Weekend delight: Strawberry-Vanilla Iced Matcha Latte

Plus, the tools in my matcha kit

I recently underwent my annual beginning-of-summer ritual, in which I pretend my brain and body can handle the high-octane properties of cold-brew coffee, drink it daily with delicious abandon for several weeks, endure a few nervous breakdowns, and, by mid-June, begrudgingly admit that, no, my already-jittery body and even more jittery mind cannot handle it.

Fortunately, summer is also the time when I look forward to an iced matcha latte, whose gentle buzz of caffeine is suitable for either the mornings or an afternoon pick-me-up. I’ve been delighting in this homemade version of the ever-enduring strawberry matcha, which you may have seen on Instagram or TikTok—they are, after all, very aesthetic. But I also think the sweet/fruit/tart strawberry pairs perfectly with the creamy bass note of vanilla and the lovely rich and grassy flavors of the matcha, all melded together with a good-quality creamy milk (my current plant milk of choice is Minor Figures Barista Oat.)

When I prepare matcha for myself at home, I have a few specific tools (beyond the basic matcha whisk) that I use and love: