By now, matcha lattes have become commonplace. But usually they are sweetened or sugarless. So I was very intrigued when I saw this Sea Salt Matcha Latte by Offsite, a cafe in Singapore. This drink does not yet seem commonly offered in Singapore, and searching online mainly turned up recipe sites, and mostly with sea salt foam.
This Offsite version is not even a sea salt foam latte, but rather the salt is added in below, although it does seem to come in some cream form as you can see in the second photo. The whiteness is not even like pure liquid milk would be, but it seems to be thicker and uneven in some spots.
The first thing to note about this drink is that a high quality of matcha seems to have been used. It is either ceremonial grade or else close to it, although this wasn't stated on their menu (photo below). It was grassy and had a clear umami and earthiness to it, yet without any major bitter notes that I could discern. There was some mild darkness in the middle to base notes, but it was not astringent or sharp at all and I wouldn't exactly call it bitter. Overall, the matcha itself was very smooth, and that is a great foundation for the drink.
As for the taste of sea salt with matcha, I absolutely loved it. It reminded me very much of salted edamame or zunda paste, but creamier due to the milk and grassier. As for why I was reminded of a bean, I think the nuttiness of the edamame body notes was mimicked by the combination of creamy milk and earthiness in the matcha, and with the grassy top notes sitting on top, it became similar to edamame somehow.
I felt that the salt really brought out the grassiness of the matcha, the way adding a bit of salt is so important to bringing out the flavours of vegetables.
There was a bit of sweetness to it, probably due to a very small amount of added sugar. I wouldn't have wanted it any sweeter, so it was just right in my view.
I would describe it as satisfying and somewhat refreshing, although it is a bit thick with the cream and milk to be the type of refreshing drink that you slurp or chug down.
Finally, this is the shade of green after mixing it. It seems somewhat paler than a normal matcha latte, perhaps due to the thicker cream used? You can also see that the ice took up a lot of volume though, such that the dark spots of the ice go all the way down to about 1-2cm above the bottom of the glass. But I think this is why the top was remained a darker green no matter how much I stirred.
It is definitely worth a try if you like matcha and want to try new concepts (menu below - click to enlarge). The price is a bit high, especially for the small volume and large amount of ice, but I think it is worth it for the quality of matcha, at least once.
Discover other matcha and edamame-inspired treats
- Zunda Butter Crepe and Pistachio and Cream Fresh Cream Crepe by Crepe Endo's
- Strawberry Matcha Tea-Ramisu by Kamome Bakery
- Dirty Matcha Pound Cake by Hvala Kissa
- Matcha Chocolate Gouter de Roi Rusk by Gateau Festa Harada
- Shirocha Latte by Hvala, also known as Shiro Matcha Latte
- Matcha Scone Sandwich by Kamome Bakery
- Matcha Azuki Beans Pastry and other pastries by Old Seng Choong
- Matcha Cookie Bun, Mocha Bun and Garlic Cream Cheese Bun by Standard Bun
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