Layered iced caramel matcha latte

The vegetal qualities of matcha tea powder combined with the buttery molasses notes in brown sugar, further amplified by caramelisation, make for one helluva nice drink when blended with soy or oat milk.

Every so often I itch hard for iced, sugary drinks. I'm happy if the craving is satiated in the form of bubble tea (named not for the tapioca balls/boba but for the foam formed on the surface of the drink after shaking) or the milk tea subset that is the boba shop latte (far milkier, as the word latte suggests, than traditional milk teas). When out I plump for the former, but in the house I often champion a simpler latte style drink. This iced caramel matcha latte is but one example.

I first lost my head over sweet milky beverages in Thailand, where on hot nights meandering street market stalls little hits the spot more than a cup of nom yen. In England I mostly consume iced drinks in the summer, but in my wistful longing for a day back in Thailand I've been on a winter bender (also recommended: articifial banana and pandan milk).

📖 Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Brown sugar caramel matcha latte

The trick with layered drinks is twofold. First think about the density of the liquids and layer upwards from most to least. In this recipe the caramel is the most dense layer and so it's placed at the bottom. Second, use plenty of ice (preferably crushed or small cubes). Pouring each layer onto the the cubes instead of directly onto the preceding layer will help to ensure distinct layers. If the layers don't turn out perfectly though, that's fine too. After all, you're going to mix it all to drink!

Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

Caramel layer

• 70 grams brown sugar packed ⅓ cup
• 3 tablespoons water 45 millilitres
• 1 generous pinch salt

Matcha layer

• 1 tablespoon matcha powder
• 3 tablespoons boiling water 45 millilitres

Milk layer

• 200-250 millilitres dairy free milk a barista style milk such as Oatly, with good body, is best
• ice to fill the glass

Instructions

• Make the caramel by combining all of the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes. When the mixture begins to bubble heavily and rise, stir for a few seconds and remove from the heat. Leave to cool.
• Mix the matcha and water in a small bowl or measuring jug. If you don't have a matcha whisk you can just use a spatula to press out lumps.
• When everything is cool, pour the caramel into a normal sized cup (16 oz/475ml). Add at least enough ice to fill the glass halfway. Slowly pour the matcha liquid over the ice (you can run it through a fine mesh strainer if you're fussed about baby sized lumps, which I am not).
• Finally, pour the milk, using the same technique (aiming for the ice) over the matcha layer to fill.
• Mix before drinking.

Recommended reading

If you like the idea of the above iced caramel matcha latte then be sure to check out The Boba Book by Andrew Chau and Bin Chen for inspiration (they include a matcha caramel latte recipe but it's not where I got the idea for this post). It's not a vegan book but just about everything can be veganised. Their strawberry matcha latte is bomb.