I love coffee in the morning and matcha in the afternoon. Mostly, I love the ritual of preparing matcha—blooming the chasen (bamboo whisk), using ceramic bowls I’ve made, and taking a few minutes to pause in my day.
I normally drink matcha without milk, but sometimes I want a matcha cortado. A cortado in the coffee world is equal parts steamed milk and espresso (2 oz.) and differs from a latte which contains too much milk for my preference.
With matcha, it’s easy to get lost in all the different varieties. I’m certainly no expert in the field of matcha, but I like to buy small quantities of a nice ceremony grade matcha, and use before its “best-by” date. As with any recipe, this is a suggestion and a baseline to tweak to your taste (perhaps it’s a technique?). I prefer my matcha cortado with less milk and a little more water. Make it how you want.
Here’s a gentle video of me making a matcha cortado.
Recipe Type: easy
Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Ingredients
2 cups of boiling water cooled to 176 °F
¼ cup of milk
¼ cup of water
1 teaspoon of matcha sifted
Ice
Maple syrup or simple syrup to sweeten (optional)
Equipment
Small metal whisk or bamboo chasen
Bowl to whisk matcha
Bowl to bloom chasen if using
Small glass filled with ice (I’m using a 12 oz glass or 1.5 cups)
Instructions
If you have a hot water boiler with temperature control, set it to 179°F. If you only have a hot water boiler, cool the water by pouring it into a ceramic or glass bowl.
If using a chasen, bloom it in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes while you sift the matcha into the bowl.
Sift 1 teaspoon of matcha into a bowl.
Pour ¼ cup of hot water into the bowl with the matcha bowl. I like to pour the water slowly down the side of the bowl so it doesn’t create a little matcha cloud.
Whisk using a w shaped motion to quickly incorporate the matcha.
If using a sweetener add it, and whisk to combine
If using a chasen, clean by whisking it in the bowl of hot water you bloomed it in. Let air dry.
Assemble the cortado by pouring ¼ cup of milk into your serving glass that’s filled with ice. Top with matcha. Give your drink a stir and enjoy immediately!