If you’re a big fan of matcha or milk tea — or both — you should definitely try out matcha milk tea. This unique drink has a slightly savory, nutty, and earthy flavor with a bit of maple syrup or honey to sweeten it up. And if you serve it with boba, you’re in for a real treat!
To make matcha milk tea, brew the matcha tea and whisk it with a traditional matcha chasen whisk until it froths. In a glass, add tapioca balls (optional), followed by the matcha tea, milk, ice, and a sweetener of your choice. Mix well and enjoy!
If you’re new to matcha drinks and are confused by all the variations, don’t worry. Let’s take a closer look at what matcha is, how it’s different from green tea, and how matcha milk tea is different from other matcha-based drinks like a matcha latte. We’ll also go over how to make this delicious drink properly.
What Is Matcha?

Matcha is a kind of antioxidant-rich powdered green tea. While traditional green tea involves steeping the leaves in hot water and discarding them, matcha is made by grounding the dried leaves into a powder, which is then mixed into a drink.
Matcha tea is considered to be the most aromatic kind of green tea. This frothy drink has a distinct, vibrant green color and a unique taste.
How Is Matcha Different From Green Tea?
While both green tea and matcha come from the same plant, the resulting product and the production process of the two differ.
Matcha is grown and extracted more carefully compared to other teas. Manufacturers grow matcha in the shade to prevent oxidation, but the same isn’t the case with green tea.
These steps help limit and control different variables in production. This is also the reason for matcha’s unique flavor.
Other teas might go through numerous processes after harvest like rolling, heating, and drying. The exact process differs from one kind of green tea to the other.
The end product also results in a difference in flavor. So while green tea is light and refreshing, matcha is richer and has a stronger and grassier taste.
Since the matcha includes pulverized leaves, many people consider it a more potent or concentrated form of green tea.
What Is Milk Tea?
As you might have guessed, milk tea is just any tea with milk added to it. It can be something as simple as only a few drops of milk in hot tea or something much more complex like the increasing popular bubble tea.
Matcha Milk Tea vs. Matcha Latte: What’s the Difference?
A matcha latte and a matcha milk tea use almost the same ingredients, but the preparation differs.
While a matcha latte can be served on ice, it’s typically a hot tea with foamy steamed milk. And you can choose to add sweetener if you want to.
On the other hand, to make matcha milk tea, you stir milk with matcha and serve it with ice and boba (tapioca) balls to give it a more chewy texture. This refreshing drink is typically served sweet, so you can add honey or a sweetener to it.
How to Make Matcha Latte
Matcha latte is not only quite delicious but it’s also pretty easy to make. First, you have to prepare the matcha in the traditional way, by whisking it with a bamboo whisk called a chasen (on Amazon) in a small bowl. The base drink should be quite strong so that you still get its earthy flavor when you add other ingredients to it.
Then, steam some milk like you would for any regular latte. Once you’re done with both things, pour the steamed milk into the matcha base. That’s it — your matcha latte is ready!
How to Make Matcha Milk Tea
Matcha milk tea is rich in antioxidants, boosts brain function, and can help you lose weight. Plus, making it is easy, and the ingredients aren’t too hard to find.
Let’s break down the ingredients, process, and variations of the drink.
Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make matcha milk tea:
Matcha Green Tea
The very first thing you need is hot water along with Japanese green tea powder for the base drink. Here, you have three options: a pre-made mix, matcha powder, and matcha tea bags. Each of these has its benefits and drawbacks, so you’ll have to take both into account and see what suits you best.
If you use a pre-made mix, the biggest benefit is that it’s very convenient and all you really have to do is add water to the mix to make the base drink and then add milk.
However, you might not get the complete flavor. High-quality, fresh green tea powder is quite flavorful, and going for a pre-made mix will not give you that authentic flavor.
Meanwhile, matcha powder, especially a high-quality one — like this one from Jade Leaf (on Amazon) — has a unique flavor that you just can’t replicate. The end result is a remarkable drink. However, real Japanese green tea powder is quite expensive, and it’s not too convenient to move around. Let us explain.
In addition to taking the powder with you, you’ll also have to take your matcha paraphernalia like a bowl and matcha whisk. So, if you’re not an avid drinker, then it might not be worth the hassle.
And finally, you have matcha tea bags (on Amazon) that are easy to brew, and you can use the brewed mixture to make matcha milk tea. However, once again, the flavor won’t really be authentic or even as intense. But if you don’t mind the lack of authenticity, then matcha tea bags are a perfect option.
Tapioca balls
The next thing you need is tapioca balls (on Amazon). These are optional, and it’s up to you if you don’t want to add them to your drink, but they’re usually added to iced green tea drinks.
And even though you can make tapioca pearls yourself, it’s often easier if you just buy them ready-made and add however much you like.
When buying ready-made tapioca balls, get those that don’t need to be cooked so that it doesn’t take you long to prepare the drink.
Sweetener
Another thing that’ll go into your drink is a tablespoon or two of liquid sweetener. Most people tend to use honey because of the unique flavor that really complements the taste of matcha milk tea.
If you don’t like honey, however, you can also use maple syrup. In addition to its distinct flavor, maple syrup is also easier to handle.
If you are using honey, try to get 100% pure honey (on Amazon), even though it’s sometimes relatively expensive. The robust flavor of pure honey is incomparable, and the taste of cheap honey doesn’t even come close to the real thing.
If you want a truly unique drink, you can also make your own simple syrup instead of opting for something ready-made. Take equal parts of water and sugar and put them over low heat. Keep whisking the mixture until its consistency turns syrupy.
Then, while it’s still hot, add any flavor you want. For instance, you can chop or grate your ingredient of choice into fine pieces and let them sit in the syrup you just made for around half an hour. Then strain the liquid to remove solid pieces, and you’ll end up with a nice, delicious syrup.
You can then add this syrup to your matcha milk tea to add sweetness and a unique flavor to your beverage.
Milk
You also need milk for your matcha milk tea. Some cafés use cow milk, but many have now turned to using plant-based milk. The choice is up to you, but plant-based milk complements and enhances the taste of the other ingredients in the drink.
For instance, if you want your milk tea to be irresistibly nuttier and creamier, you should opt for soy milk.
Ice
The last thing you need is ice for serving purposes, and it’s best if you get a fancy ice cube tray to boost your drink’s appearance. For instance, you could make fruit-shaped ice and add that to your drink to increase its visual appeal!
The Procedure
Now that you have all your ingredients, all you really have to do is combine them. Brew the tea first and let it cool. Once it cools down, add it to a glass along with milk and ice and mix it. That’s it!
And if you want to add sweet boba pearls to your drink, just put those in your glass first before adding all the other ingredients.
Tips to Keep in Mind

To make sure you have a delicious drink, there are a few things you need to keep in mind while brewing the tea. First, make sure that the water is around 175 degrees Fahrenheit, and you can do that by boiling it and then letting it sit for a couple of minutes.
When you combine the tea and water, use a matcha chasen whisk and whip the mixture until it starts to froth. Ideally, you should whisk in a ‘w’ shape so that you make the most bubbles as quickly as possible.
Lastly, if you opt for boba that you have to cook yourself, then make sure you add them to your beverage as soon as you can. If you leave the tapioca balls to cook for too long, they’ll become tough and hard.