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Add green tea powder, cold water and some ice into a shaker and shake. Is making iced matcha really that simple or is there a better way? How to make iced matcha that tastes refreshing and delicious?

Summer is the perfect season to enjoy icy cold drinks, and that includes matcha too. The “proper”, traditional way of preparing matcha is using the whisking method and drink it with no condiments. But with iced matcha, there’s actually no wrong or right way. However, different ways will give different flavor profile.

Let’s compare iced matcha with a regular iced tea. It can be sweet, flavorful, rich, or watery, bitter, and bland. Simply pouring any hot tea over ice may not be enough.

How to make the best iced matcha?

To make the best matcha, start with choosing the right ingredients. Choose a tea powder that has a rich, vibrant, sweet, refreshing flavor. Next, choose the right method. While you can make matcha with both hot and cold water, water temperature and whisking will impact the flavor. Using the right amount of tea powder is important as well.

Let’s go back to the traditional iced tea example. If you want to make iced green tea and use boiling water, it will be bitter. If you don’t use enough tea leaves, it may be bland. The same is true for matcha.

Which tea powder is the best?

To make the best tasting matcha, always use high quality authentic matcha powder. Authentic means it’s made from shaded tea leaves and comes from Japan. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t many great green tea powders from other countries, though. But keep in mind that they may have a slightly different flavor, color and texture and may not froth as much as the authentic matcha powder.

The best matcha for serving over ice with no condiments will be a vibrant, green, fresh, sweet and silky powder with a slight astringency.

Do you need a sweetener?

Iced matcha can taste just as good unsweetened. However, if you like your iced tea sweet, you can use any sweetener you want. Lighter honey, white sugar, silver birch sugar or stevia are all good options if you want a more neutral flavor. If you are using sweeteners that are not easily dissolved in cold water, such as granulated sugar or honey, add them to hot tea and stir until dissolved, before pouring it over ice.

Is iced matcha the same as iced matcha latte?

Iced matcha and iced matcha latte are two different drinks. Iced matcha is matcha tea served over ice, and iced matcha latte is matcha with steamed and frothed milk served over ice. Both are delicious and refreshing, but iced matcha latte will have a different color and texture, and some extra calories too.  

How to make iced matcha

There are many ways to make iced matcha, some will take only a few seconds, and other will require a bit more effort. The best way to make iced matcha is with hot (but not boiling) water, and then pouring it over ice. This method will take more time, but you will end up with the best tasting drink.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 teaspoon of matcha powde
• 1 oz. of hot wate
• A glass of ic
• 4-5 oz. of cold water

Utensils:

• Sifter
• Teaspoon
• Kettle
•  Frother or whisk
• Cup

Instructions:

1. Bring fresh water to a boil and let it cool down to 176°F.
2. Sift matcha powder into a cup.
3. Add water and froth using an electric whisk. If you are using a sweetener like sugar or honey, add it and stir until dissolved. Top up with fresh cold water.
4. Fill a larger glass with ice
5. Pour prepared matcha tea over ice.  

Iced matcha is easy to make, and you can experiment with different flavors and sweeteners. For example, try adding:

• A few fresh mint leave
• A bit of lime or lemon juic
• berry flavor drops or extracts