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I am sure you have been hearing a lot about the health benefits of matcha tea recently. It has gained so much publicity recently that even Starbucks is offering Matcha Latte as part of their product offering.
If you are curious about Matha Lattes but not sure where to start, you need to read this article as I am going to break down a few things when it comes drinking Matcha Latte.
In order to answer this question, we need to first know what a latte is. Traditionally a latte is a type of coffee made with espresso and hot steamed milk. It is often considered milkier than a cappuccino.
However, recently Matcha Tea powder has been used as a substitute for the coffee in order to make a Matcha Latte. Generally, the same process is used in order to make the Matcha Latte as would be with a Caffe Latte.
A Green Tea Latte is the same as a Matcha Latte described above. However, the thing that differentiates them is the type of green tea that is used. It can either be Matcha, Bancha or Gemmaicha green tea that can be used as the main the ingredient in the latte.
So what does matcha latte taste like? According to Sophia, a Matcha enthusiast, Matcha is “Complex, Alluring, Bitter, Misunderstood, Addictive”. It has a unique rich taste which is as times sharp and harsh at first but leaves a sweet after taste.
Cholorophyll and amino acids are the reasons for providing Matchas its unique taste. The taste if Matcha will also depend on the quality of the powder. Sub-quality Matcha will taste unpleasantly bitter, whereas superior Matchas will have a naturally sweet taste. Matchas should have good measure of umami. This is element that emerges due to the high levels of amino acids in Matcha.
That is why one will hardly add sugar or honey to good quality Matcha when drinking a Matcha Latte . A Matcha Latte, much like a Caffe Latte, will have a milk texture but will have a green tea taste with a natural sweetness. It should have a vegetal lingering aftertaste.
Some have also noticed that the flavor won’t open properly nor will the consistency come out right if you get below 170F in the whisking, or if you whisk it when it’s too diluted.
As I said before, the taste of the Matcha will largely depend on its quality. Matcha powders of higher quality will rarely have bitter taste. Good quality Matcha will definitely never have unpleasantly bitter taste. Superior quality Matchas will most definitely have a natural sweetness to it. One will never need to add additional sugar or honey to a quality Matcha.
Now that we have gone through all the theory behind a Matcha Latte, here are 2 Matcha Latte recipes that can you try out.
The recipe makes one serving. The original recipe also uses Agave syrup but as I have said above you shouldn’t need to add any additional sweetness if you are using a high quality Matcha powder. However if you find that you need additional sweetness, I have rather included honey than Agave syrup. Due to the way that Agave is processed these days, it loses a low of its benefits.
For this recipe you need:
If you are in the mood something cooler, you could try this ice spin on the Match Latte. I calls for the same ingredients as the latte but with a slight variation in the way it s prepared.