Coffee Drink

Matcha Espresso Latte (Dirty Matcha): Iced Recipe

A matcha espresso latte, also called dirty matcha, combines grassy green tea, espresso and milk. Whisk the tea separately and stir the finished drink to balance the roast and tea flavors; a regular matcha latte leaves out the coffee.

By Mara EllisonReviewed by Online Coffee Guide editorial teamPublished September 26, 2026Updated November 1, 20266 min read

Iced matcha espresso latte with marbled coffee and green milk beside a matcha bowl and bamboo whisk

Drink Snapshot

Caffeine: 140 mg referenceGeneric matcha and prepared-espresso referencesCounts 2 g plain matcha plus 36 g prepared espresso.
Calories: Estimated 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 (2 US fl oz) water + 120 g (½ US cup) whole milk + 36 g espresso + 100 g (3.5 oz) ice
Made with: Pure matcha + water + espresso + whole milk
Sugar: Estimated 6.1 g total. Mainly from the whole milk in this reference recipe; no sweetener is added.
Preparation: About 5 minutes; espresso equipment ready

Japanese food-composition references for plain matcha and USDA milk/espresso records. See the full calculation or label comparison.

Key Takeaways

Whisk the matcha separately for an even drink, then stir the finished layers before judging the flavor.
Use less espresso if the roast hides the tea; adding milk softens both flavors.
Use pure matcha for this recipe; a sweetened latte mix has different ingredients and needs its own preparation directions.

On This Page10 Sections

Iced Matcha Espresso Latte Recipe

Recipe

Iced Matcha Espresso Latte

Makes:: 1 serving
Time:: About 5 minutes; espresso equipment ready

Ingredients

18 g coffee, ground for espresso, to yield 36 g espresso
2 g plain matcha powder
60 ml (2 US fl oz) water at 80°C (176°F)
120 g (½ US cup) cold whole milk
100 g (3.5 oz) ice

Equipment

Espresso machine, grinder and tamper
Scale accurate to 0.1 g
Small graduated measure
Kettle and thermometer, or temperature-controlled kettle
Fine sieve
Open bowl and matcha whisk
Small heatproof espresso cup
Stirring spoon
400 ml (13.5 US fl oz) serving glass

Method

Sift 2 g matcha into an open bowl. Add 60 ml (2 US fl oz) water at 80°C (176°F) 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 (½ US cup) cold whole milk in a 400 ml (13.5 US fl oz) glass, then add 100 g (3.5 oz) ice.
Slowly pour in the espresso, stir thoroughly and serve without sweetener or toppings.

Estimated nutrition: 80 kcal · 6.1 g total sugar. Per iced latte, using generic plain matcha and whole-milk references, without sweetener.

Recipe notes

Contains milk.

Choose plain, unsweetened 100% matcha powder. A sweetened matcha latte powder may contain much more than tea and is not a gram-for-gram substitute.

Matcha whisked smooth, combined with cold milk and ice, then finished with espresso and stirred. — Whisk the tea separately, then stir the assembled drink for an even tea-and-coffee flavor.

Equipment and Preparation

Use a scale accurate enough for the 2 g tea portion and a bamboo whisk or small handheld frother. 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 (2 US fl oz) water and 80°C (176°F) preparation follows Ippodo's documented usucha method as our tea-base starting point. Follow more specific directions on your chosen tea if needed.

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.

What Is a Matcha Espresso Latte?

Dirty matcha is a matcha latte with coffee, usually espresso, added. The name distinguishes it from a coffee-free matcha latte.

Jade Leaf's iced dirty matcha recipe documents the combination of matcha, water, milk, espresso and ice. Our home formula lets you adjust the tea and coffee separately.

ITO EN’s ready-to-drink matcha LOVE Matcha Coffee Latte combines coffee and matcha without using espresso.

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.

What Does a Matcha Espresso Latte Taste Like?

Dirty matcha brings grassy green-tea flavor and espresso’s roast together in cold milk. The tea can add a savory edge and a little drying bitterness, while the milk rounds out both components. In this unsweetened version, sweetness stays gentle and the combined tea-and-coffee finish is more pronounced than in a plain iced latte.

I like the grassy tea to remain clear beside the espresso, so I reduce the coffee when its roast dominates.

How to Balance a Matcha Espresso Latte

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 espresso and use only 18 g of it with 2 g matcha whisked in 60 ml (2 US fl oz) water at 80°C (176°F), 120 g (½ US cup) cold whole milk and 100 g (3.5 oz) ice. The generic matcha and espresso references give a 100 mg caffeine reference for this glass.
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

The serving with 2 g matcha, 36 g espresso and 120 g (½ US cup) whole milk has an estimated 80 kcal and 6.1 g total sugar, with 140 mg reference caffeine. Both the matcha and espresso count. Most of 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 plain matcha	Japanese generic composition: 32 mg per gram	64 mg
36 g prepared espresso	USDA generic composition: 212 mg per 100 g	76 mg
Whole drink	Sum of these references	140 mg

These generic ingredient references describe this recipe, rather than a measured café serving.

Serving calculation and source assumptions

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture lists 3.2 g caffeine per 100 g plain matcha, or 32 mg per gram: 2 g contributes 64 mg. MEXT food 16035 gives 237 kcal per 100 g, and its carbohydrate table lists 1.5 g sugars per 100 g. The 2 g tea portion contributes 4.74 kcal and 0.03 g sugar.

USDA whole milk, NDB 01077, supplies 61 kcal and 5.05 g sugar per 100 g. Our weighed 120 g (½ US cup) 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.

Together, these references give 81.18 kcal, 6.09 g sugar and 140.32 mg caffeine, displayed as 80 kcal, 6.1 g sugar and 140 mg caffeine. Use your product’s declared values when available; sweetened mixes need their own calculation.

Using 18 g prepared espresso instead gives 64 + 38.16 = 102.16 mg caffeine, rounded to 100 mg. Leaving out espresso leaves 64 mg from the generic matcha reference. 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 Clumps or Bitterness in a Matcha Espresso Latte

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 (2 US fl oz) water, 36 g espresso and 120 g (½ US cup) milk, omitting ice. Sift and whisk the tea first. Combine it with espresso in a warmed 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz) 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.

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?

Sift the powder and whisk it with the measured 60 ml (2 US fl oz) water first, then add milk. Powder added straight to cold milk tends to be harder to disperse evenly.

Can I use sweetened matcha latte mix in a matcha espresso latte?

Use 2 g pure matcha for this recipe. If you have a sweetened latte mix, follow its package recipe; 2 g of that mix is not necessarily 2 g of tea, so its sugar and caffeine estimates differ.

Can I make a matcha espresso latte without an espresso machine?

Brew a moka pot using its normal method, then use 36 g (1.3 oz) prepared coffee for the coffee component. Concentrated instant coffee is another option using the product’s dosing directions. Use the chosen preparation’s caffeine information for either variation.

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.

Editor's Take

Sources and Further Reading

View 8 references

Drink and method

Ingredient reference

Chamberlain CoffeeOriginal matcha productChamberlain Coffee · An ingredient example; Japanese composition tables supply the generic nutrient estimates.(opens in a new tab)

Serving estimates

Packaged format

ITO ENmatcha LOVE Matcha Coffee Latte announcement, September 2026ITO EN · Packaged matcha-and-coffee drink; the announcement explicitly says espresso is not used.(opens in a new tab)