Done With Coffee? Try Matcha!

When I tell people my go-to drink is matcha, I get the same responses, which I’d like to address.

What is Matcha? It’s finely ground green tea. Unlike green tea leaves, they’re shade-grown and for weeks before harvesting. It comes in powder form.

Oh, I love matcha, it’s my daily Starbucks order. Umm, ok so once I asked them to show me their raw powder, it was a dull culinary version of matcha and was mixed with sugar, so of course, you love it!

I don’t like the taste, it tastes like grass. There’s a chance you’re making it wrong. Matcha is easily watered down or burnt, leaving it tasting bitter and grass-like. I've got a step-by-step further down which should hopefully help. Practice does make perfect.

Because It’s Not An Acquired Taste, You’re Just Doing it Wrong!

Here are the Benefits:

• Detoxifies the body
• Provides a slow release of energy, with no coffee jitters
• Increases metabolism
• Lowers cholesterol
• Boosts the immune system

Which matcha should I buy?

I have a few suggestions that should be accessible to all:

Premium grade — likely cropped from the second harvest, a little more bitter but still packed with the nutrients.

Ceremonial grade (I'd aim for this) — The best money can buy, bright green, packed with a lot of antioxidants and you can drink it without it needing sweetening.

How to Make the Perfect Matcha Latte

You'll need:

• Matcha Powder - I rotate between the NATURALE BIO and the SPRING BLOSSOM matcha powders from Amazon (linked).
• Small sift (optional)
• Milk Frother
• Hot Water
• Milk
• Sweetener (optional)

Step-by-Step

Disclaimer* after 5 years of drinking matcha, this is my personal step-by-step. You’ll see other sources online that won’t use milk until later on.

1. Boil the kettle to around 70oc. If you don’t have a thermometer on your kettle don’t worry; just stop it a little before it comes to a boil.

2. Sift out a teaspoon of matcha into a mug, I like to add a little honey at this stage too. Using a sift is optional, you can just spoon it in but it is a great tool to avoid lumps.

3. Add a little water and then milk on top of that. This should come up to not even a quarter of the mug. I use milk at this stage to make the matcha/water mix smoother.

4. Use a milk whisk or matcha bamboo whisk to ensure the powder has dissolved into the water/milk mix. If you’re using a bamboo whisk, use ‘M’ or ‘W’ motions working from the wrist. A milk whisk will just do the job for you.

5. You should be left with a frothy green mixture of water and milk with no powder or lump floating around.

6. Proceed to top up the mug with water.

I add frothed milk on top.

Another way is to froth a mug of milk beforehand and use the above steps just with water and matcha powder. Adding it to the frothy milk.

Tips

Don’t burn the matcha powder, basically stop the kettle before it’s fully boiled.

Don’t worry about the showy extras; I use a basic milk whisk/frothier to whisk together a little hot water and matcha powder. If I’m making a Matcha Latte, I add a little milk and honey to this mix.

Once you feel this is all blended I top up with more hot water and frothy milk.

I’ve tried to add as much info without overloading the article with information so feel free to reach out with direct questions. I also have a few how-to videos on my Instagram @sotirabeauty