Matcha Latte 抹茶ラテ hunt in Melbourne

Hello and Happy Friday, everybodehhhh! As the post title suggests, today I am writing about one of my most favouritest (if such a word existed) drink which is none other than matcha latte! :)

If memory serves me right, I reckon it was some time last year when green tea started becoming a "healthy trend" in Melbourne which saw many cafes introducing matcha latte to their menu.

If you've noticed, the demand for matcha latte has also been increasing lately, and more and more cafes are brewing this delightful, green "coffee" which is basically a concoction of matcha powder, milk and a sweetener such as sugar or honey.

As I've been a big fan of matcha from years ago, you can imagine how this is only good news to me. ;) If you too love matcha latte as much as I do and often wonder where you can have matcha latte in Melbourne, then this compilation is for you.

But if you haven't yet heard of what matcha is, it is basically green tea powder that offers a number of health benefits such as being high in antioxidants, helps boost metabolism, assists in weight loss and increases your energy level, just to name a few.

Matcha is originally brewed with water as part of traditional tea ceremonies in Japan, but the modern take on it (which I believe was started by Starbucks) is the bittersweet matcha latte that I love.

I personally love my matcha latte strong without being too sweet and I hope you appreciate that this review is based purely on my personal preference. Regardless, I hope this post helps you find a good matcha latte that'd you enjoy and keep you wanting more! :)

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One of the first few sweet matcha lattes I've had in Melbourne was at Tana Cafe which I absolutely love and have returned multiple times since. The matcha latte at Tana have been consistently good over my few visits there. I can still remember how it was oh so creamy and delicious!

I like how tana's version is slightly sweetened, but not overwhelmingly so. The owner mentioned that they make their own mix using matcha powder from Japan and honey but did not disclose further.

One other plus point is that Tana uses bonsoy so there's no aftermath of tummy issues for those with lactose intolerance yay! Even though I don't usually like soy milk in my coffee, but this tasted different, in a good way, of course.

Tana Cafe

 

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Little Rogue is also very popular for their matcha latte which I've spotted all over my Instagram feed so I am glad I finally got around to try. My verdict? I loved it!

The bittersweet matcha flavour was really strong and I like how it isn't too sweet at all. I think out of the lot, Little Rogue's is probably the least sweet. I totally regretted getting it in the regular size. The next time I'm there again, I'm opting for the large!

Little Rogue

 

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The next one on my list would be Momo Sushi in Hawthorn. I'd say this is one of my top 3 favourites as the matcha latte at Momo Sushi has the perfect blend of bittersweet with a notable matcha strength. As you can also see in the picture above, it was also very smooth and milky... I gulped it all too easily! Definitely one of the best. For coffee lovers, I've heard they've got a coffee matcha version too if you want a bit more of a caffeine kick. ;) Oh, they also serve amazing sushi!

Momo Sushi, Hawthorn

 

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Since The Boyfriend and I moved to South Yarra, we've been frequenting Maru Shih a fair bit for their reasonably priced and delicious Japanese food. But I often find myself there for their amazing matcha latte. I first tried their matcha latte mid last year and I remember it to be quite good, but I find it even better now as the matcha flavour is definitely stronger than it was before.

Maru Shih's matcha latte does have a deep matcha flavour but please do note that it is leaning slightly on the sweeter side. Although I do enjoy the original version, I have been trying to cut down on my sugar as you all know I am on a diet so I have specifically requested for a "less sweet" version and I am glad to report that it was still good!

Maru Shih

 

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Moving on, Operator 25 also recently introduced yuzu matcha latte to their new spring menu. I found that the matcha flavour isn't strong enough for my liking as the yuzu was rather overpowering, but I appreciate how the drink is light and very refreshing. Op25's version is very unique, and it certainly is something different for a change!

Operator 25

 

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I remember I first discovered The Baba Sus when I was looking for places that serve matcha latte. I was really excited when my matcha latte arrived looking this gorgeous, but after having my first sip, I was a little let down. It was alright, but it didn't hit the right spot.

The matcha wasn't strong enough even though I specifically requested for a strong one. I felt like it tasted just like the ones I can make at home which was why I was disappointed. But thankfully the food there made up for it. We've been there thrice for the food and I absolutely loved every dish we tried there. You can read my full blog post on Baba Sus here.

Baba Sus

 

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I've also tried Cafe Carpenter's green tea latte a while ago but whilst I found that it has the right amount of sweetness, I did find the matcha flavour to be a little too subtle for my liking. It was decent, but I did expect a bit more.

I do however love the presentation and tableware used - it's too pretty, don't you reckon? And although the matcha latte did not quite make the cut on my list, they've definitely got the best takoyaki in Melbourne. ;)

Cafe Carpenter

 

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Next up on my list is Le Petit Prince's decent matcha latte but if I had to be brutally honest, it was nothing to shout about as I found the matcha strength to be a little weak for my liking. But if you appreciate a weaker version, then you'd enjoy this.

Le Petit Prince

 

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I was going through my list of matcha latte photos and came across this one I had at Sardi a while ago, which I have very conveniently forgotten about. May I selfishly conclude that if it wasn't at the back of my mind, it certainly wasn't mindblowing. Probably one of my least fav out of the lot. =/

Sardi

 

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And last but not least, one of the most recent matcha latte I've had was at Kuu Japanese Cafe which certainly did not disappoint. The matcha flavour is quite strong and it isn't too sweet. Another one to go on my good matcha latte list. ;)

With the weather warming up, Kuu's iced matcha latte might appeal more to you. It sure was refreshing but I did find the matcha strength to be slightly weak so I'd personally stick to the hot version. The Boyfriend on the other hand was totally enjoying this. He noted that it was "just right and not too sweet, but was perfect with the ice cream" in his exact words.

KUU Japanese Cafe

 

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And that's a wrap! If you've been looking for good matcha lattes around Melbourne, why not try one of the above? Or if you know of any others places, please do let me know in the comments below.

Of course, if I come across any other good matcha lattes worth mentioning, I'll be sure to update this post in the future. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend, guys! :D