Best Matcha Powders for Smooth Lattes

You’re someone who wants to make cafe-quality matcha lattes at home. I’m a recipe developer with a matcha obsession, and I’ve done the work for you to test the best matcha powders for lattes. Here are my expert recommendations blind tested not just by me, but by 10 matcha testers.

⭐ The best matcha powders for lattes ⭐

• Best overall: Maeda-en Universal Grade
• Best indulgence: Ujido Culinary Grade
• Best Amazon option: Encha Latte Grade
• Best women-owned: Mizuba Culinary Grade

Read on for each matcha powder breakdown.

🧪 Matcha powders we tested & methodology

I selected these matcha powders to test, led by my experiences and research into brands I had not tried.

• Aiya
• Encha
• Jadeleaf
• Maeda-en
• Matcha Love
• Mizuba
• Nativas
• Rishi
• Ujido

I assembled 10 taste testers to blind test each brand and give each one a score out of 5 for these categories: smell, color, plain taste, and taste in a latte with milk (still no sweetener). Then, I calculated the averages of the ratings to get our final scores. Following are our notes.

1. Maeda-en Universal Grade Matcha Green Tea Powder

2. Ujido Ceremonial Matcha

Note: I usually wouldn’t buy a ceremonial grade for lattes, but the price-point was close enough that we added it in.

3. Encha Latte Grade Matcha

👌 Matcha powders that were just OK

Matcha Love Culinary Matcha (Made by Ito En)

Rishi Everyday Matcha

🥛 Using dairy vs. non-dairy milk or creamer

The creaminess of the milk or creamer you use in a matcha latte can mellow out the bite from a lower-grade matcha powder. This can help make a matcha powder with a more bitter taste into a smooth latte.

The milk or sweetener you choose for your latte will alter the overall flavor profile of your drink. Experiment with different kinds of milk and nut milk, and try not to use nut milk with overpowering flavors like hazelnut or pistachio, unless you really love it. Remember that you would likely enjoy different matcha if using a milder flavored milk or sweetener.

When making a salad dressing, the level of acidity shouldn’t always be the same – it should depend on the salad ingredients. If you have more acidic ingredients, the dressing should be less acidic. The exact same thing goes for your matcha latte, so expect to vary your milk and sweetener depending on which you choose to use.

🍵 Understanding which matcha powder to use

Culinary Matcha vs. Latte Mix Matcha

Baking quality matcha powder isn’t as great of quality as latte mix. You can get away with culinary quality for baking, but you still want the vibrant color and flavor to come through, like in my matcha rice krispy treats or matcha peanut butter cups. I wouldn’t use any of the matcha powders in the do not recommend section, even for baking.

I love the convenience of a pre-made latte mix (looking at you Trader Joe’s matcha latte) BUT the issue with these is they contain extra added sugar and more ingredients to make the product shelf stable, which you may not want.

As a rule of thumb, I always opt for unsweetened matcha powder. I prefer to be in control of the type and amount of sweetener I add. If you find a sweetened matcha powder or mix that you like, absolutely enjoy it, this is just my personal preference.

Culinary Matcha vs. Ceremonial Matcha

Ceremonial grade matcha is the highest grade, and should only be used with just water in a traditional matcha tea. Don’t use ceremonial-grade matcha in your lattes. It’s more expensive, and there’s no need.

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