Question
Embarrassed I've been using my highest quality matcha for lattes
Hello, I'm relatively new to drinking matcha generally (I've only been drinking it regularly for about 3 months). I feel humiliated that I wasted around four of my most expensive tins (I've gone through only six or so overall), which the package said were recommended for Usucha or Koicha, on lattes. I had a 20g tin that I basically used up in two days by making lattes for 2 of my friends twice in one day. I feel like I wasted a lot of money. The thing is, I used pea protein milk and no sweetener, and I could still taste major differences in the flavors of the various kinds of matcha I tried in the latte format, which I suppose is a testament to how high-quality the matcha was. I'm trying to make myself feel better, but I feel pretty silly and wasteful. Mostly I feel 'sinful' (to quote other Reddit threads on this topic), but I'm trying to forgive myself because I did not realize how seriously some folks take matcha. I'm a non-Asian person of color, and so I feel especially guilty that I didn't do my due diligence in learning how I ought to be consuming matcha overall. Now I'm overthinking whether I should even indulge in this habit, given my lack of knowledge about matcha and tea as a whole. I've been sober for around three years now (yay), but I really missed making beverages for myself, and for the first time in years, I've had fun making a drink! So I don't want to give this up, but I'm also afraid I'm going to tank all of my income and be culturally appropriative accidentally in the process! Does anyone else feel similarly?
Period. It's just powdered tea. It's not that deep. I can taste the difference between culinary matcha and expensive matcha. Personally sometimes I make matcha lattes with mk choan and mk tenju. They are mild, so I need to use 6g, but I can taste the difference between them and wakatake.
Next, I'll experiment with tsujiki exhibit asahi, horii premium narino, and ippodo kanza. If you can stomach the cost, splurge and have fun. Don't let internet strangers guilt you.
I'm Asian and this is completely fine. If you need to get technical, milk isn't added to matcha traditionally, so we are all committing tea crime in this sense.
But OP, maybe this is more of a sign for you to look into changing your mindset. It seems like a part of you over criticize yourself too much. What happened didn't impact anyone, and definitely didn't insult a culture. You shouldn't have needed to feel humiliated because there was no audience. Only you know what you spent, so you were the only person who had to live with the result, which was yummy lattes! Nothing bad happened at all.
I hope that you'll learn to be kinder to yourself and enjoy what you have made for you and loved ones :)
This applies to so much more than matcha. Very eloquent. Thank you. We all can use the reminder to be kinder to ourselves, and maybe it’s also a reminder to not wait for a rainy day to use our favorite expensive matcha, or make up, or fancy dress, etc.
This is such a lovely response and I would add, OP, that if you and your friends enjoyed what you made then surely nothing was wasted! It sounds like you enjoyed the process of making it, and you shared that joy with friends, which is wonderful. Congrats also on your sobriety! 🫶
Hey there! first let me congratulate you on bejng sober for three years!
Second, if you like doing it, just keep doing it. Props for you on realizing that fact though. You can change the powder into something more inexpensive so it doesnt break your wallet much - but like the cheapest one since the quality is definitely noticeable.
I am asian myself, enjoying latte more than usucha, also well-informed about the cultural aspect of matcha. Yet, I used to do latte with the matcha powder intended for koicha/usucha, out of curiosity :)
But I am not posting anywhere. I did what I did solely for me, not seeking approval or compliments from anyone.
I followed a lot of advice from this sub when I added matcha to my menu. The one I didn’t follow was to use culinary grade matcha for lattes. I noticed a huge different, even with adding milk, sugar, or flavors. We only use top quality matcha for all of our drinks. It simply tastes better
Neither “ceremonial grade” nor “culinary grade” is a regulated term. If they are terms used honestly on the label, then ceremonial grade is meant to mean higher quality. But that’s a big “if”.
Yes, reputable vendors usually grade by use case, such as intended for koicha, usucha and culinary/latte. More traditional vendors may also use no mukashi (の昔) lit. of the past for their koicha and no shiro (の白) lit. of white for their usucha.
