Nara Matcha G120
Culinary-grade matcha from Nara - our signature pick for lattes and smoothies at café volume. This is the one most cafés should be buying.
G120 is the middle of our range and the one we recommend by default. It is built for the drink most people actually order: matcha with milk, often iced, usually sweetened a little. That means it needs to hold its colour and flavour against milk and ice rather than reward being sipped plain - a different job from ceremonial grade, and a much cheaper one to do well.
At $280 per kilogram it works out to roughly $0.84 per latte at 3g. Run that against whatever you use now. Most cafés find the per-drink gap smaller than they expected and the annual figure much larger.
If your matcha volume is high and price is the binding constraint, look at K53 instead - it is built for the same job at a lower price point. If you want an origin story on the menu, look at Uji Premium.
Chosen in Japan. NOT THE MATCHA is run by a Japanese company, and every matcha we list is selected here against one test: does it still taste clean in a latte, at a price a café can serve every day.
What it’s built for
- Hot and iced matcha lattes at daily volume
- Smoothies, frappés, and blended drinks
- Soft serve, baking, and anything where matcha meets sugar and dairy
How to use it
- Hot latte
- 3g matcha, 60ml water at about 80°C, then 180-200ml milk.
- Iced latte
- 3-4g matcha, dissolve in a little water first, then pour over ice and milk.
- Smoothie
- 3-5g per serving - blended drinks need a higher dose to stay matcha-forward.
- Baking
- 2-4% of flour weight, sifted with the dry ingredients.
Specification
| Origin | Nara, Japan |
|---|---|
| Grade | Culinary / everyday (G #120) |
| Form | Fine powder, unsweetened, single ingredient |
| Pack sizes | 20g sample, 1kg, 3kg, 5kg |
| Best for | Lattes, smoothies, blended and baked applications |
| Cost per latte | About $0.84 at 3g per drink |
Storage
Keep the bag sealed, cool, dry, and out of direct light. Matcha loses colour and aroma to air, heat, and time rather than spoiling, so buy a quantity you will get through in a few months rather than a year of stock to chase a discount.
Frequently asked
- What is the difference between G120 and K53?
- Both are culinary-grade matcha from Nara built for milk-based drinks. G120 sits higher in our range and is our default recommendation; K53 is the lower-priced option for high volume where cost per drink is the binding constraint. Sample both in your own recipe - it is a few dollars and it settles the question.
- Will it hold its colour in an iced latte?
- That is what this grade is built for. Dissolve the powder in a small amount of water before it meets ice, otherwise it clumps regardless of quality.
- Who selects the matcha?
- We do, in Japan. NOT THE MATCHA is run by a Japanese company and we buy directly from Japanese producers. Affordable matcha usually raises the question of who actually chose it - this is our answer.
- Can I order a sample before buying a kilogram?
- Yes. Every product is available as a 20g sample. Make the drink you actually sell, at your usual dose, and taste it before committing to bulk.
- How many drinks does 1kg make?
- About 333 lattes at 3g per drink, 500 at 2g, and 250 at 4g. Divide the price per kilogram by that number to compare suppliers on cost per drink.
Read next
- How much should matcha cost per kg?
- How to buy affordable matcha without getting burned
- How to make a matcha latte that actually tastes good
Buying for a café or a brand? Wholesale pricing for every size is published on the wholesale page, and 20g samples are there to be ordered before you commit to a kilogram.