Coffee Drink

Matcha Espresso Latte (Dirty Matcha): Iced Recipe

Name: Iced Matcha Espresso Latte
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 18 g coffee, ground for espresso; 2 g Chamberlain Original pure matcha powder; 60 ml water at about 80°C; 120 g cold whole milk; 100 g ice

By Mara EllisonPublished September 26, 2026Updated September 28, 20267 min read

A matcha espresso latte, also called dirty matcha, combines powdered green tea, espresso and milk. This unsweetened iced version starts with a separately whisked matcha base. Both the tea and coffee contribute caffeine; a regular matcha latte does not require espresso.

Iced matcha espresso latte with naturally marbling coffee and green milk beside a matcha bowl and bamboo whisk — Generated editorial illustration. The separate bowl and whisk show the preparation context; this is not a photograph of a tested serving.

Drink Snapshot

Caffeine: About 150 mg (reference)Named matcha plus generic espressoCounts both tea and coffee. Product estimates and espresso extraction vary; this is not a measured serving.
Calories: About 80 kcalUnsweetened matcha and whole-milk recipeNo syrup, sugar or toppings are included. Another milk or a sweetened tea mix changes the estimate.

Serving, sugar and sources

Serving: 2 g pure matcha + 60 ml water + 120 g whole milk + 36 g espresso + 100 g ice
Made with: Pure matcha + water + espresso + whole milk
Sugar: About 6.1 g total. From the whole milk in this reference recipe; no sweetener is added.
Preparation: About 5 minutes; espresso equipment ready

Chamberlain Original matcha nutrition guidance and USDA milk/espresso records, checked 28 September 2026. Matcha caffeine is an approximate product reference. See the full calculation or label comparison.

Key Takeaways

1Whisk 2 g pure matcha with 60 ml water, then combine with 120 g milk, 36 g espresso and 100 g ice. Use pure tea, not a sweetened latte mix.
2The named home serving is about 80 kcal, 6.1 g sugar and 150 mg reference caffeine, counting both matcha and espresso. Actual tea and coffee vary.
3Sift before whisking and stir the completed drink. Decaf espresso lowers the coffee caffeine but leaves the matcha contribution.

On This Page9 Sections

Iced Matcha Espresso Latte Recipe

Makes one unsweetened iced latte in about 5 minutes with espresso equipment ready. Use a 400 ml glass with room for ice and stirring. Cup capacity does not establish the final liquid yield.

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Ingredients

18 g coffee, ground for espresso
2 g Chamberlain Original pure matcha powder
60 ml water at about 80°C
120 g cold whole milk
100 g ice

The named plain matcha makes the nutrition reference identifiable. Another 100% matcha powder can work, but use its own caffeine and nutrition information when available. A sweetened matcha latte powder may contain much more than tea and is not a gram-for-gram substitute.

Equipment and Preparation

Have espresso equipment, a scale accurate enough for the 2 g tea portion, a ml measure, fine sieve, open bowl and bamboo whisk or small handheld frother ready. A spoonful is less consistent than weighing the powder. For the coffee, the espresso guide explains the starting ratio: 18 g dry grounds produces 36 g prepared espresso.

The 2 g matcha, 60 ml water and 80°C preparation follows Ippodo's documented usucha method as our tea-base starting point. It is not a claim that 80°C is the only correct temperature for every matcha or that Ippodo endorses this milk-and-coffee recipe. Follow more specific directions on your chosen tea if needed.

Method

Sift 2 g matcha into an open bowl. Add 60 ml water at about 80°C and whisk until no dry clumps remain.
Brew 18 g ground coffee to 36 g espresso in a heatproof vessel. Let both preparations cool briefly.
Combine the whisked matcha and 120 g cold whole milk in a 400 ml glass, then add 100 g ice.
Slowly pour in the espresso, stir thoroughly and serve without sweetener or toppings.

The tea powder is dispersed in the water, not strained out. Some settling over time is normal; stir again if needed. Do not shake hot liquid in a sealed container to break up clumps.

Dirty matcha recipe with 2 g matcha, 60 ml water at 80°C, 120 g whole milk, 36 g espresso and 100 g ice, reminding readers to count tea and coffee caffeine — Generated guide to one unsweetened home serving. Ingredient vessels are illustrative. Matcha and espresso both contribute caffeine; no measured caffeine result is implied by the photograph-style artwork.

What Is Dirty Matcha?

Dirty matcha is a matcha latte with coffee, usually espresso, added. The name distinguishes it from a coffee-free matcha latte; it does not describe one universally fixed shot count or serving size.

Jade Leaf's iced dirty matcha recipe documents the combination of matcha, water, milk, espresso and ice. Its quantities and assembly order differ from ours. The home formula here defines each portion so you can adjust the tea and coffee separately.

Matcha Espresso Latte vs. Matcha Latte, Iced Latte and Dirty Chai

Which drinks contain tea, coffee or both?

Which drinks contain tea, coffee or both?
Drink	What provides the main flavor	Caffeine sources to check
Matcha espresso latte / dirty matcha	Powdered green tea and espresso in milk	Matcha and coffee
Matcha latte	Matcha with milk; no espresso required	Matcha, even without coffee
Iced latte	Espresso and cold milk	Coffee
Dirty chai latte	Spiced chai plus espresso and milk	Tea in the chai and coffee

This is also distinct from yuanyang, a Hong Kong coffee-and-milk-tea drink with a different tea base and preparation. Keeping the actual tea type visible is more useful than treating all coffee-and-tea drinks as interchangeable.

