How Many Test Drinks Can You Make with a 10 g Matcha Sample?

A 10 g matcha sample makes about 6 test drinks at 1.5 g, 5 at 2 g and 3 at 3 g. Divide 10 g by your dose and round down, then plan for one drink fewer so you keep a reserve for a retest or a dose adjustment. Below is the arithmetic, three test plans that fit inside one sample, and how to stretch two samples across a fair comparison.

The arithmetic

Tests per sample = 10 g ÷ grams per test, rounded down to whole drinks.

Dose per test	Calculation	Whole test drinks	Left over
1.5 g	10 ÷ 1.5 = 6.67	6	10 − (6 × 1.5) = 1 g
2 g	10 ÷ 2 = 5	5	0 g
3 g	10 ÷ 3 = 3.33	3	10 − (3 × 3) = 1 g

Those are theoretical maximums. In practice a little powder stays in the sieve, on the scale and in the pouch, so plan as if you have slightly less than 10 g.

Why keep a reserve

A reserve lets you rerun one cup if something goes wrong (milk too hot, a lump you missed) or test a dose change once you have tasted the first round. Without it, a single mistake can leave you deciding on incomplete notes.

Recommendation: keep one drink's worth at your dose as a reserve, at least 2 g. In the plans below that means:

• at 1.5 g: 5 planned tests + 1.5 g reserve (plus the leftover 1 g) = 7.5 g used + 2.5 g kept
• at 2 g: 4 planned tests + 2 g reserve = 8 g used + 2 g kept
• at 3 g: 2 planned tests + 3 g reserve (plus the leftover 1 g) = 6 g used + 4 g kept

Three test plans that fit 10 g

Plan A: latte decision, 2 g dose

Test	Grams
Hot latte, tasted at 2 and 5 minutes	2
Iced latte	2
Straight check (usucha, 2 g in 60 ml)	2
Second hot latte for another taster or milk	2
Reserve	2
Total	10

Plan B: pure serve decision, 2 g dose

Test	Grams
Usucha round 1	2
Usucha at a second water temperature	2
Usucha for a second taster	2
One latte, to know how it behaves in milk	2
Reserve	2
Total	10

Plan C: large drinks, 3 g dose

Test	Grams
Large hot latte	3
Large iced latte	3
Reserve (one more drink)	3
Unused leftover	1
Total	10

Plan C is tight. If your house recipe is 3 g, consider a second sample of the same matcha, or run the first round at a smaller cup size with the dose scaled down. How many grams of matcha per latte helps you choose the dose by cup size.

Comparing two matchas

For a fair comparison, both matchas need the same tests. With a 10 g sample of each, Plan A works for both: four matching tests per sample, plus a 2 g reserve each.

If you compare against your current matcha, set aside the same 10 g of it so the control gets the same tests. The side-by-side latte test explains how to run the milk rounds with matching conditions.

Order the Ceremonial Barista Matcha sample for milk drinks and the Ceremonial Matcha sample for pure preparation. Both are €4.95 each excl. VAT at the time of writing (November 2026); check the product page for the current price.

What a sample costs per test

Cost per test = sample price ÷ number of tests.

At €4.95 excl. VAT and 2 g, with all 5 drinks made: €4.95 ÷ 5 = €0.99 per test. Keeping a reserve and making 4 planned tests: €4.95 ÷ 4 = €1.24 (unrounded €1.2375). This is higher than the matcha cost of a drink from a 1 kg bag (€0.39 for Ceremonial Barista Matcha at 2 g, see matcha cost per serving), which is normal for a small trial pack. The sample is a decision cost, not a serving cost.

Getting the most from each gram

• Weigh every dose on a scale reading to 0.1 g. A heaped scoop can use up a sample one test early.
• Plan before opening. Write the test list and the grams per test, then follow it.
• Reseal between rounds. Press out the air and close the pouch if you test on more than one day, and keep it cool and dark.
• Test within a short period. An opened sample is best used soon, so you compare like with like.

The full session, including blind coding and scoring, is set out in the sample testing protocol.

Next step

Choose a plan, write your dose into it and order the samples you need. If the results meet your criteria, move to a 1 kg bag of the matcha that won.