Raspberry Matcha Latte — A Recipe and Mini Origin Story
The first raspberry matcha latte that I made!
I’ve always been a fan of strawberry matcha lattes. Boba Guys has a great one, as does Percolate (my FAVORITE boba place in LA). However, instead of paying $10+ to get one delivered to me, I decided to try and make one myself!
Instead of just making a basic strawberry matcha latte, I put a little twist on it and made a raspberry matcha latte. Raspberries are one of my favorite fruits ever, and I figured that the tartness would pair well with the bitter / earthy flavors of the matcha. I was right! I’ve been drinking this latte almost every day this week, and I especially like drinking it in the afternoons when I’m just a liiittle hungry but not hungry enough to snack on anything substantial.
Potential Benefits of Matcha
For those of you who typically need a little pick-me-up during this time of day, this drink is perfect for you. The sweetness of the homemade syrup will give you a little energy boost, while the naturally occurring, slow-release nature of the caffeine in the matcha powder will help you sustain that energy through the rest of the work day without causing you to crash. This characteristic of matcha (and of most other teas) is what makes it a unique source of caffeine. The amino acid L-theanine (present in all tea leaves; it’s what gives tea its distinct umami flavor profile) promotes relaxation and harmonizes with the caffeine to deliver a calming, smooth wave of alertness.
In addition, because you are consuming the whole tea leaf when you drink matcha (vs. just drinking tea water), you are by default consuming more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than you would by just brewing up some green tea! There are sources all over the internet that tout the superfood properties of matcha and how it can do things like boost your metabolism and help lower cholesterol levels.
I am not a doctor by the way (much to my parents’ dismay), so please don’t quote me! If you want to learn more about the benefits of matcha, you can click here, here or here.
Origins of Matcha
Of course, before posting this recipe, I had to do a little homework on the origins of matcha. Although matcha has only recently become mainstream in America, it’s been around for over a thousand years. I’d always thought that matcha originated in Japan, but turns out it actually has roots in China!
Apparently, during China’s Tang Dynasty (which began in 618 and ended in 907), tea traders would mix pulverized tea leaves with salt and steam the mixture to form stackable blocks that made the tea easier to transport and trade. Then, during the Song Dynasty (from 960 to 1279), Zen Buddhists began making powdered tea from the dried tea leaf blocks and would make the powder into a drink by whisking it with hot water. During this time, a Japanese Buddhist Monk who was studying in China brought some tea powder back with him to Japan, where the method of making matcha was perfected and woven into the the country’s cultural traditions and history.
The incorporation of matcha into specialty drinks and desserts (matcha ice cream, matcha crepe cake, matcha Kit Kat, etc.) is a relatively recent phenomenon (within the past 2 - 3 decades) and seems to be getting more and more popular as East Asian ingredients and flavors have become more mainstream. Back when I was in high school, many of my friends had never even heard of matcha before, and Starbucks didn’t even have a matcha latte on their menu yet (it might have been called “green tea latte” or some other obscure name, but I definitely don’t remember seeing the word “matcha” anywhere on the menu)!
Today, you can find matcha of various grades all throughout Japan— from the free matcha offered at hot water stations in conveyor belt sushi bars to the expensive, ceremonial grade matcha used for traditional tea ceremonies, that varieties of matcha that are available for purchase can be overwhelming at times.
I will say this though: the type and grade of matcha that you buy DOES make a difference. I’ve had so many friends and family members tell me that they hate the taste of matcha, only to change their minds after having a cup of good matcha (Patrick, I am looking at you). Do NOT just blindly buy the first matcha that you see on Amazon! My two favorite stores to get matcha from are Lupicia (the best bang for your buck) and Ippodo (they have a physical store in NYC). Ippodo has a nice guide on their website that outlines the different types of matcha and explains the different flavor profiles of each type.
As always, I am not a historian, so please forgive me and let me know if I’m butchering any aspects of the history behind matcha. This is just a very abbreviated summary of what I’ve gathered from reading articles online.
This one’s a strawberry + raspberry matcha latte!
The Recipe (2 servings)
Utensils needed:
Matcha whisk (yes, this is absolutely necessary)
Small bowl for whisking
Clear glass jar or mug
Reusable straw (trust me on this one; it tastes better through a straw)
For the syrup:
Ingredients:
6 oz raspberries
Sweetener of choice (monk fruit sweetener works really well for this recipe, and there’s no weird aftertaste!)
Water
OPTIONAL: 1 TSP of corn (or other vegetable) starch
Steps:
Wash a small, 6 oz container of raspberries, and put them in a mini saucepan
Fill the saucepan with just enough water so that the berries are about 1/3 of the way submerged
Pour your sweetener of choice over the berries. You can be generous! This is meant to be a concentrated syrup, so it’s okay if it tastes too sweet at first; you can always just use less syrup in the drink. With raspberries, you definitely want to add enough sweetener, or else the tartness of the berries will overwhelm the whole drink
Simmer on low heat over the stove top for about 10 minutes
OPTIONAL: Dilute 1 TSP of corn starch or another vegetable starch in 1 TSP of water and stir into the pot. This will help the syrup thicken into a nice, “jammy” consistency. However, I don’t really like using fillers in my food, so I would personally skip this step
Let the syrup cool down
For the drink:
Ingredients:
Steps:
After the syrup has cooled, scoop half of it into a clear glass jar (this is KEY because you want to be able to see all the pretty colors!)
Add some ice cubes (I like my drinks super icy, so I add like 12 ice cubes hahaha)
Pour in about 8 oz of oat milk (you can use any plant-based milk, but I prefer oat milk for my matcha lattes because it gives it a nice, creamy consistency)
Whisk 1 - 2 TSP of matcha with 1 - 2 TBSP of water in a small bowl until a pourable paste is formed (I like to go heavy on the matcha, so sometimes I’ll use up to 1 TBSP, hehe). Make sure that you whisk away all the clumps!
Pour the matcha paste into the glass jar and watch it swirl into the oat milk
Stir stir stir and enjoy! I actually don’t like to stir my drink all the way, as I kind of like having the fruity layer at the bottom, but it’s totally up to you!
OPTIONAL: If you prefer a lighter drink, feel free to add some water or almond milk to thin it out. This drink is pretty filling, so sometimes I’ll just use less oat milk and use more almond milk to make a thinner drink