Life Hack: How to make an iced matcha latte at home, including strawberry puree
Many years ago, very much in a pre-pandemic Cork, I ordered my first ever matcha latte at the Insomnia café in Debenhams in Mahon Point – I knew it wasn't a common order from the confused look on the barista's face but it was listed on their menu and I'd been hearing things about a green tea that gives more of an energy boost than caffeine, along with other health benefits.
Soon, I was presented with a bright green latte that didn't look like it would be great. However, whether placebo effect or not, I did get an energy boost from it.
It wasn't particularly expensive at the time (probably somewhere around the €3 mark, not far off a regular coffee price then) so from time to time I'd order one when popping in.
However, between lockdowns and shop closures, my matcha habit fell away and I pretty much forgot about it until about 18 months ago.
Matcha since has had a glow-up and is now one of the hottest items on a menu. Personally, I credit a few things for this new awareness: the increased popularity of iced drinks, many of us looking for healthier food and drink options, people sharing aesthetic snaps of their drinks on social media, and – most crucially – the addition of flavoured syrups to enhance the taste.
I returned to matcha-buying over a year ago, picking up an iced matcha with strawberry syrup en route to an event.
This extra burst of flavour was an instant improvement and I was almost convinced to get back into ordering matcha drinks – but the price made me pause.
I had paid well over double what I had been used to for the drink. While delicious, it's not something I can justify purchasing regularly in a cost-of-living crisis.
The natural solution for me was to instead learn how to make it at home and save a bomb.
I experimented at home, buying matcha powder online. Many matcha drinkers insist a matcha whisk is a must for an authentic result, but for me, looking for a quick and easy option, a fork whisking in a cup did the trick in the short term.
The matcha part was easy, in my experience: it was the syrup that stumped me. I tried a few different bottles of raspberry and strawberry syrups to get the taste I liked best without that artificial fruit taste.
A dollop at the end of a glass, a handful of ice, your matcha mix, topped with your drink of choice (almond for me, I like the mix of flavours) and I was sorted.
However, I've remained on the lookout for a nice homemade syrup recipe and last week one landed in my inbox.
Galway-based Solaris Tea reached out with their recipe for an iced matcha last week and their strawberry puree is a simple to make and the perfect dose of sweetness for the drink. Enjoy!
Solaris' Iced Matcha Latte
Galway-based Solaris Tea's recipe for an iced matcha - their strawberry puree is a simple to make and the perfect dose of sweetness for the drink. Enjoy!
Course
Dessert
Ingredients 5 fresh Irish strawberries, hulled and finely chopped (about ⅓ cup)
1 teaspoon agave syrup, honey, maple syrup (optional)
1 teaspoon Solaris Org culinary matcha powder
100ml cold water
Ice
Half to 1 cup plant milk alternative (ie coconut, almond, oat)
Maple syrup or honey, to taste, optional
Method
Place the strawberries and optional sweetener in a small bowl. Use a fork to lightly mash the strawberries and mix together. Set aside.
Place the matcha powder into a small bowl, add the water and use a matcha whisk to whisk briskly from side to side until the matcha is fully dispersed and a foamy layer forms on top.
Place the strawberry puree at the bottom of a tall glass.
Fill halfway with ice.
Pour in chosen plant milk to fill the glass two-thirds of the way full.
Top with the whisked matcha mixture.
Sweeten to your liking and serve with a reusable or biodegradable straw.
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