Matcha has become incredibly popular these days and that's largely thanks to the delicious matcha latte. I'm a bit of a tea purist, but I do have to admit that a good matcha latte is hard to beat - especially when you have a good matcha.
The key to a good matcha latte really is simple: good matcha, good milk. That's really it. For the matcha, I'd argue there's a point of diminishing returns so it's good to find the right one. What does this mean? Your matcha shouldn't be low quality, grey and chalky looking. Spring for a higher quality matcha and it will truly make a huge difference. As a general rule of thumb, your matcha should be a nice vibrant green colour and dissolve easily into water. As I said however, there is a point of diminishing returns as well. Don't get the most expensive matcha if your idea is to use it for matcha lattes. While I'm sure that it will make an exquisite beverage, the addition of milk and sugar can often drown out the more delicate notes which make the matcha special. I recommend our Matcha Yabukita. It's great on its own, but it's a bit more one dimensional and perfect with sugar and milk. Plus, the price point makes it something you can drink every day.
As for milk, I usually recommend a full fat milk to add that delicious creaminess to the drink, but it's up to the drinker of course. I would just impress upon you to get a decent quality milk, be it oat, almond or cows.
Last but not least is the sugar. For this, I make a simple syrup so as to dissolve the sugar better into the drink. Nothing else, just sugar. In my opinion, matcha should be the main focus of a matcha latte, so there's no need for vanilla or even strawberry syrup (although, I do understand the hype for strawberry matcha lattes, that's just not what I usually do).
For a matcha latte, use the following recipe:
2 scoops of matcha (1.5 grams)
100ml water (80 degrees Celsius)
250ml milk (I like full fat cow's milk)
1.5oz simple syrup
Directions:
1. Place 2 scoops of matcha in a chawan (matcha bowl) and make sure there are no clumps. You can use a sieve for the matcha or just break up the clumps with the chashaku.
2. Pour water over matcha in a controlled pour and whisk the matcha in a M formation. Whisk until matcha is foamy. Pour in half of the simple syrup and whisk to fully incorporate.
3a. If making hot matcha latte, heat milk with the remaining simple syrup until desired heat. Pour into a cup. don't let the milk burn.
3b. If making an iced matcha latte, pour milk in a glass over ice and stir in remaining simple syrup.
4. Pour matcha into the cup, and enjoy!