Balance the Tea and Coffee Before Adding Sweetness

Matcha adds a green-tea character alongside coffee's roast flavors. Their balance depends on the actual powder, coffee and extraction, not just the color of the finished glass.

For more tea presence: first confirm that the powder is pure matcha and that it has dispersed properly. Adding milk will soften both tea and coffee rather than selectively strengthen matcha.
For less coffee presence: prepare the same espresso and use only 18 g of it. This halves the reference coffee contribution without changing the tea portion; the total caffeine example becomes about 110 mg.
For a sweeter drink: stir in a measured sweetener after tasting. Syrup is an optional addition and is not included in the recipe's calories or sugar.
For less dairy: replace the milk with a suitable plant drink. Its own sugar, calories and ingredients replace the whole-milk reference.

Stir the finished drink before judging the balance. A sip from the coffee-rich surface and a sip from the green base can give very different impressions before they are mixed.

Matcha Espresso Latte Caffeine, Calories and Sugar

This defined serving is about 150 mg reference caffeine, 80 kcal and 6.1 g total sugar. Both the matcha and espresso count. The sugar is from the milk; the recipe contains no added sweetener and is not sugar-free.

Two caffeine contributions in the defined dirty matcha

Two caffeine contributions in the defined dirty matcha
Component	Reference used	Approximate caffeine
2 g Chamberlain Original matcha	Manufacturer guidance: about 35 mg per gram	70 mg
36 g prepared espresso	USDA generic composition: 212 mg per 100 g	76 mg
Whole drink	Sum of these references	About 150 mg

Those numbers are ingredient references, not a tested caffeine result or a universal café figure. Matcha products, coffee beans and espresso extraction can all differ. A café may use a larger powder portion, more espresso or a sweetened tea base.

Serving calculation and source assumptions

Chamberlain's matcha nutrition guidance states approximately 35 mg caffeine and 3 kcal per 1 g, with no sugar in its plain tea. The 2 g portion therefore contributes about 70 mg caffeine and 6 kcal. We use the Original pure matcha rather than a flavored or sweetened mix.

USDA whole milk, NDB 01077, supplies 61 kcal and 5.05 g sugar per 100 g. Our weighed 120 g portion contributes 73.2 kcal and 6.06 g sugar. USDA prepared espresso, NDB 14210, supplies 9 kcal and 212 mg caffeine per 100 g: 36 g contributes 3.24 kcal and 76.32 mg caffeine. Water and ice add neither calories nor sugar.

The arithmetic gives 82.44 kcal, 6.06 g sugar and 146.32 mg reference caffeine before headline rounding. Because the tea source itself says “about” and espresso is a generic composition record, the decimal sum is calculation transparency, not laboratory precision.

Using 18 g of the prepared espresso instead of 36 g gives 70 + 38.16 = 108.16 mg, rounded to about 110 mg caffeine. Leaving out espresso gives a matcha latte with roughly 70 mg from the named tea reference. Changing only to decaf espresso still leaves that tea contribution.

Can Dirty Matcha Be Decaf?

You can use decaf espresso, but ordinary matcha still contributes caffeine. “Decaf coffee” and “caffeine-free drink” are different claims. If you are tracking a specific product, use its published tea portion and coffee information rather than assuming the green component is caffeine-free.

Fix Clumpy, Bitter or Watery Dirty Matcha

Dirty matcha troubleshooting

Dirty matcha troubleshooting
What you notice	First adjustment
Dry green clumps	Sift and whisk the measured powder with water before adding milk and ice
Harsh tea flavor	Recheck water temperature, powder quantity and the tea's own directions
Harsh coffee flavor	Improve the espresso separately; more syrup will not correct its extraction
Drink becomes watery quickly	Use cold milk and the measured water and ice portions; cool the hot preparations briefly
Green sediment after standing	Stir again; the leaf powder remains in the drink
Brown-green color after stirring	Expect the colors to mix; this is not evidence that the recipe failed

Hot Matcha Espresso Latte

Use the same 2 g matcha, 60 ml water, 36 g espresso and 120 g milk, omitting ice. Sift and whisk the tea first. Combine it with espresso in a warmed 300 ml cup, gently warm and lightly froth the milk, then pour in all the measured milk and stir.

The ingredient-based calorie, sugar and caffeine references remain the same. If your steaming pitcher needs more milk than the recipe uses, warm the measured portion in a small saucepan and use a handheld frother instead. Extra pitcher milk should not silently become part of the serving.

Common Questions

Is matcha espresso latte the same as dirty matcha?

Those names describe the same tea-and-coffee combination in this guide. A café's portion and recipe can still differ, so specify hot or iced and ask about the espresso and tea amounts.

Can I put matcha powder straight into cold milk?

It tends to be harder to disperse evenly that way. Sift the powder and whisk it with the measured water first, then add milk.

Can I use sweetened matcha latte mix?

It requires a different formula. A 2 g portion of sweetened mix is not necessarily 2 g of tea, and its sugar and caffeine estimates are different.

Can I make it without an espresso machine?

Concentrated moka-pot or instant coffee can replace the coffee component, but use that product or method's own strength and caffeine information. It becomes an alternative coffee preparation rather than the exact espresso recipe here.

Does a regular matcha latte contain coffee?

It does not need coffee. Matcha and milk make a matcha latte; adding espresso makes this dirty-matcha variation. The coffee-free version still contains tea caffeine.

For the alternative coffee preparation, use the moka-pot guide or instant-coffee guide beside the product's own instructions.