisking distributes clumps rather than breaking them apart.

Do I need a bamboo whisk to make matcha?
A bamboo whisk has far more tines than a metal one and produces a much finer foam. A milk frother works at a push, but the texture isn't the same.

What is the difference between ceremonial and culinary matcha?
Ceremonial grade is younger leaf milled for drinking. Culinary grade is milled for baking and tastes noticeably harsher on its own.

How much matcha should I use per cup?
2 g, which is about a heaped half-teaspoon, to 60 ml of water.