Which Matcha Drink Should You Make Today?

A warm afternoon calls for an iced drink; a quiet morning, something hot. These matcha drinks suit both moods, from lattes to recipes that let you taste the tea differently. In the kitchen, the matcha recipes also bring together desserts and savory dishes.

If you're new to matcha with milk, we'd start with a hot latte. It lets you taste the balance between the two before adding fruit or ice. Prefer something with less milk? Lemonade or sparkling matcha takes you in another direction.

Three matcha lattes to start with

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  The hot matcha latte recipe gives you the basic method: pour milk over matcha mixed with water. We'd choose this cup to compare the flavors of matcha and milk.
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  When you want ice, an iced matcha latte uses a more concentrated tea base. Dilution changes the drink.
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  For a fruit note, the strawberry matcha latte brings fruit into the glass. Choose it if you like that contrast with the tea's vegetal note.

Choose a matcha drink by temperature or texture

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  For fruit or spice flavors, the matcha latte variations build on the hot or iced base. They're the simplest place to go if milk is still your starting point.
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  For a cup without ice, choose among the hot matcha drinks.
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  White chocolate's sweetness sets matcha white hot chocolate apart. It takes nine minutes, with the tea mixed separately first.
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  For whipped foam instead of smooth milk, the dalgona matcha tops a warm soy drink in eleven minutes.
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  When you want refreshment as much as tea, cold matcha drinks offer other ways to serve it.
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  If you'd rather feel fine flecks of ice than whole cubes, a milk-based matcha frappé goes through the blender and is drunk with a straw.
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  Matcha bubble tea is about texture first. Choose it when you want something other than a smooth cup.
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  Matcha lemonade puts lemon's acidity against the tea. It's brighter than a latte.
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  A matcha smoothie makes a thicker drink. Choose it for that texture, rather than the lightness of lemonade. For a mellow glass without blended fruit, matcha horchata gets its body from rice that's soaked and then strained.
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  Sparkling matcha combines passion fruit and sparkling water. If you'd rather have yuzu, a nonalcoholic matcha cocktail pairs it with tonic.