If you're adding matcha to your menu — or you've just started serving it — one of the first practical questions is: how much do I actually need to order? Order too little and you run out mid-week. Order too much and it sits open on the shelf, losing the colour and flavour your customers are paying for.

Here's how to work it out for your café in a couple of minutes.

Step 1: How much matcha goes into one drink?

Most cafés use between 2g and 3g of matcha per drink. 2g is the standard for a regular hot latte. 3g gives a stronger, greener cup and is common in speciality shops and for iced drinks, where the ice and cold milk mute the flavour.

Whatever you choose, pick one standard and weigh it. Weighing each dose instead of eyeballing scoops is the single biggest thing you can do for consistency and cost control.

Step 2: How many matcha drinks do you sell?

If matcha is already on your menu, your till data will tell you. If you're about to launch it, a cautious starting point is to base your estimate on a similar drink you already sell, such as chai or hot chocolate, then adjust after the first month.

Step 3: Do the maths

Grams per drink × drinks per day × days open per month = grams per month

Then add around 10% on top for staff training, test drinks and the odd spill.

Here's what that looks like for a café open every day (30 days), before the buffer:

So a neighbourhood café selling 25 matcha lattes a day at 2g each gets through about 1.5kg a month — roughly 1.65kg once you add the buffer.

Step 4: Turn grams into cost per cup

Once you know your volume, cost per drink is simple:

Price per kg ÷ 1,000 × grams per drink = matcha cost per drink

For example, matcha at £100 per kg works out at 10p per gram. At a 2g dose, that's 20p per drink; at 3g, 30p. It's a useful way to see that the difference between an average matcha and a genuinely good one is often only a few pence a cup — and that's the difference your customers actually taste.

Step 5: Order little and often

Matcha is a fresh product. Once a pouch is opened, air, light, heat and moisture start to dull its colour and flavour. Keep unopened stock sealed somewhere cool and dark, open one pouch at a time, and aim to use an opened pouch within about a month.

That's why it usually makes sense to order two to four weeks' worth at a time rather than stocking up for a whole quarter. Your drinks stay vivid green, and you're not tying up cash in stock that's slowly going stale.

Quick answers

How many matcha lattes can you make from 500g?

About 250 at 2g per drink, or around 165 at 3g.

How many matcha lattes can you make from 1kg?

About 500 at 2g per drink, or around 330 at 3g.

How long does matcha last?

Check the best-before date on the pack and keep it sealed until you need it. Once opened, aim to use it within about a month for the best colour and taste.

Matcha for your café

Kyo's Matcha supplies UK cafés with single-origin, first-harvest ceremonial matcha from one farm in Wazuka, Kyoto. Because it comes from a single farm rather than a blend, you know exactly what's going into every drink.

Working out volumes for your menu? We're happy to help. Request a sample through our wholesale page and try it in your own drinks, then we'll talk trade pricing and order sizes.