A matcha latte for your kitchen

A home matcha latte gets easier when you write down the amounts. A spoonful of powder and a splash of milk leave quite a lot to chance, especially if you want tomorrow's cup to taste like today's. Start with a measured recipe, taste it, then make one change.

The method below follows Ippodo Tea's published matcha latte recipe. It gives you a useful starting point for making your own drink at home.

Make the warm version

For one serving, measure 3g matcha, 100ml water at 80°C and 100ml milk. Set out a small sieve, a bowl with room to whisk, a matcha whisk and your mug. A scale and measuring jug make it easier to repeat the amounts.

Sift the matcha into the bowl. Add the water, then whisk briskly for about 15 seconds with an M-shaped motion, following Ippodo's instructions. Pour the whisked matcha into your mug and add warm or foamed milk.

Use a thermometer or a kettle with a temperature setting if you have one. Letting boiling water cool is also an option, but a fixed waiting time won't reliably give you 80°C in every kitchen. The amount of water and the vessel both affect how quickly it cools.

Keep the same base for iced

Ippodo's iced version uses the same matcha and hot-water amounts. Whisk them together first. Put 100ml cold milk and ice in a glass, then pour the matcha over the top. Give the finished drink a stir before judging its flavour; the first sip of a layered glass won't represent the whole drink.

Adjust your next cup

Try the recipe once before adding syrup. If you want sweetness, add a little, stir and taste again. Record the amount you liked. A sweetened plant milk deserves its own trial before you reach for another sweetener.

For a milkier drink, try 125ml milk next time while keeping the matcha and water unchanged. That's an adjustment you can compare with the original. If you change the powder amount, milk and sweetener together, it's harder to work out which change helped.

A phone note is enough: matcha brand, grams, milk type, milk amount and any sweetener. Add a plain reaction such as 'too milky' or 'good without syrup'. Once you find a combination you like, those few numbers save you rebuilding the recipe every morning.