Health in a cup- the perfect matcha oat milk latte recipe

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Making matcha at home costs a fraction of that in a coffee shop. And this homemade delicious oat milk matcha latte is my favourite matcha latte recipe. 

The more I drink matcha oat milk latte the more I crave it. In fact, the more I learn about just how healthy it is, the more I enjoy every single cup. Namely, I know that matcha tea is good for my brain, for my gut, for my cardiovascular system. It is a nutritional powerhouse benefitting almost every cell in the body. 

What is matcha?

Matcha is basically green tea but it’s harvested and processed in a different way. It´s made from the same plant ´Camellia sinensis´ that white, green, black and oolong teas are made from.

However, matcha is made from the very first young green tea leaves that are grown covered from the sun. Therefore, these leaves have much higher chlorophyll content.

These young leaves are steamed, dried and ground into a very fine powder that dissolves in water. These leaves are full of antioxidants and beneficial substances for your health.

With regular green tea you steep the leaves in water and throw the leaves out. However, with matcha you end up drinking the ground leaves with the water. So matcha is like «green tea on steroids». You get 10x more of all the good stuff. This is because of the special way that matcha is grown and processed and also because you eat the leaves.

Oat Milk

Almost any plant milk that you can usually buy in the grocery stores (regular milk, almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk or cashew milk) will work fine in making matcha green tea latte. My preferred one is oat milk. It is naturally sweet but it doesn’t have a strong flavour. So the oat milk won´t overwhelm the matcha flavour. 

What you will need to make really good matcha oat milk latte

Matcha latte has only 3 ingredients:

• High-quality matcha powder
• Oat milk
• Water

The tools you need:

• Bamboo whisk and a small, shallow bowl with rounded bottom

OR if you don’t have those

• any glass jar with a lid will still give you ok matcha latte

Do I need a bamboo matcha whisk to make matcha latte?

You don’t have to have a bamboo whisk ( also called “chasen“) . However, I would still recommend getting this whisk to make a really exceptional oat milk matcha latte recipe. In my experience it will give you the best results.

The nice thing about using the bamboo whisk is that you can create a creamy layer on top of the matcha tea. This layer is similar to crema on espresso and it gives that nice creamy texture that usually great vegan matcha lattes have.

Another way is to use a glass jar with a lid and just shake it very well. This method will also produce some froth and will blend the matcha tea particles. The froth won’t be as creamy as with the bamboo whisk but still ok. To get a good foam on top it’s important not to use too much water (I would say no more than 30-45ml ml per 1 gram or 0.5 teaspoons of matcha).

What kind of matcha to choose?

This is the most important question since matcha can vary a lot in quality and what it is made for.

Good matcha will be beautiful bright green. In the picture above you see ceremonial grade matcha on the right side and culinary grade matcha on the left. Ideally you want to choose organic and premium grade or even ceremonial grade matcha, originating from Japan. Matcha originating from China is believed to have problems with lead contamination. Read more here.

You must know that there are 3 different grades of matcha meant for different use:

1 ceremonial grade

made for tea ceremonies (highest content of caffeine, l-theanine and chlorophyll)

Ceremonial grade is the highest possible quality available, made from very first hand picked green leaves. As the name suggests it is used in Japanese tea ceremonies.

It has a deep shade of vibrant green color due to high chlorophyll. Usually it is consumed pure, only with water. But it is also good to use in lattes. The flavor in this grade matcha is too delicate so it might not stand out enough in some recipes. Therefore, it doesn’t make much sense to use it in baking since it’s also the most expensive grade of matcha.

2 premium grade

Also called traditional or daily grade- made for daily consumption as a beverage. It has high amount of caffeine, l-theanine and chlorophyll but slightly less than ceremonial. It also contains high amount of catechins.

Premium is made from second harvest leaves or combination of first and second leaves. This grade is said to have a slightly stronger  flavor than ceremonial matcha but honestly I couldn’t notice the difference.  This grade usually also has a clean bright green color (usually not yellowish). Ideal choice to drink pure with water or use in lattes or other drinks. The price is also usually close to ceremonial, but it is slightly cheaper.

3 culinary grade

made for using in food recipes (highest amount of catechins, but lowest in caffeine, l-theanine, chlorophyll compared to other grades)

Culinary grade matcha tea is specifically cultivated for cooking and baking. It is often not lower in quality per se but it is just prepared for the purpose to use it in cooking and baking. This grade is made from 2nd, 3rd and 4th harvest of leaves and is exposed to more sunlight. This grade won’t be as bright as premium or ceremonial grades. The particles will be slightly bigger and won’t dissolve into liquid the same way that first harvest leaves would. There is more exposure to the sun which increases catechin levels that have more astringent stronger taste. It will stand out more in baking. But it won’t be the ideal choice for drinking it with water or in lattes.

Within these grades you can also come across different qualities. For example, you could have a quite high quality culinary grade matcha for a good price. But there can also be very poor quality culinary grades.

However, the ceremonial grade and premium grade usually will be of high quality. Each matcha powder in premium and ceremonial grades will differ in some characteristics but still will usually be a great choice for matcha lattes.

Here is a review of 16 different Brands of matcha teas.

To make a really good oat milk matcha latte recipe I always use premium or ceremonial grade. The brand I most often use is Clearspring. The matcha powder is sourced in Japan and is organic and every bag I have bought has been of great quality.  I am not affiliated with the brand. It´s just from experience the best of what has been available to me.

How much caffeine is in matcha latte?  Is matcha stronger than coffee?

