Rose Matcha Latte by KOKO Cafe and Patisserie, Singapore

During the same visit when I tried Koko's Yam Mont Blanc, I also made it a point to try this unique drink - Rose Matcha Latte. It came only in iced version, which was a pity as I thought that the flavours would also work well as a hot drink. Essentially, the drink is a very fragrant rose foam topping a regular matcha latte.

The rose foam provided a very pleasing floral fragrance that complemented the grassy and earthy matcha body very well. It felt like a wonderful aromatic spa in a grassy zen garden. The matcha dominated, but the rose aroma was like a very prominent adornment of the matcha that also graced the aftertaste. 
Rose Matcha Latte by KOKO Cafe and Patisserie, Singapore
In my opinion, this drink was even nicer than the more common matcha strawberry combination, because there is no sourness or tang to the rose (unlike strawberries), so it doesn't clash with the bitterness or earthyness of the matcha. (I generally haven't seen many successful pairings of bitterness or earthy notes with sourness. Even in bitter citrus peels like yuzu, the sourness is generally stripped off first.) Furthermore, the crude intensity of the fruity flavour and sweetness tends to drown out the matcha's nuances and natural umami, which seriously compromises the highlight of the matcha.

As a result of using rose instead, the rose fragrance seamlessly sits on top of and blends well with the matcha base, so you can fully appreciate both the umami and grassiness of the matcha and the floral fragrance of the rose at the same time, without them clashing with or neutralising each other. So this is a seriously good idea and would also do well to complement the nuances of premium ceremonial matchas.

I was distracted while ordering, so I forgot whether I asked for it to be less sweet, but I felt like the use of rose instead of strawberry made it far less sweet than the normal flavoured matcha drinks, which was a big boon for me. Without the intense sugar drowning out the natural flavour, I did appreciate the complexity of the drink. It was still a bit sweet, with the sugar probably coming from the matcha latte base, but it felt like a 2% level (in grams per 100ml) and I don't remember it bothering me at all.

Overall, I had a good experience with Koko's offerings and felt like they were very thoughtful in their creations overall (at least their signature ones). They also have a very nice cafe space that is relatively quiet, chic and with free wifi, so it was a good visit overall that I would highly recommend.

Discover other rose, floral and matcha treats

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