Matcha does not always need milk.
Sometimes it needs lemons.
Matcha lemonade is bright, sharp, refreshing and extremely green. The citrus brings out a completely different side of matcha, cutting through its deeper vegetal notes and leaving you with something fresh enough for the hottest day of the year.
It is also ridiculously easy to make.
Lemon.
Sugar.
Matcha.
Water.
Ice.
That is pretty much it.
Matcha Lemonade Recipe
Makes one drink
Matcha: 3g Jeeves & Jericho Ceremonial Grade Matcha
Water for matcha: 30ml
Ingredients
3g Jeeves & Jericho Ceremonial Grade Matcha
30ml hot water
25ml fresh lemon juice
15ml simple syrup
120ml cold water
Plenty of ice
Fresh lemon to garnish
First, make the lemonade
Add the fresh lemon juice and simple syrup to a glass.
Pour in the cold water and stir.
Taste it.
This bit matters because lemons have absolutely no interest in being consistent.
Some are sharp enough to rearrange your face. Others are surprisingly sweet.
Adjust the syrup or lemon until you have a lemonade that is bright and refreshing without becoming aggressively sour.
Then fill the glass with ice.
Make the matcha
Sift 3g of Jeeves & Jericho Ceremonial Grade Matcha into a bowl.
Add 30ml of hot water.
The water should be hot, but not boiling.
Whisk briskly in a zigzag motion until the matcha is completely smooth with a light foam across the surface.
You can use a bamboo whisk or a handheld electric frother.
Either way, make the matcha properly before adding it to the drink.
Nobody ordered a lemonade with matcha lumps.
Bring it together
Slowly pour the prepared matcha over the iced lemonade.
You should get a brilliant contrast between the lighter lemonade underneath and deep green matcha on top.
Add a slice of fresh lemon.
Admire it briefly.
Then give everything a good stir.
That first sip should be citrusy and refreshing, followed by the distinctive green character of matcha.
Simple. Sharp. Very drinkable.
Why does matcha work with lemon?
Matcha and lemon are both big flavours.
That is precisely why the combination works.
Matcha brings vegetal freshness, umami and gentle bitterness.
Lemon brings acidity, fragrance and plenty of sharpness.
A little sweetness sits between the two and stops either one becoming too dominant.
The result feels completely different from a matcha latte.
There is no milk to soften the tea, so you get a brighter and more direct expression of the matcha.
If you already love matcha, it is a good way to see another side of it.
And if you think matcha only belongs in lattes, this might change your mind.
How sweet should matcha lemonade be?
Not very.
At least, that is how we like it.
The temptation with lemonade is to keep adding sugar until every sharp edge has disappeared.
But those sharp edges are part of what makes this drink interesting.
You want enough sweetness to balance the lemon and matcha without turning the whole thing into syrup.
Our recipe starts with 15ml of simple syrup.
From there, adjust it.
Your lemons might be different.
Your taste might be different.
Your lemonade is allowed to be different.
What is simple syrup?
Exactly what it sounds like.
Combine equal quantities of sugar and hot water and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
For example, 100g sugar and 100ml hot water will give you enough syrup for several drinks.
Let it cool, keep it refrigerated and use it whenever something needs a little sweetness without undissolved sugar sitting at the bottom of the glass.
Very useful stuff.
Can I use sparkling water?
Please do.
Replace the cold water with sparkling water and you get something lighter, fizzier and arguably even more refreshing.
Build the lemon and syrup in the glass first.
Add ice.
Pour in the sparkling water.
Then finish with your prepared matcha.
Just do not attack it with a spoon afterwards unless you want half of it on the counter.
A gentle stir will do.
Can I use the Japanese Matcha Blend?
Yes, but this is one of those recipes where we particularly like using pure matcha.
Our Japanese Matcha Blend contains matcha, coconut sugar and cinnamon and uses a baseline serve of 8.25g with 30ml of water.
Those warmer, sweeter flavours can create an interesting lemonade, but it will be quite different from this one.
Our Ceremonial Grade Matcha keeps things clean and bright.
Matcha. Citrus. Sweetness.
Nothing hiding.
Make it café ready
Matcha lemonade is a great café drink because most of the preparation can happen before anyone orders one.
Have your simple syrup ready.
Keep fresh lemon juice chilled.
Then all you need to do is build the lemonade and prepare the matcha.
It also gives customers another way into matcha.
Not everyone wants a milky drink, particularly in summer.
An iced matcha lemonade gives you something completely different.
Bright.
Refreshing.
Full of tea.
And considerably more interesting than another bottle from the fridge.
Make it your own
Once you have the basic version, start playing.
Add fresh mint.
Try a little strawberry.
Swap still water for sparkling.
Add yuzu for a different citrus character.
Throw in a few slices of cucumber.
Or leave it exactly as it is.
Matcha has spent plenty of time getting cosy with milk.
Give it a lemon and let it wake up a bit.