Strawberry Matcha Latte: The Pink-and-Green Recipe

By Jordan, Green Hour Matcha

The short version: mash a few strawberries with a little sweetener in the bottom of a glass, add ice and cold milk, then pour whisked matcha on top. Pink below, green on top. It looks like it came from a café with a forty-minute line, and it takes about five minutes at home.

Here's the recipe for one glass, three ways to make the strawberry layer, how to keep the colors from blurring, and a few variations for when you feel like showing off.

Why strawberry and matcha work

Matcha is fresh and grassy, with a savory depth called umami. Strawberries are sweet and a little tart. Together they taste a lot like strawberries and cream with a fresh green finish. The fruit softens matcha's grassy side, and the matcha keeps the drink from tasting like a milkshake. And then there are the colors. You already knew that part.

Ingredients for one glass

• 4 to 5 ripe strawberries (about 3 oz / 80 g), or 2 tablespoons of strawberry syrup (see below)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar, maple or honey, to taste
• 2 to 3 g of matcha (1 to 1½ level teaspoons)
• 2 oz (60 ml) of water at 175°F / 80°C
• 6 oz (180 ml) of cold milk: oat, dairy and almond all work
• Ice

The strawberry layer, three ways

1. Fresh mash (2 minutes)

Hull and chop the strawberries, add the sweetener and mash them with a fork, right in the glass. Leave a few small pieces. It's the fastest version, and the most homemade-looking one, with real bits of fruit at the bottom.

2. Quick strawberry syrup (10 minutes, enough for about 4 glasses)

Put 1 cup (about 150 g) of chopped strawberries, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a small pan. Simmer over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, mashing the berries as they soften, until it looks jammy. Add a squeeze of lemon if you like it brighter. Let it cool completely before using it. For a smooth syrup with no seeds, press it through a sieve. It keeps for 3 to 4 days in a closed jar in the fridge.

3. Frozen strawberries

Thaw a handful of frozen strawberries (overnight in the fridge, or a few seconds in the microwave), then mash them with the sweetener. Frozen berries release more juice, so the pink layer comes out deeper and redder. Handy when strawberries aren't in season.

Step by step

1. Strawberry first. Spoon the strawberry layer into the bottom of a tall, clear glass.
2. Ice. Fill the glass with ice. The ice works like a shelf and keeps the layers apart.
3. Milk. Pour the cold milk slowly over the ice, so it doesn't stir up the strawberries.
4. Matcha. Sift the matcha into a bowl, add 2 oz of 175°F water and whisk fast in a W shape for 15 to 20 seconds, until foamy.
5. Pour it last. Pour the matcha slowly over the ice. Pink at the bottom, white in the middle, green on top.
6. Stir before you sip. Take the photo first. Then stir, because the strawberry belongs in every sip.

How to get clean layers

• Keep everything cold. Cold milk, cooled syrup. Warm syrup blends into the milk right away.
• Use lots of ice. Fill the glass. Fewer cubes means blurry layers.
• Pour slowly. For the neatest line, pour the milk over the back of a spoon.
• Sweeten the strawberry, not the milk. A sweeter layer is heavier, so it stays at the bottom.
• Use a clear glass. Otherwise, what's the point?

Variations

Strawberry cold foam

Froth 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of strawberry syrup with a handheld frother for 20 to 30 seconds, until thick. Build the latte as usual, then spoon the pink foam over the matcha. Three layers, and very much the main character.

Pink milk

Blend 4 strawberries with the milk and the sweetener, pour it over ice, and add the matcha on top. You get a softer pink, a smoother texture and no fruit pieces.

Dairy-free

Use oat or coconut milk and maple syrup. For the foam, chilled coconut cream whips up nicely.

Less sweet

Skip the sugar and use very ripe strawberries. The fruit carries it.

For two

Saturday, 11 am, with her. Double everything, split the strawberry layer between two glasses, and whisk the matcha in one bowl: 4 to 6 g with 4 oz of water. Pour half over each glass. Make two.

Common mistakes

Which matcha for a strawberry latte

You want a matcha that's bright and smooth enough to drink on its own, but bold enough to taste through milk and fruit. That's the job we're giving the Green Hour matcha we're building (it's not on sale yet). Until then, any vivid green matcha that tastes good on its own will do. Strawberries not included.

FAQ

Can I use frozen strawberries?
Yes. Thaw them first and mash them with the sweetener. They're juicier than fresh berries, so the pink layer is deeper.

How long does homemade strawberry syrup keep?
About 3 to 4 days in a closed jar in the fridge. Let it cool completely before you use it in a latte, or the layers will blur.

What's the best milk for a strawberry matcha latte?
Oat milk gives the creamiest result and the cleanest layers. Dairy milk tastes a bit like strawberries and cream. Almond milk is lighter and lets the matcha come through.

How do I keep the layers from mixing?
Keep everything cold, fill the glass with ice, sweeten the strawberry layer rather than the milk, and pour the milk and the matcha slowly, over the back of a spoon if needed.