Matcha-spresso: A Solid Foundation for Matcha-based drinks

Just as the infinite variety of coffee drinks—from lattes and flat whites to cappuccinos and cortados—rests on the solid foundation of a good espresso, a whole host of matcha drinks can be made from this concentrated base.

For all of our matcha milk drink recipes, we start out with this concentrated matcha base using 4g of matcha gently mixed into 40ml (~1.5oz) of 80°C water. This 4g/40ml ratio is easy to remember and yields a powerful matcha flavour in the same volume as a traditional double espresso, meaning you can substitute this matcha base into your favourite espresso drink recipes. Sitting roughly in between usucha and koicha in terms of strength, this base is very versatile and easy to make.

Step 1:

Sift 4g of matcha into a dry, preheated vessel. 

Whether you’re using a pouring bowl or making this directly in a mug, it is important to preheat the vessel with hot water so that it doesn’t sap all of the temperature out of the tea. As always, you can use this hot water to pre-wet and soften your bamboo whisk. 

A dry bowl and sifted matcha are key to clump-free matcha.

Step 2:

Add 40ml (~1.5oz) of 80°C (176°F) water.

We generally recommend using hotter water than you’d normally use for usucha as the extra powder and steps will cool the water. 

Step 3:

Whisk slowly in a circular motion.

Unlike when making usucha, the goal isn’t to whip air into the tea to form a froth, but rather just to evenly mix the tea into the water. If you want to pour latte art, try to make as little foam here as possible.

That’s it! Now you can use this matcha base for all sorts of drinks such as lattes, matchaccinos, or matcha hot chocolate (hot matchocolate?).