“Do I need ceremonial matcha for lattes?”
It is one of the questions we get asked most.
And the answer is not quite as simple as yes or no.
There is a huge range of matcha available to cafés now, often carrying different grades, descriptions and price points.
Ceremonial matcha. Premium matcha. Latte matcha. Culinary matcha.
It can get confusing pretty quickly.
For us, the best place to start is not with the label.
Start with what you actually want to make.
What does ceremonial matcha actually mean?
This is worth clearing up first.
Ceremonial grade is not an official Japanese grading system. It is a term that has become widely used to describe high quality matcha considered suitable for drinking traditionally with water.
That does not make the term meaningless.
But it does mean the words “ceremonial grade” on a packet should not be the only reason you choose one matcha over another.
Taste it.
Good ceremonial matcha should be vibrant, fresh and beautifully balanced, with sweetness, umami and controlled bitterness.
Whisked simply with water, there should be nowhere for poor quality to hide.
That is exactly the point.
Then add milk
This is where things change for a café.
Take a beautifully delicate matcha and add 200ml or 250ml of milk and some of those subtler characteristics can become much harder to detect.
Add ice and the flavour changes again.
Add strawberry or vanilla and you have created something completely different.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of those drinks.
We love seeing where cafés are taking matcha.
But the best matcha for a traditional bowl and the best matcha for a flavoured iced latte do not necessarily have to be the same product.
What is latte matcha?
Latte matcha is generally selected with milk based drinks in mind.
You are looking for enough body, flavour and colour to remain distinctive once milk is added.
That does not mean it should be poor quality matcha disguised with milk.
Quite the opposite.
A good latte matcha should still taste fresh and balanced. It simply needs the strength and character to make its presence known in a bigger drink.
Because nobody wants a matcha latte where the matcha has disappeared.
What are you actually putting on the menu?
For a café, this is the question that matters.
If you want to serve traditional matcha with water alongside matcha lattes, a genuinely high quality ceremonial matcha can make a lot of sense.
One matcha.
Multiple drinks.
And your team only needs to learn how to work with one product.
If most of your matcha sales are large iced lattes with milk and additional flavours, the calculation might be different.
Using your most expensive and delicate matcha in every strawberry matcha latte may not be the best use of it.
Some of the qualities you are paying for could simply get lost in the finished drink.
But do not race to the bottom
There is another side to this.
Choosing a matcha specifically for lattes should not become an excuse to buy the cheapest green powder you can find.
Go too far down that road and you can end up with matcha that is harsh, flat and aggressively bitter.
Then you add more milk.
Then more syrup.
Then more sugar.
Eventually, the matcha becomes the least interesting thing in the matcha latte.
For us, that misses the point.
Matcha should still have character, whatever you decide to put around it.
Where is the sweet spot for a speciality café?
For me, a great starting point is a genuinely good Japanese matcha that tastes excellent with water but still has enough body and flavour to carry through milk.
It gives you flexibility.
Serve it simply.
Turn it into a hot latte.
Pour it over ice.
Try it with oat milk.
Add strawberry.
See what happens.
If the matcha continues to taste like matcha, you are heading in the right direction.
One matcha or two?
There is no rule saying every café needs to use the same matcha for every drink.
Some cafés will be perfectly happy with one high quality matcha that performs across the entire menu.
Others might use a more delicate ceremonial matcha for traditional serves and a different matcha for larger or flavoured lattes.
Both approaches can work.
At Jeeves & Jericho, we offer different options because cafés are different too.
A speciality coffee shop serving lots of iced matcha lattes has different requirements from a venue where customers regularly order matcha prepared traditionally.
The product should fit the menu, not the other way around.
Be clear about what you are serving
There is one final point that matters.
If your menu says:
Ceremonial Japanese Matcha
Then the matcha in the cup should genuinely live up to that description.
If you are serving:
Vanilla Strawberry Matcha Latte
Then the priorities may be different.
You need colour. Flavour. Body. Consistency. And a matcha that still makes itself known alongside everything else in the glass.
There is room for both.
Ceremonial matcha is not automatically the right answer for every café drink.
Latte matcha should not mean low quality matcha.
They are simply different ways of thinking about what the finished drink needs.
Start with the cup you want to serve.
Then choose the matcha that gives it character.