Two of the most popular drinks in Dubai's café scene — in one glass. A dirty matcha is exactly what it sounds like: a matcha latte that gets "dirtied" with a shot of espresso. The espresso doesn't overpower the matcha — it deepens it. What you get is earthy, slightly sweet matcha in the foreground with roasted coffee notes underneath, and a caffeine profile that's genuinely balanced.
If you've ever felt like matcha isn't quite enough in the morning, or coffee leaves you jittery by midday — this is the drink that bridges both.
Ingredients
- 2 g matcha (ceremonial grade)
- 45 ml hot water (70–80°C)
- 1 shot of espresso (25–30 ml), freshly pulled and allowed to cool slightly
- 150 ml milk of your choice
- 1 tsp maple syrup or honey (optional)
- Ice
How to make
1. Make the matcha Sift 2 g of matcha into a small bowl. Add 45 ml of hot water at 70–80°C and whisk until smooth and frothy. If using sweetener, whisk it directly into the matcha here — it blends more evenly than adding it to cold milk.
2. Pull your espresso Brew a single shot of fresh espresso and set it aside to cool slightly. Hot espresso poured directly over ice melts it too fast and muddles the layers. A minute or two of cooling makes a significant difference to how the drink looks and tastes.
3. Build the drink Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour the milk over the ice first. Then gently pour the matcha over the milk, pouring slowly or over the back of a spoon to maintain a visible layer.
4. Add the espresso Finally, pour the espresso slowly over the back of a spoon onto the top of the matcha layer. The espresso will sit on top initially, creating three visible layers — milk, matcha, espresso — before they begin to slowly bleed together. This is the "dirty" effect.
5. Serve immediately The layered look is most striking in the first minute. Stir gently before drinking to blend all three elements, or drink it layered — each sip will taste slightly different.
Tip The order matters for the layering: milk first, then matcha, then espresso on top. If you reverse the order the layers won't hold. The espresso floats because it's less dense than milk — the matcha sits between because it's slightly denser than espresso but lighter than cold milk. A little physics goes a long way here.
Important This drink has a higher caffeine content than either matcha or espresso alone — roughly 100–130 mg per serving depending on your espresso. If you're sensitive to caffeine, reduce the matcha to 1 g or use a ristretto (half a shot) instead of a full espresso. The flavour balance still works well with a smaller shot.
Which matcha to use The espresso in this recipe is bold, so you need a matcha that can stand up to it. We recommend our Ceremonial Matcha Miyabi-no-Shiro — its fuller body and deeper umami profile holds its own against espresso without disappearing behind it. High ceremonial grades are too delicate for this recipe; ceremonial grade hits the balance exactly right.
Variation For a hot dirty matcha, steam the milk to 65°C and froth it, prepare the matcha concentrate, then pour both into a warmed mug and add the espresso shot last. The hot version is more aromatic and the layers won't hold visually, but the flavour is excellent — particularly in the morning. For an extra-bold version, use a double ristretto instead of a single espresso shot.