Preparation & barista workflow
How to Make a Matcha Latte in a Café: A Standard Recipe
A café matcha latte is three steps: weigh the matcha, whisk it into a small amount of warm water until completely smooth, then add steamed milk. The quality comes from fixing the parameters (grams, millilitres, degrees, seconds) so every barista makes the same drink. Below is a standard you can adopt as it is or adjust once, test, and then lock into your recipe card.
The standard recipe (hot, 240 ml cup)
| Parameter | Standard | Range to test |
|---|---|---|
| Matcha | 2 g | 1.5–3 g |
| Water for the paste | 40 ml | 30–50 ml |
| Water temperature | 80 °C | 70–80 °C |
| Whisking | 15–20 seconds, until no lumps | — |
| Milk | 180–200 ml, to fill the cup | depends on cup |
| Milk temperature | your normal latte temperature | — |
| Sweetener (optional) | per house recipe, added to the paste | — |
The 80 °C figure matches the producer guidance Ippodo gives for whisking matcha with water. Boiling water straight from the tower tends to bring out bitterness, so set or measure your water rather than guessing.
The 2 g dose suits a standard cup. For larger cups, iced drinks and double doses, the grams per latte by cup size gives a scaling table. Use Ceremonial Barista Matcha, which is made for milk drinks.
Method
1. Prepare the station
Before service, set out: a scale reading to 0.1 g, a fine tea sieve, a small jug or bowl for the paste, a bamboo whisk or an electric frother, and a water source you can set to 80 °C. Keep the working container of matcha closed between drinks.
2. Weigh and sieve
Place the sieve over the cup or bowl, tare the scale, and tap in 2 g of matcha. Push it through the sieve with the back of a spoon or the scoop. Sieving is the single biggest fix for lumps; skip it and you will find powder at the bottom of the cup.
3. Make the paste
Add 40 ml of water at 80 °C. Whisk in a quick zigzag (an "M" or "W" shape) rather than in circles, keeping the whisk tips just off the bottom. After 15–20 seconds you should see a smooth, even liquid with fine foam and no dry specks at the edge.
If using a frother, start it below the surface before switching on to avoid splashing, and move it around the base of the container.
4. Steam the milk
Steam as for a flat white or latte, with a fine microfoam. Use your house milk. Milk choice changes the result more than most other variables, so test with the milk you actually sell.
5. Combine
Pour the matcha paste into the cup first, then pour the milk into it. Alternatively, pour the milk first and finish with the paste for a layered look. Choose one method for your bar and write it down; switching between them confuses staff and guests.
6. Serve and clean
Serve straight away. Rinse the whisk in warm water and stand it upright to dry, ideally on a whisk holder. Rinse the sieve before the next drink so it does not clog.
Variations
Iced matcha latte. Make the paste exactly as above, but with 30–40 ml of water. Fill the cup with ice and cold milk, then pour the paste over the top. Iced drinks need their own method to stay smooth; the iced matcha latte method covers it.
Sweetened. Add syrup or sugar to the paste rather than the milk, so it dissolves evenly. Keep the amount fixed in grams or millilitres.
Larger cups. Scale milk and matcha together. Scaling only the milk gives a weak drink; see the dosing guide linked above.
Quality checks
Train every barista to check these five things before the drink leaves the bar.
- [ ] No lumps in the paste; tip the jug and look at the base.
- [ ] Colour: vivid green paste, not olive or yellowish.
- [ ] Water temperature checked at the start of the shift.
- [ ] Dose weighed, not scooped by eye.
- [ ] Taste test of one drink per shift by the shift lead.
Troubleshooting at a glance
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Lumps or grit | No sieving; too little water in the paste | Sieve every dose; use at least 30 ml water |
| Bitter | Water too hot; dose too high | Check 80 °C; reduce to 1.5–2 g |
| Tastes mostly of milk | Dose too low for cup size | Raise the dose for larger cups |
| Dull colour | Paste left standing; powder stored badly | Make the paste per drink; review storage |
| Slow at peak times | Hand-whisking every drink | Use a frother or adapt your workflow |
Cost check
At 2 g and €195.00 per kg excl. VAT (at the time of writing, November 2026; check the product page for the current price), the matcha in this latte costs €195 × 2 ÷ 1,000 = €0.39 excl. VAT, before waste. That is the matcha only, not the full cost of the drink.
Turn it into a recipe card
Once your team agrees on the numbers, write them down in one place that sits on the bar. The guide to writing a matcha recipe card and SOP gives a template.
Next step
Make this recipe with a 10 g sample of Ceremonial Barista Matcha and your house milk, adjust the dose once if needed, then lock the recipe and move to the 1 kg bag.