How to make a matcha latte at home

Make the matcha separately before adding milk. That gives you a chance to work out any lumps while the mixture is still easy to whisk, and makes the recipe repeatable when you want a second cup.

A measured starting recipe

For one serving, Ippodo’s published latte recipe uses 3 g matcha, 100 ml water at 80°C and 100 ml milk. Sift the powder, whisk it with the water, then add the warmed or foamed milk. Follow your own tea producer’s brewing advice where it differs.

Use the matcha latte calculator to scale those quantities. Select Matcha latte and change the servings or amounts. The result is ingredient volume before foam, so choose a cup with extra room.

Choose the bowl for the pouring stage

The Glaze spouted set gives you a bowl for whisking and a spout for transferring the tea into a separate glass. The IKI set suits making a bowl of matcha and includes the same six categories of tools: bowl, whisk holder, bamboo whisk, bamboo scoop, wooden spoon and mesh sifter. Tea and milk are not included.

Change one quantity at a time

If the tea disappears behind the milk, try less milk or a tea whose producer recommends it for lattes. If the drink feels too concentrated, change the milk quantity and record it. Changing powder, water and milk together makes it harder to identify the version you prefer. A scale is more repeatable than a heaped spoon.

Check the cup before filling it

The Companion cup has a stated 200 ml capacity. This example adds up to 200 ml of liquid before foam, so it does not leave a comfortable margin in that cup. Choose a larger vessel for the full recipe, or scale down and leave room below the rim.

After the cup

Rinse the whisk promptly and let it dry properly. See bamboo whisk care. If you prefer matcha without milk, follow our first-bowl method.

Further reading: Ippodo’s matcha latte recipe.