I know, I’m about seven hundred years behind the trend with this post, but for some reason I had never made a matcha latte until this week. I’ve drunk and enjoyed them when eating out and I’ve had matcha powder in the house, but no home-made matcha latte ever emerged. It is quite puzzling.

When J returned from Japan recently, he brought some matcha with him and I finally saw the light. As I’m sure you know, matcha is a green tea that comes in powder form, has a fresh and slightly bitter taste and a vibrant colour. It’s the tea used in traditional tea ceremonies and known for its stimulating properties and health benefits. I mostly like it because that amazing shade of green and the way its sharp taste combines so well with other, creamier ones – like milk.

Making a matcha latte is probably easier than making an actual latte. Take roughly a teaspoon of powder and mix with a little water to avoid lumps. Heat enough milk to fill your mug (any milk you like – it’s almond milk on the picture, but I in fact prefer ordinary cow’s milk for this), stir in the matcha and whisk until frothy. I haven’t got a traditional bamboo whisk at the moment, so I just used a metal one you can by at any supermarket. If you prefer, add some sugar or a little honey or other sweetener of choice. The result is a beautiful light green drink that tastes of tea and hay and Japan, but is mellowed by the warm milk.

Matcha works very well in other similar combinations, too. Matcha ice cream (which I incidentally had yesterday at), matcha chocolate, matcha milkshakes… The sweets I’ve pictured here are from Japan: super creamy Nama chocolate and matcha almonds from Royce. But you can find similar products in the west as well – Sadaharu Aoki, who is based in Paris, often includes matcha in her cakes, chocolates and other sweets.

For many people, matcha is very much an acquired taste. Then again, I find that it’s a taste very much worth acquiring.