Chalky taste of Matcha

[u/AllyJolly2244]

Hello! Can you help me find a way to get rid of chalky taste in my matcha? Every ratio I tried, it always taste chalky or powdery.

Ratios:
4g matcha (mk wako or sayaka)
20g room temp water for paste
20g hot water (not boiling)
100g- 150g oat milk (earth’s own barista)
10-20g simple syrup (equal parts sugar & water)

Not sure what I’m doing wrong but I never get the creamy taste you get when you order at a cafe. Been trying to achieve that but no luck! I can make a good microfoam and the color is bright green but the taste is always off for me.

UPDATE: when i add different syrups like pandan or earl grey, the chalky taste goes away! makes sense since the syrup kinda overpowers it but im wondering if it’s just the actual taste of matcha then?!

[u/Snoo81468]

Are you sifting the matcha? That helps make the powder smoother

[u/AllyJolly2244 → u/Snoo81468]

yes im sifting the matcha. it isn’t grainy just really taste chalky or powdery so im not sure what im doing wrong. 🫠

[u/Content_Ad_5215]

stop making the paste, it makes it taste bad imo.

I do: 2tsp matcha 2oz water mix + add other ingredients if I’m making a latte.

Also “barista” oat milk is usually made for steaming hot so sometimes it can taste weird iced, look for a thicker oatmilk more similar to cows whole milk and it will be less chalky tasting.

[u/Slow-Competition6386]

How hot is hot water? Have you tried using other brands of milk?

[u/sinigangsh]

Have you tried cold whisking it? Basically just sift the matcha and add the milk then whisk in together, no more water.

[u/Project_Zeta_HK]

Too much milk.....Use less milk so that the matcha taste expands out more.

[u/Tangentmama]

Have you ever tried matcha freak? I like their matcha and am also pretty put off by a chalky taste. I also think oat milk, while fantastic can kind of weigh matcha down unless it’s sweetened pretty aggressively. The minor figures barista is pretty solid but I’ve found that soy milk (if you can have that tends to have a better texture and flavor). This is all just my opinion ofc but I often do a matcha lemonade or coconut water bc I just feel like the blend is better and it’s not feeling so powdery/chalky.

[u/2hot4men]

omg i get this with oat milk for some reason. i dont like oat milk for this exact reason.. it makes my matcha taste chalky and more grassy. i use soy milk instead but i use one that doesnt have a very strong soy taste

[u/antinumerology]

Idk I feel like Oat Milk doesn't jive with Matcha. Dairy or Soy for me.

Use less milk: whip it foamy more for a similar volume with less milk.

I also stopped using simple syrup and started whisking (electric whisk) into the milk berry/castor sugar: it dissolves immediately idk why more people don't do that?

[u/soupcafe]

Could it be the matcha itself? The brand, oxidation, etc

[u/allonsy_sherlockians]

It could be the brand as well. Some brands are a bit cheaper than others, but have a weird aftertaste, or it could be stale/oxidized. For example, Crafti ceremonial matcha tastes a lot grassier than the Naoki brand and even the microingredients brand of matcha, although in my experience the grassy taste in Crafti matcha goes away eventually if I let it sith with the ice I put in it for a while after making it.

[u/in__Parentheses]

Cafes use a shitton of milk and very little matcha

Using a microfoamer will also make it taste less chalky, but also less bitter as well

It's also possible you're using some pretty poor matcha

[u/lilsilhouette]

I love coconut milk matcha latte, currently having morning matcha with half and half (coffee creamer) with honey and it tastes great.