Sweetening Matcha: Syrup, Sugar or Honey

The most reliable way to sweeten matcha is with liquid simple syrup: it disperses immediately in cold and warm drinks. Sugar and honey are easier to stir into warm drinks, so stir them into the warm matcha mix first and then top up with milk or oat drink. Start with a little and sweeten in small steps, because the matcha itself brings bitterness and umami.

Why sweeteners taste different in matcha than in coffee

Coffee is roasty and bitter, matcha on the other hand is grassy, bitter and has an umami note that can recall seaweed. A sweetener should not cover this bitterness, but round it off. Very aromatic sweeteners such as dark honey or strong syrup quickly drown out the fine notes, especially with a powder that tastes rather mild anyway.

Then there is the milk: in a latte the sweetness spreads over a lot of liquid and tastes less intense than in a bowl of straight matcha. If you miss the taste of the tea houses after a trip to Japan, you usually do not need more sweetness; instead, pay attention to amount, water temperature and whisking. The water temperature in particular makes the difference: matcha with water that is too hot tastes more bitter.

Simple syrup, sugar, honey, maple syrup compared

Matcha does not dissolve, it disperses as a fine powder. With the sweetener, on the other hand, solubility matters. The rule of thumb: the more liquid the sweetener, the better it works cold.

In terms of taste, the mild variants fit best. Simple syrup is the most neutral choice. Maple syrup brings warmth and goes well with oat drink. With maple syrup: lighter grades are milder, darker ones taste stronger and can overpower the matcha. If you like honey, it is best to take a mild type, such as blossom honey. Dark types such as forest honey dominate the aroma.

Making simple syrup yourself

Simple syrup is sugar dissolved in water. Heat sugar and water in a small pan, stir until all the grains have dissolved, let the syrup cool and pour it into a clean, closable jar. We do not give fixed recipe values for this: stir in neutral sugar syrup to taste, and for bought syrup follow the storage instructions of the product in question. For matcha, syrup has the advantage that you can dose it drop by drop and it combines with the drink immediately.

For vanilla or fruit syrup, let vanilla or fruit steep in the warm sugar syrup and then strain it. Cook frozen berries thoroughly beforehand. That way you get a flavour of your own without depending on flavoured syrup from the shops.

Amounts per serving

There is no fixed amount of syrup, because taste and syrup vary. One serving of RINSUMILA DAILY is 2 g of matcha. For this serving the guideline is: a small splash of syrup, just enough that you recognise the sweetness without the matcha disappearing behind it. If you measure syrup, it is best to take a small spoon and taste before adding more. Spoons vary in size; for more precision, weigh your amount once and remember it.

Here is how:

1. First put a little syrup in the glass.
2. Prepare the matcha, stir it in and taste.
3. Sweeten further in small steps until you like it.

If your mix is too sweet, dilute it with unsweetened matcha mix or milk and taste again.

A latte with a lot of milk needs more syrup, a bowl of straight matcha less. If you drink it over ice, you perceive the sweetness as weaker and usually add a little more. That too spreads better in steps than in one big splash.

Sweetening hot and cold

Hot: The house values for the latte are 2 g of matcha, whisked in 30 ml of water at about 75 °C, plus 200 ml of milk. The warm mix is the best place for sugar or honey: put the sweetener in the glass, whisk the matcha in the bowl with the warm water, pour it in and stir until sugar or honey has dissolved. Then top up with milk. That keeps sieve and Chasen free of sugar.

Cold: Sugar also dissolves in cold water, but needs more stirring; thick honey mixes more easily when warm. So do sugar or honey dissolve in cold matcha? Less reliably with stirring alone, which is why the sweetener goes in first. Dissolve it in warm water or take liquid syrup straight away. Only then do ice and cold milk follow. That way the syrup or honey does not stay lumpy or thick once the ice is added.

Can you whisk sugar straight into the matcha with the Chasen? It is possible, but less reliable, because the grains do not always dissolve completely in 30 ml of water and strain the Chasen. It is better to dissolve the sweetener beforehand in a little warm water or to use syrup.

Sweetness in latte and iced

In a warm latte a few drops of syrup are usually enough, because warmth makes sweetness more noticeable. The order: syrup in the cup, whisk the matcha, top up with warm milk. You can find more on amounts in the matcha latte recipe.

In an iced latte the syrup goes in the glass first, then the matcha mix, then ice and finally cold milk. If you like it strong and still sweet, use a little less milk instead of more syrup; otherwise the drink quickly gets sticky.

How individual syrup types behave:

• Vanilla: round and mild, a classic with latte, especially with oat drink.
• Caramel: sweet and heavy, goes well with warm drinks, but easily covers the matcha.
• Lavender: floral, use only sparingly, otherwise the latte tastes of perfume.
• Strawberry and mango: fruity, best cold with milk or oat; the fruit acidity can make the milk curdle if you stir in too much fruit at once, so first stir the syrup with a little milk in the glass.
• Ube and white chocolate: sweet and creamy, popular in iced latte.
• Agave syrup and rice syrup: mild and liquid, good cold.

Syrups from the shops are often flavoured. They differ in density and sweetness, so here too the rule is: a little first, then taste. We cannot tell you whether a particular syrup is available from another provider; in general, you can find syrups in catering supplies, in tea specialist shops and in online shops.

If you do not want to sweeten: milk and whisking technique

Many people prefer matcha unsweetened. Then preparation helps above all: sieve the powder, whisk it with water at about 75 °C to a fine foam (about 15 to 30 seconds) and do not use too much powder for the amount of water. Water that is too hot makes matcha more bitter; you should avoid boiling water. For straight matcha the house values apply: sieve 2 g and whisk with 70 ml of water at about 75 °C.

The milk also makes a difference. Oat drink tastes slightly sweetish and round by itself, cow's milk is milder and creamier. With a little more milk the latte becomes softer and less bitter, without any extra sweetening. If you want to avoid syrup, you can also try sweeteners without table sugar, for example liquid sweeteners. They dissolve easily in cold water, but some have an aftertaste of their own that can combine with the bitterness of the matcha. Test them carefully, ideally in a small portion.

For a sweet latte in particular, our RINSUMILA DAILY is suitable as an everyday matcha: it is meant for latte and iced and can be rounded off with a little syrup.

Frequently asked questions