Barista Pro Blend Matcha

I recently had the opportunity to try the Barista Pro Blend, and I started with a simple preparation to understand its natural profile, no sweeteners, just 2 oz of water and about 4-6 oz of milk.

Right away, the matcha presented a pronounced a more earthy character, which I personally look for. It had a fresh, vibrant quality, leaning more toward that natural, earthy profile rather than overly mellow or pre-rounded blends. For me, this made it a great baseline, as it feels highly versatile and gives you room to tailor the drink depending on your preference.

The texture came through smooth in a latte format, and the flavor held up well against milk without getting lost. Because of its more forward, earthy notes, it seems especially well-suited for experimenting with different sweeteners or flavor pairings, allowing you to build a more customized drink without overpowering the matcha itself.

Overall, I think this is a very a solid option for those who appreciate a more traditional, green-forward matcha that still performs well in a barista-style preparation. This may be one of my go to going forward. Thank you Naoki!

This blend does exactly as it claims: pro barista blend. It is definitely perfect for a matcha latte and good sweetened or unsweetened, or in a mixed concoction with other ingredients. Compared to the regular barista blend, this one is more mellow and lightly sweet (not actually sweetened), while I would consider the regular one a bit more earthy (mildly umami/“bitter”). The ratio I found to work well with milk was 3-4g of matcha, 50-60 g water, and 140g of milk (4-5oz), otherwise, using a plant-based milk could overpower the matcha fragrance.

I will say, in an americano style or tonic water preparation, the matcha can be a bit more muted. So to that degree, if pairing solely with tonic/water, I personally enjoyed the superior blend for a more standalone/complex flavor profile.