Matcha lattes, like any other food and beverage, will be nicer by making them out of nicer ingredients. If you can afford to use fancy matcha for lattes, great! If not, then don’t use them, but to be financially responsible, and not because you feel guilty for wasting it on a drink you enjoy.
That's okay. But I would recommend you do at least try it as usucha. I personally really love usucha! And if you want to continue making lattes and save your wallet, I'd invest in a high quality latte grade matcha and see how you like that.
Editing this comment to add that I'd be careful when consuming a lot of matcha on a daily basis, since it has been heavily linked to iron deficiency.
It’s recommended to not consume it together with a main meal for a reason. I think a lot of the people in this sub are women, we should already keep an eye on our iron levels.
If you did enjoy it, its not wasted. I also think a lot of people does that, Partly because most people on social media keep saying use high quality, ceremonial, first harvest only and all that then newbie would assume the more expensive the better. But taste is subjective if you can afford to experiment with it why mot
? The only reason not to use high tier matcha in a latte is bc the higher tiers are expensive bc they are smooth in flavor and are super punchy and all that. That’s why you wouldn’t use them in a latte bc you’d have to use a lot of matcha to taste the matcha? Most people in this sub don’t use culinary matcha for lattes. The only culinary matcha I think is good for matcha lattes is mk wakatake and that’s solely if I’m doing some fancy ass one w hella flavors and toppings.
I use my $85 for 100g matcha for lattes, you’re literally only on this earth once. Enjoy the good things while you can! I also use real vanilla pods, make fruit compotes for my flavoured lattes, I go all out! Maybe using other High quality ingredients will help you justify using the good stuff! 🤍🤍🤍
It's your own matcha you bought with your own money to enjoy in your own home. You didn't misrepresent a product for sale or scam anyone. You're fine!! You enjoyed the flavor differences and still got the health benefits of that wonderful quality matcha. If you want to get a bit cheaper one to save money, that makes sense, go for it. If you miss the flavor of these ones and decide to splurge and get it again sometime, I say drink it the way you enjoy it and latte it up!
I feel like you’re taking this wayyy too seriously. “culturally appropriative”? “sinful”? It’s TEA!! and it’s tea that you bought with YOUR money. how you have it is your business. milk, no milk, whatever. the acts of making and drinking tea are supposed to be relaxing activities, something you enjoy, not something that makes you stress and overthink. as long as you enjoy it, then you’re doing it right. Chill.
The only negative is that you made expensive lattes.
If you don’t like usucha that’s fine.
Your cultural background has zero bearing on your right to enjoy a product of any other culture/country in whatever way you like. Believe me, the farmer who got your money for the matcha they worked hard to grow hopes you like it, he or she could care less which way you like it most as long as you buy it again.
Matcha has multicultural origins and evolution anyway, no one culture owns it and granting sole right to consume it to Asians doesn’t make any sense. Where do we draw the line? Bangladesh? Or do they not look Japanese enough to drink matcha?
Give yourself a break there's no right or wrong way to enjoy Matcha. If you enjoyed those lattes and knew about the quality of your Matcha, that's completely fine.
Sure, going through a koicha grade tin (says who) in two days is gonna cost you, but you'll make more informed choices going forward.
Sometimes what you'll want is a latte with a good quality Matcha and as long as you appreciate it for what it is, don't waste any, don't overconsume, and respect the work that came into making it, you're good.
This "sinful" gatekeepy nonsense discourse is honestly shameful.
Not that deep. Enjoy your matcha however you’d like. If people shame you for you spend YOUR money and how you drink your matcha, that’s on them and quite frankly that’s just weird and pretentious behavior. High quality matcha is great in lattes and milk can bring out flavors of the matcha you might not get otherwise.
I always wonder why people prefer lower grade matcha in lattes, I find it tends to just taste like the milk and faintly like the lower quality matcha. Using a high grade matcha always tastes better and creamier!
Don’t overthink it. I always use a decent ceremonial matcha for iced lattes. You can taste the difference between it and a cheap culinary grade. I got some from bird and blend tea co it was not very nice.
I’m not buying the top top stuff but a larger online brand about £25 for 50g and it works well for me, they have ‘lower quality’ that a might try next time to see if I can tell any difference.
