If you’ve seen a ton of people swapping coffee for matcha lattes on social media lately, you’ve probably already started searching online for the best matcha powder for making your own at home. Matcha is trending right now, but it’s not a new drink; the practice of grinding young tea leaves into a fine powder to create the vibrant green beverage dates back nearly a thousand years. Matcha is rich in antioxidants and the amino acid L-theanine, which is believed to help relax the mind and body and provide sustained, stable energy. As you’ll see below, the highest-quality matcha is produced in Japan, where it plays a central role in traditional cultures like the tea ceremony.
While we can’t all fly to Japan to sample the world’s best matcha (and our wallets don’t allow us to visit coffee shops daily), there are plenty of high-quality, carefully selected matcha powders available that allow you to brew delicious matcha at home. To learn how to choose the right matcha powder, we interviewed two experts: Zach Mangan, founder of New York-based tea company Kettel Tea (which sources tea directly from Japan), and Remi Morimoto Park, blogger at the vegan recipe blog Veggiekins and founder of matcha brand Frauth. We also tested and brewed a large batch of matcha at home to ensure our morning ritual was all about news (and not just a pick-me-up).
Whether you’re looking to cut down on coffee shop visits and enjoy the benefits of this antioxidant-rich beverage, or simply add a little peace to your morning ritual, here are nine matcha recipes perfect for making at home.
This update includes: We’ve added more details on the best matcha making tools, highlighted our favorite matcha making kit from Fellow Matcha Kit, and improved our superlative adjectives to make our recommendations more accurate.
Why we love Kettel: Kettel not only sources their tea leaves weekly from Japan but also packages them in their own factory in Fukuoka before shipping them to customers via air freight. Kettel’s Kiyona Matcha embodies this commitment to quality and attention to detail, making it our favorite everyday matcha. It has a smooth, rich flavor and is reasonably priced for those who appreciate high-quality matcha. This slightly sweet matcha is versatile, rich and refreshing, suitable for everyday drinking, both hot and cold, and makes a delicious tea or matcha latte. Looking to indulge? On the Kettel website, you’ll find the perfect matcha for you, from those best served with milk to those best stirred.
What we want to say is that there are no complaints about Kiyona’s match, but some may find her a little harsh.
Why we love it: Rocky’s Matcha’s most striking feature is its packaging: a bright blue metal tin with the brand’s logo engraved on top and a bold fluorescent green label on the side, detailing the matcha’s cultivar, variety, and characteristics. Founded by Rocky Xu in 2022, this up-and-coming brand exudes a cool and stylish spirit, from its clothing and teaware to its recent collaboration with clean beauty brand Saie. This Ritual Matcha is a blend of three matcha varieties—Okumuro, Saemuro, and Yabukita—resulting in a smooth texture and one of the brightest, most intense green hues we’ve ever tasted. With virtually no bitterness, this Ritual Matcha is smooth, rich, and aromatic, making it perfect for everyday consumption, whether in tea or matcha lattes. For those seeking a more luxurious experience, the brand also offers single-origin teas, organic blends, and hojicha powder.
We’d like to point out that due to our brand’s popularity, some of our flavors sell out quickly after launch. We take this as a sign to try new products.
We love this tea because it’s one of the finest matcha varieties from Ippodo, a Kyoto-based tea company that has been the benchmark for matcha quality since 1717. This Isemon tea boasts a rich umami flavor, a vibrant green color, and a captivating aroma. The flavor is soft and full-bodied, with a slight earthy note, but without bitterness. Because of its natural sweetness, I prefer to brew it with water rather than milk. This tea strains easily, and vigorous stirring quickly produces a rich foam with a silky, smooth texture and no lumps.
It’s important to note that this tea is freshly packaged in Japan and has a short shelf life—Ippodo recommends consuming it within a month of opening. We recommend choosing a smaller bottle (especially given its relatively high price) to ensure you enjoy the tea at its peak freshness. If you’re looking for Ippodo quality but want to start with a more affordable tea, their Sayaka and Hourai teas are also good options.
We’d like to point out that this matcha tea is indeed quite expensive (hence the super-premium rating), and it’s best consumed as soon as possible after opening. Therefore, it’s more suitable for those who drink matcha every day, rather than those who only drink it occasionally.
Expert opinion: Ms. Park said this is the matcha her grandmother ate when she was a child, so it must be high-quality matcha.
