How to Make Matcha Without Milk
Matcha is meant to be drunk without milk, the way it is in Japan. Here is the step-by-step method for a smooth, no-bitterness matcha: hot, iced, or even without a whisk.
You see matcha everywhere as a latte, drowned in milk and syrup. Yet in Japan it is drunk plain first: just powder and water, whisked in seconds. It is simpler, faster, and it is where a good matcha truly shines. If you want to drink your matcha without milk, whether for taste, intolerance or to cut calories, here is exactly how to make it smooth, frothy and never bitter.
Yes, matcha is meant to be drunk without milk
The matcha latte is a Western adaptation, handy for softening ordinary powders. The traditional preparation comes down to two ingredients: matcha and hot water. It is called usucha, a "thin" matcha, and it is how the drink has been enjoyed for centuries. Milk adds nothing to the tea itself: it masks it. With a ceremonial grade matcha, you have nothing to mask.
What you need (1 cup, 2 minutes)
- 1 to 2 g of ceremonial matcha (½ to 1 teaspoon)
- 60 to 70 ml of water at 70-80 °C (never boiling)
- A bamboo whisk (chasen) or a closed shaker
- A wide bowl, or simply your mug
The step-by-step method (plain matcha, hot)
- Sift 1 to 2 g of matcha into your bowl. Thirty seconds that remove nearly all the lumps before you even whisk.
- Heat the water to 70-80 °C. No thermometer? Boil it, then let it sit for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pour 60 to 70 ml of water over the powder.
- Whisk with the chasen in quick W motions for 15 to 20 seconds, until a fine foam forms on top. Let the wrist do the work, not the arm.
- Drink right away, straight from the bowl. No need to strain or sweeten.
On dosing: 1 g gives a light, easy-drinking matcha, 2 g a bolder and more caffeinated one. Start low, you will adjust on the next cup.
Iced matcha, without milk
Matcha over cold water is the most refreshing version there is, and one of the fastest. Two ways to do it:
- In a shaker: 1 to 2 g of matcha, 150 ml of cold water and a few ice cubes, a 20 to 30 second shake. You get a frothy, clear matcha, ready to drink.
- With a whisk: whisk the matcha first in a small splash of lukewarm water, then pour over a tall glass of cold water and ice.
Add a squeeze of lemon or citrus on top and you have a sparkling-fresh matcha tonic, still without a drop of milk.
No whisk? The shaker method
No chasen on hand? A sealed container solves everything. Put the matcha (sifted if possible) and the water in a shaker, close it tight, and shake for 20 to 30 seconds. The foam is slightly less fine than with a whisk, but there are no lumps, and it is perfect for the office or rushed mornings. It is exactly why we designed our Mini Matcha Shaker. A Mason jar with a tight lid does the job too.
The right water, the key to a matcha with no bitterness
With no milk to soften it, water temperature becomes the thing not to get wrong. Above 80 °C, matcha turns bitter: the heat degrades the sweet amino acids (including L-theanine, responsible for the umami taste) and brings out the astringency of the catechins. Aim for 70 to 80 °C. Without a thermometer, boil the water then let it sit uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes. To drink it plain, you can even go down toward 70 °C: softer, rounder.
The mistakes that make plain matcha bitter
- Water that is too hot. Mistake number one, by far.
- Too much powder. Start at 1 g, add more if needed. An over-concentrated matcha turns astringent.
- Grocery-store culinary matcha. Made for baking, it is bitter and flat drunk plain. We explain the difference in culinary or ceremonial matcha.
- Skipping the sift. Lumps guaranteed, especially with no milk to hide them.
- Letting it sit. Matcha is drunk within the minute. After that it separates: just stir or re-shake.
Which matcha to drink plain?
Drunk plain, matcha has nowhere to hide: the quality comes through in the first sip. You need a ceremonial grade, smooth, with no bitterness. In our range, that is the job of the Ceremonial No.3 Grand Cru: refined enough to drink with water alone, with an umami sweetness that needs no milk. The Barista No.1 is built to stand up to milk: keep it for your lattes.
Not sure which to pick? Our guide to choosing your matcha points you to the right grade in two minutes.
Bian Matcha, Quebec
The duo for a great plain matcha.
A ceremonial matcha smooth enough to drink with water, and the traditional whisk to raise the foam. Grown and stone-ground in Japan, imported directly by our Quebec team.
Our finest matcha: smooth, umami, no bitterness. The one we drink with water, with nothing added.
$54.90 See Ceremonial No.3
The traditional 100-prong whisk, built to raise a fine foam in seconds. The tool that changes everything for a plain matcha.
$15.90 See the ChasenFAQ, Matcha Without Milk
Can you drink matcha without milk?+
Yes, it is even its original preparation, usucha: matcha and hot water whisked together. Milk is a more recent Western adaptation. A ceremonial grade matcha is perfect drunk plain, with no sugar.
Is matcha without milk bitter?+
Not if it is made well. Bitterness almost always comes from water that is too hot (above 80 °C) or from a low-grade culinary matcha. With a ceremonial grade and 70-80 °C water, the taste is smooth, vegetal and slightly sweet.
Can you make matcha without a whisk?+
Yes: put the matcha and water in a closed shaker and shake for 20 to 30 seconds. Zero lumps. A jar with a tight lid works very well too.
How much matcha per cup?+
1 to 2 g, that is ½ to 1 teaspoon, for 60 to 70 ml of water. Start at 1 g and adjust to the strength you want.
Plain matcha: hot or cold?+
Both work. Hot, the foam is finer and the aroma more present. Iced over cold water, it is very refreshing. The method is almost identical, only the water temperature changes.
And the day you do feel like milk, the iced matcha latte and the hot matcha latte recipes take over. To go further, we covered the full tour of matcha benefits.
