Pumpkin spice season arrives whether we are ready or not, and this year matcha is finally part of it. If you would rather make yours at home, with tea you can actually taste through the spice, here is how we do it.
Why matcha and pumpkin spice work
It sounds like a novelty and it is not. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove are warm and rounded. Matcha is grassy, savory, and slightly sweet. The spice sits on top of the tea rather than fighting it, and the vegetal depth underneath keeps the whole thing from collapsing into dessert.
The mistake most versions make is drowning the matcha. Use enough tea and it holds its own.
What you need
- 2 teaspoons matcha
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup milk of your choice, oat is our favorite here
- 2 ounces water at 175 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- A quarter teaspoon cinnamon, plus a pinch each of ginger, nutmeg, and clove
- A small pinch of salt
Use our Daily Matcha for this one. It is single origin and first flush from the same family farm in Uji as our ceremonial, and it is built to stand up to milk and spice without you spending ceremonial money on a drink you are going to sweeten.
How to make it
Sift and whisk the matcha. Push the matcha through a fine mesh sieve into your bowl. Add a small splash of the 175 degree water and whisk to a smooth paste with your chasen, then add the rest of the water and whisk in a zigzag until foamy. Set aside.
Warm the pumpkin base. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, whisk together the pumpkin puree, spices, salt, and maple syrup until smooth and fragrant, about one minute. Cooking the spices briefly makes an enormous difference. Add the milk and warm through without boiling.
Combine. Pour the pumpkin milk into a mug, then pour the whisked matcha over the top. Stir gently, or leave it layered if you like the look.
The iced version
Warm the pumpkin, spices, salt, and syrup in the saucepan as above, then whisk in cold milk rather than warm and chill it. Fill a glass with ice, pour the spiced milk over, and float the whisked matcha on top. The layers hold beautifully for a photograph and then you stir.
Three notes
Buy pumpkin puree, not pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, and it will bulldoze the tea.
Do not skip the salt. A pinch sharpens the spice and stops the drink tasting flat.
Make the base ahead. The pumpkin and spice mixture keeps for five days in the refrigerator. Make a jar on Sunday and your weekday version takes two minutes.
If you would like to add real spice depth, a spoonful of our Cardamom Chai blend steeped into the milk first is very good.
Come try ours at Tea Bar, 1055 Northwest Northrup.