Sift 2 g of matcha, whisk it into 60 ml of water at about 80 °C until no lumps remain, then top with 200 ml of steamed milk. The two things that make homemade matcha lattes bitter are boiling water and skipping the sift — not the powder.
You need
2 g culinary or latte-grade matcha (about 1 tsp, packed lightly)
Sift the matcha into a bowl or wide cup through a fine tea strainer. Do not skip this; matcha clumps, and lumps taste like concentrated bitterness.
Boil the kettle, then let it stand for about two minutes. Water straight off the boil scorches matcha and produces a harsh, flat cup.
Add the water and whisk briskly in a W motion for 15–20 seconds, until the surface is uniformly foamy and no powder clings to the bottom.
Steam or heat the milk to about 60 °C and pour it over the whisked matcha.
Sweeten only after tasting. Good matcha needs less than you would expect.
Why the temperature matters so much
Matcha is drunk whole, so anything the heat damages goes straight into the cup
with nowhere to hide. Water off the boil scorches the powder and pushes the
catechins forward, which is exactly the harsh, drying bitterness people blame on
their matcha.
Around 80 °C is the target. Boil, then wait two minutes — no thermometer needed.
Whisk the paste first, then add milk
Whisking matcha directly into milk is the second most common mistake. Milk is too
viscous to break the clumps apart, so you end up with pockets of dry powder that
dissolve in the mouth as bitter grit.
Make a smooth paste with a small amount of hot water first. Everything after that
is just pouring.
Iced version
Same paste, then pour over a full glass of ice and cold milk rather than hot.
Whisk the paste with slightly less water — around 40 ml — because melting ice
will dilute it further.
Which powder to use
This recipe is written for culinary or latte grade, and that is not a
compromise — it is the right tool. If you
want to taste the matcha rather than the milk, drink it straight instead, and
buy accordingly from the buying guide.
Common questions
Do I need a bamboo whisk for a matcha latte?
No. A small electric milk frother works nearly as well for lattes, and a jar with a tight lid shaken hard will do in a pinch. A chasen matters far more when drinking matcha straight, where texture is most of the point.
Should I use ceremonial grade for a latte?
Not really. Milk covers up the delicacy that ceremonial grade costs extra for. A good culinary or latte grade is stronger and holds its own against the milk, which is what you want here.
Why is my matcha latte bitter?
Almost always water that was too hot, powder that was not sifted, or too much powder for the volume of liquid. Late-harvest powder is the fourth possibility, and the only one you cannot fix in the cup.
