Japanese Food Tips

Unlike cafe latte, which is made by adding milk to espresso, matcha latte is made by adding milk to matcha green tea. Matcha is a green tea produced by grinding dried matcha leaves in a tea mill to a fine powder, and is bright green in color and deliciously bitter in taste. The bright green of the matcha combined with the white of the milk turns the matcha latte a light green. It is a delicious drink with a mildly bitter taste. It is interesting to note that the traditional matcha tea, which has a long history in the Japanese tea ceremony, is diluted by adding milk like a cafe latte in Western culture. Matcha is not sweetened with sugar, but matcha latte is usually served sweetened, and is available both hot and chilled. Matcha lattes are sold at well-known coffee chains, convenience stores, and supermarkets. If you are ever in Japan, please try the matcha latte.