Matcha has approximately 20-45 mg of caffeine per gram (1 gram= half a teaspoon of matcha powder) on average. See more info of caffeine and other substances in matcha here. Depending how strong you like it, a serving of matcha tea usually would be 2 to 4 grams or 1-2 teaspoons. And that translates to 40-180 mg of caffeine per cup of matcha.

The higher grade matcha powder you choose the higher the caffeine content. The ceremonial grade will have the most caffeine, the premium grade slightly less and the culinary grade will have the least caffeine.

To compare, 1 cup of filter coffee has 80-100mg of caffeine, while a single shot of espresso could have about 30-75mg of caffeine.

However, it’s good to know that the effect of caffeine from matcha is different from that of caffeine from coffee. First of all, it does give alertness that lasts up to 6 to 8 hours. In comparison, for coffee the alertness effect would be 4-6 hours.

Secondly, in contrast to coffee matcha tea will also give a calm and relaxing feeling for the nerves. Matcha does not give the jitters and anxiety feelings like from coffee. 

This is because of a substance called L-theanine that is also known as the relaxing amino acid. Historically when matcha tea was discovered in China it was used only by monks and warriors. Monks would use it for meditation because of the alert & focused effect on cognition while simultaneously providing a sense of calm. Warriors also would drink matcha before going into the battle to be able to keep that long calm focus.  

Health benefits

In short:

• Matcha decreases stress and anxiety
• Improves memory
• Improves short- and long-term cognitive function in humans 
• Enhanced spatial learning
• Proved to reduce neuro-inflammation
• Improves lipid profile and glucose metabolism
• Likely protects from atherosclerosis by stopping the bad cholesterol from oxidizing due to its extremely high antioxidant levels (click to read paper published by Kobe University School of Medicine)
• Reduces inflammation
• Results in lower weight gain
• Has anti-tumor effect 
• Matcha contains high levels of substances called polyamines that have anti-aging effects
• Matcha has a very positive effect on the gut microbiome so it improves digestive health. Read more about Japanese research on the subject here.
• Matcha also contains some vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, Zinc, B-Complex vitamins and more

If you are interested to dig deeper and read the scienticif studies you can read more here or another easier to read article here.

Here is a visual from The American National Library of Medicine on review of therapeutic potential of matcha tea.

Matcha and iron absorption

Do not drink matcha or any green tea, black tea, coffee, wine and dairy at the same of taking iron supplements, as it will limit the absorption of iron. It’s recommended to keep around 30 min intervals after and before taking iron supplements.

Temperature

You should use water that is 80 degrees Celsius max (176 degrees Fahrenheit). If it is more hot than 80C it will bring out some bitter taste in Matcha. 

A way to get the right temperature without a thermometer is to just pour in boiling water you need for your cup of matcha into a glass and wait 1-2 minutes.

Another method is to fill a small casserole with water and to wait. Once small bubbles start to appear on the bottom of the pot, the water will be around 70° C (158 F). And once a bit of steam starts to appear in the pot, the water will be about 75-80° C (167-176 F)

How to make creamy oat milk matcha latte?

This is my favorite way to make a cup of delicious matcha latte that is just right.

Oat milk matcha latte recipe step by step

Ingredients:

0.5- 1 teaspoon premium or ceremonial grade matcha powder 

30-45 ml hot water (max. 80C/176F)

200 ml warm oat milk (or other milk of choice)

*optional- sweetener of choice: maple syrup or agave syrup. Leave the sweeteners out for healthier option. Natural sweetness from oat milk is often enough.

bamboo whisk and a small bowl to whisk matcha in (or a glass mason jar with a lid)

A common recipe recommendation is to use 1 tsp of matcha powder (2 grams) to one cup of liquid. This is on the thicker/ stronger side. So feel free to experiment with the amount you like best.

My first matcha lattes were more like 0.5 tsp of matcha powder (1 gram) per cup but I enjoy a stronger cup now. Your preferences might also change over time. There is no right or wrong amount of matcha powder to use, just find the amount you enjoy the most. 

Step 1 

Find all the ingredients you need for matcha latte and glasses or bowls for water.

Boil water in a kettle. 

If using bamboo whisk, put it in warm water to soften up the bristles or run it under running warm tap water to make it wet.

Pour some hot water in your matcha bowl to warm it up. Afterwards dry it out with a towel.

You don’t want to burn your matcha as that can create a bit bitter taste so its important that the water is below 80 degrees Celsius (176 F). Pour a couple of tablespoons of water in a separate glass or bowl to let it cool to about 70-75 degrees. It will take about a minute for a few tablespoons (30ml). 

Step 2 

Warm oat milk on the stove. Be careful to take it off before it boils otherwise it will boil over and make a mess. When hot, put it aside to cool down a bit. 

Step 3

Take the warmed matcha bowl and put in 0.5-1 tsp of matcha powder. 

Pour over 2-3 tablespoons of water.

Using the bamboo whisk, dissolve the matcha tea powder into water using a quick zigzag motion. You can imagine you are drawing letters M or W. And try to create a silky froth layer on top. 

The more traditional way of drinking matcha actually stops here. In Japan there is usually no milk added and often matcha is enjoyed as this espresso like shot. You can give it a taste to learn what pure matcha tastes like.

I usually use the bamboo whisk to also froth up the oat milk.

Once that is done I pour the milk into the bowl over the matcha mixture.

And now the best part- find a cosy spot to enjoy your drink. 

Option 2 if using a mason jar-

Do the same. 

First warm up the glass jar with hot water.

Then pour out the water and add in 0.5-1 tsp matcha powder.

Then add 2-3 tablespoons of hot water (no warmer than 80C/176F).

Close the lid and shake it very well until all tea particles are dissolved. 

Warm up oat milk on the stove. Add that into the jar. and you´re done.