Unsweetened matcha latte
No syrup, no honey — the matcha has to carry it
Most matcha lattes are sweetened to cover a cheap grade. Take the sugar out and the drink becomes a test of the powder: good matcha is naturally sweet and faintly savoury, poor matcha is just bitter and flat.
Ingredients
- ceremonial grade matcha, sifted3 g
- water at 75 °C40 ml
- whole milk180 ml
Method
Use a grade you would drink on its own
Without sugar there is nowhere to hide. If it is unpleasant as usucha, it will be unpleasant here.
Go up to 3 g
A gram more than the sweetened version. Sugar amplifies flavour, so without it you need more matcha to reach the same intensity through the milk.
Paste, then thin
Sift, paste with a splash of 75 °C water, whisk smooth, then add the rest.
Warm the milk to 55–60 °C only
Warm milk tastes sweeter than hot milk — lactose reads sweeter below about 60 °C, and that natural sweetness is doing the job the syrup used to do.
Taste it before reaching for anything
A full mouthful, not a sip. Most people find they do not want the honey back.
Notes
- If it needs help, a pinch of salt does more than sugar would. Salt suppresses bitterness directly rather than covering it.
- Oat is the sweetest plant milk and works well here. Almond is the driest and makes an unsweetened matcha latte hard work.
Made it? See how the pour actually looks.
Photograph this pour and Brew scores the symmetry, contrast and definition, and names the exact mistake to fix next time.
Score my pour →What you need
- Chasen (bamboo whisk) or Handheld milk frother
- Small sieve