Summer means iced matcha lattes! This refreshing beverage is surprisingly easy to make. I’ll show you, step-by-step, my quick method to getting that perfect layered look.
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Iced Matcha Lattes
All I drink in the summer are cold brew iced teas and iced matcha lattes.
If you thought iced matcha (green tea) lattes were hard to make, I’m going to be the one to break it to you that you’re wrong.
My iced matcha lattes are made from three ingredients: matcha green tea powder, milk, and honey.
You can take out the honey if you prefer, or replace it with another sweetener like brown sugar.
With my iced matcha latte method you don’t need any traditional matcha tools, like a bamboo whisk or a special bowl.
All you need is an air-tight container: like a jar with a tight lid, a hydro flask, or a cocktail shaker.
I’ll show you how to make a layered and a regular iced matcha latte. Both are equally pretty in my eyes so try making both!
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What I Used to Make This Iced Matcha Latte
- Matcha
Find the brightest green that costs between $15 – $25. - Cocktail shaker
Or any wide-mouth container with an air-tight lid. - Milk of any kind (I used almond for the layered drink and half & half for the regular.)
- Cold water and honey
- Measuring cups
- Ice cube tray
Since you need a lot of ice. - Glass cup
To show off the layered effect.
How to Make a Layered Drink
I love the look of layered drinks and there is just one trick to getting that effect.
It’s SUGAR. The sugar content keeps the layers separated. The liquid that has the most sugar will sink to the bottom.
In this drink, I added honey into the milk, but not to the matcha, so that’s why the milk was added first. If you want to have the matcha at the bottom and the milk on top, add the sweetener in with the matcha instead of the milk.
Got it? Good.
I’ll walk you through the drink, step by step.
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How to Make a Layered Iced Matcha Latte
For this drink, it’s a two part shaking process.
Add the milk in to the cocktail shaker. I’m using almond milk but you can use any milk you like.
Next, add in the honey.
Make sure to add the honey after the milk so that it’s not sticking to the sides of the container.
Shake, shake, shake. Vigorously shake for 10-15 seconds. You want to make sure the milk and the honey are well mixed.
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Pour the milk into a glass cup.
Add ice.
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Give the cocktail shaker a quick rinse with cold water and let’s make the matcha.
For the longest time, I would make matcha traditionally with a bamboo whisk and a matcha bowl, but I was making things harder for myself.
It’s actually easier to shake it than to whisk it when using cold water.
No need to use a sifter either! No clumps with this shaking method.
In the clean cocktail shaker, add cold water. (Filtered water tastes best.)
Next goes the matcha, the powdered green tea. Make sure to add the water first, then the matcha.
Shake, shake shake. 10-15 seconds of vigorous shaking once again.
The more expensive the matcha, the brighter green it will be. If you want a pretty green, spend between $15-$25 a tin. Anything less and your matcha will be a dull green color.
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Pour the matcha into the glass cup.
Don’t dump in the matcha all at once. It’s best to pour it slowly.
Because of the sugar content in the milk, the matcha (without any sugar) won’t immediately sink to the bottom and you’ll see the layering of the milk and matcha.
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See? So pretty!
Stir it up a bit before drinking to combine the milk and the matcha.
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Layered Iced Matcha Latte
Ingredients
Instructions
How to Make an Iced Matcha Latte
For this regular iced matcha latte, we’re flipping things around by putting the matcha in first.
In a cocktail shaker, combine water, honey, and matcha and vigorously shake for 10-15 seconds.
Pour into a cup with ice.
The next part is the matcha swirl and the fun part.
I used half & half instead of milk but you can use the milk of your choice. Pour half & half into the cup and see the magic happen.
A work of art!
Iced Matcha Latte
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup half & half
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon matcha
- ice
Instructions
- Into a cocktail shaker, or any airtight container, vigorously shake together water, honey, and matcha for 10-15 seconds.
- Pour into a cup filled with ice.
- Pour half & half into the cup and watch the swirls form. Add more ice if necessary.
Recommended for This Recipe
Hi, I’m very interested in learning more about layering drinks. I run a small Tea shop in Jamaica and I love how layered drinks look! Would love if you could give me a bit more insight, the layering isn’t going so well even when I follow the recipe.
Hope to hear back soon
Thanks
Alex
Hi Alex, the layer effect works best when the bottom layer has sugar and the top layer doesn’t. Try adding more sugar to the milk and making sure there’s no sugar in the matcha.