For a drink that tastes even better than it looks.
Green matcha. Pink strawberry. Milk. Ice.
It is a very good looking drink.
Fortunately, it also tastes brilliant.
Sweet, slightly sharp strawberries work beautifully against the fresh, vegetal character of matcha. Add cold milk and plenty of ice and you have something creamy, refreshing and full of flavour.
There is a reason this combination has ended up all over café menus.
Here is how we make ours.
Strawberry Matcha Recipe
Makes one drink
Matcha: 3g Jeeves & Jericho Ceremonial Grade Matcha
Water: 30ml
Milk: 150ml
Ingredients
3g Jeeves & Jericho Ceremonial Grade Matcha
30ml hot water
150ml milk of your choice
60g fresh strawberries
10g sugar
Ice
First, make the strawberry
Remove the tops from the strawberries and roughly chop them.
Add them to a small bowl with the sugar.
Mash everything together with a fork until the strawberries become juicy and you have a loose, slightly chunky strawberry mixture.
You do not need to turn it into a perfectly smooth purée.
A little texture is good.
Taste it before adding any more sugar. Strawberries change enormously through the year, so particularly sweet fruit may need very little help.
Set the strawberry mixture aside while you make the matcha.
Make the matcha
Sift 3g of Ceremonial Grade Matcha into a bowl.
Add 30ml of hot water.
The water should be hot, but not boiling.
Whisk briskly using a bamboo whisk in a quick zigzag motion until the matcha is smooth and a light foam appears across the surface.
No bamboo whisk?
A handheld electric frother will also do the job.
The important thing is creating a smooth matcha base before it goes anywhere near the milk.
Put it together
Spoon the strawberry mixture into the bottom of a tall glass.
Fill the glass generously with ice.
Pour over 150ml of cold milk.
Then slowly pour the prepared matcha over the top.
And stop for a second before stirring it.
This is the moment.
Bright strawberry at the bottom. Milk in the middle. Matcha floating green across the top.
Admire your work.
Then mix everything together and drink it.
Why do strawberry and matcha work together?
Strawberry and matcha look like they were made for each other, but the flavour combination is the more interesting part.
Strawberries bring sweetness, fruit and a little acidity.
Matcha brings umami, vegetal freshness and gentle bitterness.
Milk pulls the two together.
The result is sweeter and fruitier than a classic matcha latte, but you should still be able to taste the tea.
That last bit matters.
Strawberry matcha should taste like strawberry and matcha.
Not strawberry milk that happens to be green.
Fresh strawberries or strawberry syrup?
We like fresh strawberries for this version.
They give the drink a brighter flavour and a little texture, and you can control the sweetness depending on the fruit you have.
But there is nothing wrong with using a good strawberry purée or syrup if you are making these in volume.
For a café, consistency and speed matter.
If you are using a commercial strawberry ingredient, start with less than you think you need and taste the finished drink.
The strawberry should work with the matcha rather than completely flattening it.
What milk works best with strawberry matcha?
Whatever milk you enjoy drinking.
Whole milk creates a rich, creamy drink.
Oat milk works particularly well if you want something smooth with a little extra sweetness.
Coconut milk takes the drink somewhere more tropical.
The only real test is whether you can still taste the matcha once everything is mixed together.
If you cannot, adjust the rest of the drink before immediately adding more matcha.
Sometimes less milk or less strawberry is all it needs.
Can I use the Japanese Matcha Blend?
Absolutely, but expect a different drink.
Our Japanese Matcha Blend already contains coconut sugar and cinnamon and is designed around a baseline of 8.25g of blend with 30ml of water.
That means you should not simply swap 3g of Ceremonial Grade Matcha for 3g of the blend.
For this recipe, we prefer the pure Ceremonial Grade Matcha.
The clean matcha flavour gives the strawberry plenty of room while keeping that contrast between fruit, milk and tea.
The Japanese Matcha Blend would make a sweeter, warmer version with an extra hint of spice.
Different character. Same idea.
Make it café ready
Strawberry matcha is particularly good for café menus because most of the work can be prepared ahead.
Make your strawberry base in batches and keep it chilled.
Then each drink becomes simple.
Strawberry.
Ice.
Milk.
Freshly prepared matcha.
Serve.
It is quick enough for a busy bar and interesting enough to earn its place on the menu.
And unlike some drinks designed for social media, there is actually something worth drinking once the photograph has been taken.
Make it your own
Once you have strawberry matcha sorted, things can get interesting.
Add vanilla for something sweeter.
Try coconut milk for a more tropical version.
Top it with strawberry cold foam if you are feeling ambitious.
Blend the whole thing with ice.
Or keep it simple.
Strawberry. Milk. Matcha.
Three very different flavours that somehow make complete sense together.
And yes, you are allowed to take a photo first.