Why matcha and dairy don't mix

We know. You have questions.

You walk up to the counter, order a matcha, and we ask what milk you'd like. You say "normal milk" and we explain that we don't stock it. It's a fair question and it comes up a lot, so here's the proper answer. Not just "it affects the taste" but the actual science behind why dairy and matcha don't work together.

The Science: Casein and Catechins

Matcha is packed with catechins, a group of antioxidants. The most significant one is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), and it's what makes quality matcha genuinely good for you: anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, metabolically supportive, with decades of research behind it.^[1]

Dairy milk contains casein proteins. When casein comes into contact with catechins, it binds to them and forms complexes your body can't absorb.^[2] You're still drinking something warm and green, but you've cancelled out a big part of what made it worth drinking.

A study published in the European Heart Journal found that adding milk to tea completely abolished its cardiovascular benefits. Not reduced. Abolished.^[3] That's a strong word, and the researchers meant it.

The Taste Issue

Good ceremonial grade matcha has real sweetness, depth, and a natural umami note that comes from how the leaves are grown. Dairy milk is heavy and fatty. It doesn't work with those flavours, it just covers them up. What you end up with is warm, green-tinted milk. That's not what we're making.

So What Do We Use?

Oat milk is our main pairing, though we're particular about which one. Not all oat milks behave the same way when steamed, and plenty of them have additives that affect the taste. We've tested a lot of options to find ones that work with the matcha rather than against it.

Macadamia milk is also excellent: creamy, neutral, and it lets the matcha do the talking. Coconut milk works beautifully over ice. Certain almond milks are good too. The common thread across all of them is a lighter body, less protein, and no casein.

What If You Just Prefer Dairy?

Most people who ask grew up drinking milky tea, and that's completely fair. Give the oat version a few tries before you decide. In our experience, once people taste matcha made properly with the right plant-based milk, they don't tend to go back.