Matcha Espresso
Some combinations need explaining.
This one mostly needs defending.
Espresso matcha is exactly what it sounds like. A shot of espresso and a bowl of whisked matcha, built into one drink.
Some people call it a dirty matcha.
We think both drinks deserve better.
It should not work. Roasted, dark, intense coffee against fresh, vegetal, quietly bitter tea. And yet it does, in the same way sweet and salt do.
Here is how we make ours.
Espresso Matcha Recipe
Makes one drink
Matcha: 3g Jeeves & Jericho Ceremonial Grade Matcha
Water: 30ml
Espresso: 1 shot
Milk: 150ml
Ingredients
3g Jeeves & Jericho Ceremonial Grade Matcha
30ml hot water, around 80°C
1 shot of espresso, freshly pulled
150ml milk of your choice
Ice, if making it cold
Make the matcha
Sift 3g of Ceremonial Grade Matcha into a bowl.
Add 30ml of hot water. Hot, but not boiling.
Whisk briskly in a quick zigzag motion until smooth, with a light foam across the surface.
No bamboo whisk? A handheld electric frother will also do the job.
The important thing is a smooth matcha base. Lumpy matcha has nowhere to hide in this drink.
Pull the espresso
One shot, pulled fresh.
Do not use long-life espresso from a carton. This drink is half coffee, and the coffee should behave like coffee.
If your espresso runs short or bitter, fix the shot before it goes anywhere near the matcha.
Put it together
For iced: fill a tall glass generously with ice. Pour over 150ml of cold milk, then the matcha, then float the espresso slowly on top.
For hot: pour the matcha into a warm cup, add the espresso, then top with 150ml of steamed milk.
Either way, stop for a second before stirring it.
This is the moment.
Deep brown espresso settling over pale green matcha.
Admire your work. Then stir it together and drink it.
Does matcha and coffee actually work together?
We understand the scepticism. It does not sound like a combination. It sounds like a dare.
But it works for the same reason salt works with sweet.
Espresso brings roast, body and a dark edge.
Matcha brings umami, vegetal freshness and a lighter, greener bitterness.
Milk carries both, and each one makes the other more interesting rather than fighting it.
The finished drink tastes like neither a latte nor a matcha latte. It tastes like its own thing. Which, on a menu where everything else has been done already, is worth something.
How much caffeine is in an espresso matcha?
Rather a lot, and people should know before ordering.
A shot of espresso brings roughly 60-75mg of caffeine.
A serving of matcha brings around 70mg, released more slowly alongside its L-theanine.
Together you are at around 130-140mg. Filter coffee territory.
Which is precisely the point. This is the drink for the person who wants the espresso and the matcha, usually at three in the afternoon.
Which matcha should I use?
Ceremonial Grade Matcha, for the same reason you would not hide good coffee in a drink like this.
Its clean, sweet, umami character stands up to the espresso instead of disappearing behind it.
The Japanese Matcha Latte Blend also works well here. It is pre-sweetened with coconut sugar and cinnamon, and its baseline is 8.25g of blend with 30ml of water. The extra sweetness softens the espresso nicely, which some people prefer.
Both are worth having on the shelf. They behave differently and customers will have a favourite.
Is this a serious drink or a social media drink?
Both, and we are comfortable with that.
Yes, the layers look good. The espresso settling through the matcha is one of the better moments in drink photography.
But there is also a real drink underneath, and unlike some drinks designed for social media, there is actually something worth drinking once the photograph has been taken.
Make it café ready
Espresso matcha may be the easiest matcha drink for a café to add to a menu.
You already own the espresso machine. You already have a barista.
The only new skill is whisking 3g of matcha with 30ml of water, which takes twenty seconds and needs no steaming, blending or batching.
It also solves a selling problem.
Coffee drinkers who would never order a matcha latte will order this one, because it has a shot in it. And a good number of them come back for the matcha on its own later.
If you are a café and this sounds like your kind of menu, our matcha is made for the bar. See the full matcha range for cafés, or open a trade account to get started.
Make it your own
Once the base drink is sorted, things can get interesting.
Build it over tonic instead of milk for something sharper.
Add vanilla to the milk for a rounder version.
Try oat milk. It suits the roast of the espresso surprisingly well.
Halve the espresso for an afternoon drink that will not keep you up until midnight.
Or keep it simple.
Espresso. Matcha. Milk.
Two drinks that spent years ignoring each other, now sharing a glass.
And yes, you may call it a dirty matcha. Just not in our hearing.