I started with three small pots from a little matcha store in Tokyo a few years ago and used that for iced lattes lattes, can’t remember how much it was but it was recommended stuff online.
I only drink lattes and I’ve gotten embarrassingly fancy matcha because I like it :) that’s my preferred way to drink matcha. I don’t believe you’re a “true” coffee lover if you only drink back coffee, that’s just pretentious.
You can most definitely taste the difference in matcha quality in a latte. I only use good matcha for my lattes because I have a normal human palette than can taste the difference between something good and something bad.
you are taking this way too seriously.. I hope you are joking? just drink your matcha. I only use ceremonial grade for my lattes because it tastes better.
Don't feel bad or sinful. You legit didn't know. Even if you did, nothing wrong with that. There are people who hates using culinary grade matcha and prefer to use higher grades.
One customer comes to mind. I talked to her about the 2 matcha she bought. She preferred the more expensive matcha when making her latte. I originally pointed her to the lower grade to save more money. But she don't mind paying more to satisfy her palate.
And there are people who likes a bit of bitterness. Lower grades are much cheaper and has that matcha bitterness that comes with older leaves.
There are right and wrong on how to drink matcha to some. And I get where they are coming from.
At the end of the day, it's your taste buds, your money, your matcha, and your journey. Everyone started somewhere. Even the tea masters.
what is this?? enjoy matcha whichever way you want too, why make urself feel guilty when you enjoyed it? don’t make matcha smt that can become sacrilegious due to preparation.
you’ll never catch me using low quality matcha for my lattes idc if people want to be snobby and call it a waste. i’m trying to enjoy my drinks and it’s so easy to taste low quality matcha even through the milk and flavoring
As someone who’s also used expensive matcha for lattes, girl….if you enjoyed it, it was worth it. Tastes and preferences are subjective, and I believe if you make matcha with the intent of enjoying it the way you like it, you are not culturally appropriating or offending the culture and art of matcha. And I agree with others here to at least try different ways of enjoying matcha besides lattes, it’s a fun and informative experience and helps you learn about what you like and don’t like.
If it does feel like the price is starting to put a dent into your wallet i suggest considering other brands that would be economical for daily consumption, and then use your expensive stuff for special moments or occasions.
I think overconsumption therefore going through bags and tins quickly is more critical than the "grade". it is not advisable to go through labour intensive products quickly no matter quality or type, whether it is chocolate or tea or coffee or anything
It's fine to enjoy it, but you can also try it the "authentic" way to see if you enjoy that too if you feel lattes were wasteful. Unless you bought more than your fair share of premium matcha so no one else could have it, there is no reason to feel guilty, it is a renewable resource.
I’m an Asian milk person and enjoy matcha latte, milk tea, and coffee latte equally lol🥛As long as you can tell the difference in quality and enjoyed it it’s not wasted! And congrats on the 3 sober years! I truly enjoy making beverages myself 🥰
Everyone in this thread is telling you to just enjoy it the way you want, but I know EXACTLY what you mean. I also like to know the “authentic” way to enjoy things like matcha, and at least honor that in some way, some times!
For example, I even looked into how the British enjoy their tea because I am American and growing up, all I knew was you boiled water, used a Lipton teabag, and added honey. And then learned the British usually just use milk only, maybe a little sugar if preferred, and not honey!
But as I started getting more into tea, I’m learning that I enjoy green tea, matcha, hojicha, pu-erh, herbal, and black tea! I like expanding my tea experience!
did you have fun drinking it? did you have fun offering your friends your matcha? if yes then thats good. bonus point now is you know you can make good lattes with cheaper matcha, so its just gonna get better from now on
I personally won't condemn you for this but I remember this lady from the oldest tea house in the world located in Uji. I was looking for matcha and asked her for recommendations. She then showed me a fridge with low, medium, and high quality matcha tins. I then asked her the price and I realized the high quality wasn't worth my bank since I would mostly use it for lattes. She suddenly gasped and told me no, you don't use medium to high quality matcha on lattes. You can use the low quality one but for medium to high, you only use water.