Why we love it: Naoki’s shade-grown ritual matcha is available for just $25, making it an ideal choice for matcha newcomers. This matcha has a vibrant green color, and the brew is exceptionally balanced, with a subtle floral note and very little bitterness. It’s great served hot or cold, and is especially good for making matcha lattes. If after your first can you’re looking for something new, try one of the brand’s other ritual matcha varieties. — Author Karina Finn
Our conclusion is that this matcha variety is not as fresh and flavorful as some others, so if you want a richer, bolder flavor, you may want to choose a different matcha variety.
Why we love it: Golde’s organic matcha powder is a fantastic base for hot and iced lattes, pairing well with any type of milk. It has a smooth texture, a slightly herbal aroma, and a touch of natural sweetness. The flavor isn’t overly strong, making it ideal for adding to breakfast dishes like yogurt or chia seed pudding. Plus, this matcha powder easily creates a thick, creamy foam, delivering a delicious flavor. Like all Golde superfoods, this matcha powder comes in a bright green jar, which also makes a beautiful addition to any kitchen countertop.
We would like to point out that those who prefer a very rich matcha flavour may find Golde’s to be quite mild.
We love: We absolutely adore Matchaful, a woman-founded matcha brand with multiple cafes across New York City (one of which is right next to our office). Their single-origin Hikari matcha makes it easy for me to recreate my favorite cafe-style lattes at home (like the Chai Fountain with Indian milk tea and Ganoderma lucidum or the Cacao Dream with cacao and chaga mushroom). Matchaful matcha is made on a single farm using first-harvest tea leaves, shade-grown and pesticide-free, making it exceptionally sustainable and providing ingredient transparency—a definite plus. This single-origin matcha has a light, nutty, and floral flavor. It’s especially good in lattes, but also delicious with water or in a smoothie. Matchaful recently released their Tsuyuhikari single-origin matcha as a limited edition, and I’m personally looking forward to trying it.
We’d say it’s hard to fault the time-tested Hikari matcha tea. It has a more pronounced astringency, but it’s not bitter; if you’re looking for umami, its umami flavor may be a little less noticeable.
We love Isshiki because it uses the same matcha powder as Moko, a Japanese restaurant in New York’s East Village that’s open all day. Isshiki’s popularity skyrocketed after collaborating with beauty and lifestyle brands like Tatcha and WTHN on latte-inspired drinks. Just like the restaurant’s, this matcha powder has a smooth, delicate flavor with the perfect balance of natural sweetness and a subtle earthy aroma. With virtually no bitterness, it’s delicious straight with water or in a latte, and pairs well with other flavors, like fruit syrups or richer plant-based milks like pistachio milk.
Our conclusion is that this is an overall popular matcha variety, unless you prefer a stronger, more flavorful, or slightly better matcha.
We love this drink because: I’ve been drinking matcha for years and always carried around an old tin of matcha powder, which lasted for a few days. Pique’s single-serving matcha sachets make this process much easier. Each box contains 28 individual sachets that fit easily into a work bag or carry-on, allowing you to prepare a delicious cup of matcha anytime, anywhere, without any measuring tools. The matcha has a smooth, delicate texture without any bitterness. As for the claims on the packaging about “a radiant complexion, an abundance of energy,” or “turning you into a radiant goddess,” I can’t speak to their veracity, but Pique certainly makes it much easier to enjoy matcha anytime, anywhere.
In our opinion, although the taste of this matcha tea is a little inferior, it is good enough for convenient and portable consumption.
Why we love Navitas Organics: We love their plant-based superfoods like cacao and chia seeds, and their matcha is no exception. This premium, culinary-grade matcha is perfect for baking (like matcha cookies or chocolate mochi with butter and matcha) and breakfasts (like matcha, mango, and chia seed pudding). It’s also more affordable, at just $18.85 for 3 ounces. Among several culinary matcha options, this one has virtually no bitterness, a mild, grassy flavor, and dissolves very easily.
What we’re saying is that this matcha tea is better suited for baking and cooking than for drinking straight or making lattes because its flavor isn’t as rich as some traditional matcha varieties, and its umami is also a little less intense.
When selecting high-quality matcha powder, we carefully considered its origin, grade (distinguishing between ritual-grade and food-grade matcha), flavor, and texture. For each type of matcha powder, we first steeped it directly in water and then used it to prepare iced and hot lattes, respectively.
