• Gather all the ingredients.
  
• Sift 1½ tsp matcha (green tea powder) through a fine-mesh strainer into a wide cup, a bowl, or a matcha bowl. A vessel with a wide, cylindrical shape is ideal for whisking fine green tea powder. Tip: Fine powders become lumpy once you add hot water. I‘ve found that it takes much longer to get rid of the lumps if I don‘t sift the green tea powder first.
  
• If you want to sweeten your beverage, add ½ tsp sugar (optional; I don‘t add it). Then, add 2 Tbsp hot water.
  
• Using a chasen (a bamboo whisk used for Japanese tea ceremony), whisk briskly, drawing a letter W, until no lumps remain. The matcha slurry should be smooth and a little foamy. You can also use a flat whisk if you have one. Tip: Matcha is tea leaf powder, so it will never completely dissolve in water.
  

To Heat and Froth the Milk

• With a Handheld Milk Frother: Heat ¾ cup milk in the microwave or in a pot on the stove until warm, about 140ºF (65ºC). Then, with a handheld milk frother, froth the milk until foamy, about 10–15 seconds. You can skip this step if you don‘t have a frother.
  
• With the Steaming Wand of an Espresso Machine: Start with ¾ cup milk (cold). Learn to steam milk by following a video tutorial by a World Champion latte artist. For this recipe, Mr. JOC used the auto-steaming function.
  

To Serve

• Pour the steamed milk into the center of the matcha slurry, ending with light foam.
  
• Optionally, sprinkle additional matcha (green tea powder) on top using the fine-mesh strainer. Enjoy!
  

To Make Latte Art (optional)

• If you wish to make a decorative design on your latte, follow this video tutorial by a World Champion latte artist.