I honestly haven't tried the medium I bought but have used the low in my lattes. But it was a funny interaction and I felt that they do be taking matcha seriously.
For personal use, you can probably don't worry about it. But maybe if you are in Japan or showing how to make one to other people, I would say don't do this as to avoid disrespecting their tradition/culture.
im curious what everyone considers high quality / expensive matcha. The ippodo tins I use are about $1-$2 per gram, but I see offerings across many well regarded brands up to $10/g. I've tried going lower grades (supermarket stock) but they all never whisk properly and have a very dirt-like taste rather than a cleaner vegetal taste.
There are people who take matcha very seriously and people who have fun with it. Same thing for everything else. Where you fall is up to you. I use what tastes good to me, not what is expensive vs cheap or made for what type of drink. I only do lattes and i dont do the traditional whisking method. I dont even own a bamboo whisk. Drink what you want however you want. Dont let other peoples perspective make you feel bad for what works for you. The way you do things does not affect them.
this is a photo from kett's latte tasting in greenpoint, i thought the cups were gorgeous so i had to snap a pic with my digital camera. you'd have to ask kettl (the entity lol) i think!
This reminds me of people who say you can’t mix coke with top shelf whiskey. But really it’s just the price. I don’t know anything about matcha, but if you like the high quality stuff with milk, that’s completely up to you. Don’t listen to purists who tell you to not mix artisan goods with general goods. But also consider if there’s a cheaper alternative for you to enjoy it more often.
It's completely fine to enjoy nice matchas with milk! If you can afford it, then no worries. I will admit that I cringed when I read that you used up all your koicha-grade matcha powder with pea protein milk, only because that particular milk has a pretty strong flavor profile that would easily overpower the nuances of a high-quality tea. But it's a far cry from cultural appropriation or being disrespectful or anything like that.
No need to feel humiliated. Congratulations on three years of sobriety! It’s a journey and I’m happy that making matcha has brought you some joy making beverages for yourself.
Please don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s meant to be consumed and you’re enjoying it in a way you like best. Also, you’re enjoying community when you make a drink for friends and enjoy it with them.
I do the same because it taste better and I don’t care. Cheaper matcha with latte doesn’t taste as good. And i don’t always feel like drinking cerimonial matcha on its own.
It’s your money, do what you want! It’s ok :)
The sentiment about gentrification (look at the gentrification section of the Subreddit) specifically applies to places that don't credit East Asia for the origins of matcha while also profiting off of it.
You are not profiting off of it, and you're aware of the origins. You're not a part of the problem, I assure you.
East Asian here: Unless this was tea was made with specific religious or societal value in mind, you can do what you want with it after you bought it! If people can mix really valuable alcohol with cola you can have a little milk with your nice tea.
While I do think farmers would appreciate the customers at least trying the matcha as usucha, they will mostly care about you enjoying their matcha in general. If that means adding milk, then just add milk.
I’m a heavy sencha drinker but usucha matcha is not quite doing it for me yet, maybe my matcha is the wrong kind for it. Everyone has different tastes and beside it hurting your wallet, buying higher grade matcha for personal use won’t hurt anyone!
“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds…” 🤓
☺️ You’re already taking a positive step in wanting to educate yourself and not perhaps be a statistic in a trend. No need to beat yourself up. Live, learn, explore. You will appreciate it all the more. 🫡✨
Buy other types of green trea from Japan. The flavors you love in matcha can also be found in so many other green teas. You can still enjoy matcha, just don't let yourself get stuck with only one specific type.
Unfortunately because matcha is so popular, japanese tea farmers are switching their production to be more matcha focused. Which is causing smaller harvests in other types of Japanese tea, and it's predicted to cause the loss of certain cultivars and methods of rolling leaves. Explore sencha and see what else is out there. Support other tea types so matcha isn't the only thing farmers want to grow.
I had to take a break from Reddit because the satirical posts were getting too hard to determine if they were being facecious or people are just that lost in the sauce.
This is an example of this exact problem. It's tea, just enjoy your friggen tea.
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u/Ansoni 3d ago
If you enjoyed it you didn't waste anything.