Brewing truly high-quality matcha at home requires more than just high-quality matcha powder. It requires a certain set of tools—the most basic being a bowl (tea bowl) and a tea whisk (chasen)—but other tools, like a proper strainer or a precision teapot, can help elevate the quality of your matcha from “okay” to “fantastic.” Here are some tips for brewing smooth, lump-free matcha.
A carefully selected matcha kit is a great way to get started with this drink at home, as it includes almost everything you need (and sometimes more). If you prefer a kit that can be displayed on your kitchen countertop and doubles as a decorative element, we recommend the Fellow’s kit. The Rocky’s kit, on the other hand, includes a 20-gram jar of matcha powder and doesn’t require a dedicated countertop or storage space, yet still contains everything you need.
When brewing matcha, it’s crucial to use a kettle with adjustable temperature, as water that’s too hot can impart a bitter taste. That’s why we value Fellow kettles so much.
A delicious matcha latte is inseparable from perfectly frothed milk. If you want to heat and froth milk at the touch of a button, the Nespresso Aeroccino is undoubtedly the best choice; however, if the milk is already heated, a handheld milk frother will also achieve the same effect.
The quality of matcha begins with its origin—all the matcha recommended above comes directly from Japan. Much of it is grown in Uji, a region of Japan with a long and renowned history of matcha production. Mangan suggests listing Japan as the country of origin on the packaging, but ideally also the region, city, and producer (for example, Uji Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture, and the increasingly popular Kagoshima and Shizuoka Prefectures, known for their organic matcha).
We also considered several packaging factors, such as the ingredient list and expiration date. Park strongly recommends choosing matcha without added sugar or anti-caking agents like starch. Regarding the date, Mangan suggests printing it on the bottom of the can or bag. “Unlike wine, matcha’s flavor does not improve with age or storage after grinding. Matcha should be consumed as soon as possible after grinding.” High-quality brands like Kettel or Ippodo are best consumed within a month of opening.
Finally, we assessed the matcha’s flavor and texture. Of course, Mr. Park reminded us that matcha’s taste, like coffee’s, is subjective. Some prefer a more pronounced astringency in matcha, while others prefer a rich umami flavor. Regarding texture, we looked for a matcha that was smooth, without a grainy texture, that dissolved quickly in water after sifting, and that could be whipped into a thick foam using a mixer or whisk.
Ritual-grade matcha is the highest grade of tea, best suited for drinking. Professor Park explained that because matcha is harvested from the first batch of tea leaves of the year, it has a richer flavor, more nutrients, and a brighter color. Ritual-grade matcha is used exclusively for Japanese tea ceremonies, while culinary-grade matcha is harvested from later-harvested tea leaves and is better suited for cooking or baking.
Although both matcha and green tea come from the same plant, their processing methods differ, resulting in differences in flavor, texture, and color. Green tea is grown in the sun, while matcha is shaded for several weeks before harvesting. Shading increases chlorophyll content, giving it a brighter green color. Furthermore, matcha is sold as a stone-ground powder, while green tea is typically packaged in tea bags or sold loose. Because matcha is made from powder, while whole tea leaves are consumed, its nutritional value (such as antioxidant content and the amino acid L-theanine) is higher. Matcha also has a richer, sweeter flavor and a more delicate texture.
Mangan recommends boiling water, then pouring 65 ml of hot water into a small cup and letting it cool slightly. Pour the hot water into an empty teacup (Japanese teacup) and let it sit for a while. Discard the warm teacup and dry it with a clean towel. Add 1.5-2 grams of matcha powder and sift it through a sieve (koi) over the teacup. When the water in the cup has cooled to approximately 77-82 degrees Celsius, pour it into the matcha powder. Gently whisk the matcha powder into the water, then vigorously whisk in a circular motion until foam forms. Raise the whisk to the surface of the foam and continue to gently stir until a fine foam forms. Hold the teacup by the bottom, bring it to your lips, and enjoy the drink.
Mangan recommends refrigerating unopened matcha packages after purchase and continuing to refrigerate them after opening. To preserve matcha freshness, the package can be stored in an airtight plastic bag. Many types of matcha are packaged in aluminum foil pouches, which are then placed in small tins with plastic oxygen absorbers or lids. Don’t throw away these plastic bags or lids; they help prevent the matcha from being exposed to air (oxidation quickly degrades the flavor and color of matcha).
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Post time: Dec-18-2025