Matcha Oat Latte (And Why Yours Tastes Bitter)
Grassy, bright, quietly caffeinated and made with oat milk that actually holds the matcha instead of letting it sink to the bottom in a sad green puddle.
You'll need
- 1 tsp ceremonial-grade matcha
- 2 tbsp water at about 70 °C not boiling
- 250 ml of your own oat milk (the barista blend works best)
- Maple syrup, to taste
- Ice, if you want it cold
Method
- Sift the matcha into a cup. It clumps sifting is the difference between silky and gritty.
- Add the 70 °C water and whisk in a zig-zag (not a circle) until it foams. A bamboo whisk is ideal; a small hand whisk works.
- Warm 250 ml of oat milk on the hot program, or pour it cold over ice.
- Combine. Pour the milk over the matcha, sweeten if you like.
Boiling water ruins matcha. Above about 80 °C, the catechins scorch and you get that harsh, bitter, spinach-water taste people blame on “cheap matcha”. 70 °C is roughly hot-tap temperature, or boiled water left to stand for two minutes. This one detail is the whole recipe.
Why oat milk, specifically
Matcha is a suspension, not a solution it needs a liquid with enough body to keep the particles held. Thin, watery almond milk lets it separate within a minute. Oat milk (especially with a handful of cashews in the blend) has just enough viscosity to hold it. That is why every coffee shop reaches for oat.
Make it your own
- Vanilla matcha: half a teaspoon of vanilla in the milk.
- Iced: matcha shot at the bottom, ice, then pour the cold milk slowly for the layered effect.
- Stronger: 1.5 tsp matcha. Do not go past 2 it turns astringent.
Drink it fresh. Matcha starts settling the moment you stop whisking.