Strawberry Matcha Cloud Drink

This strawberry matcha cloud drink layers a quick strawberry mash, an iced milk center and a soft matcha foam cap. The formula makes one 16-ounce-style drink and uses two small mixing vessels, so you can control both sweetness and texture before anything reaches the glass.

Ingredients for one drink

Strawberry layer

• 1/2 cup (75 g) hulled strawberries
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, plus more to taste
• Small pinch of salt

Milk layer

• 3/4 cup (180 mL) cold milk or an unsweetened barista-style plant milk
• Ice to fill the glass

Matcha cloud

• 1 1/2 level teaspoons (about 3 g) matcha
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) water at 176°F
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold milk
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or simple syrup, optional

Ippodo uses 3 g matcha with 176°F water in its latte method. Here, the smaller water quantity creates a concentrated layer rather than a full latte; that ratio is this recipe’s formulation, not Ippodo’s.

Make the three layers

1. Rinse the strawberries under running water, remove the tops, and mash them with the sugar and salt. Stop while a few small pieces remain. Spoon the mixture into the bottom of a clear glass.
2. Sift the matcha into a wide cup. Add the 176°F water and whisk briskly for about 15 seconds, following Ippodo’s temperature and whisk-time guidance. Let it stand for one minute so it is not hot enough to collapse the cold foam immediately.
3. Add the 1/4 cup cold milk and optional syrup to the matcha. Froth until the volume increases and the surface looks fine-bubbled rather than soapy. Different plant milks foam differently, so judge by the visible texture instead of a fixed frothing time.
4. Fill the serving glass with ice, then pour the 3/4 cup milk slowly over the back of a spoon. Spoon or pour the matcha cloud over the milk.
5. Serve with a long spoon or straw. Stir before drinking so the berry puree does not remain overly sweet at the bottom.

Control the sweetness and cloud texture

Taste one berry before adding sugar. Very ripe fruit may need only one teaspoon; tart fruit may need another teaspoon after mashing. Keep the matcha layer only lightly sweetened so the finished drink does not become syrupy after stirring.

If the cloud sinks at once, the matcha mixture may be warm or too thin. Cool it briefly, add one more tablespoon of cold milk, and froth again. If the bubbles are large and disappear quickly, keep the frother tip just below the surface rather than lifting it fully into the air. If your plant milk produces almost no foam, make the same recipe as a layered iced drink—the flavor does not depend on a tall foam cap.

For a smoother berry layer, blend the strawberries and sugar, then press the puree through a fine-mesh strainer. For a more textured, lower-cleanup version, the fork-mashed method is enough.

Make-ahead and food safety

FDA guidance says to wash fresh produce under running water and not with soap or commercial produce wash. Keep perishable strawberries refrigerated at 40°F or below. You can mash the berries and whisk the matcha several hours ahead, refrigerating each in a covered container; froth and assemble only when you are ready to drink. Discard ingredients that show spoilage, and do not leave the milk-based finished drink sitting at room temperature.

Sources

• Ippodo Tea: Matcha Latte
• FDA: Selecting and Serving Produce Safely