There seems to be an endless amount of aesthetic cafes opening up in Koreatown, LA. The most recent one, Stagger Coffee, has taken social media by storm with its dreamy, green Double Matcha. It’s a matcha latte with a matcha cream top that has attracted customers statewide.

If you don’t live in California or LA but want to try this double matcha, you can easily recreate it at home! All you need is matcha powder, heavy cream, vanilla syrup, and milk.

Here’s how to make a delicious double matcha at home!

Who is Stagger Coffee?

Stagger Coffee is an aesthetic coffee shop that opened up a couple of months ago (Fall 2024) in Koreatown, Los Angeles. They had their grand opening on October 26, 2024. I believe Korean coffee shops heavily inspire them and also may be Korean-owned! You can find them at 3069 1/2 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles, California 90005!

They blend clean, minimalist aesthetics with cool vibes, and their interior is nicely designed with ample seating for doing work or chatting with friends. Their signature menu includes their donut latte and their double matcha. I actually first heard about Stagger Coffee from a poster they had of their pretty donut latte from walking around LA.

All their drinks are beautifully crafted and picture-perfect, which explains why they’ve gone viral on social media. I’m sure you’ve seen a picture or two of their drinks and not know where they’re from. But what makes their double matcha in particular so special?

What is in a Double Matcha?

From Stagger’s menu: The double matcha is a 12-ounce matcha latte with ceremonial matcha, house-made vanilla, house-made matcha cream, and matcha powder. On Instagram, they’ve said that they use ceremonial-grade matcha and Tahitian vanilla syrup for their matcha drinks.

From the color alone, I can tell you that their double matcha packs a punch. Both the matcha latte and the matcha cream top are the perfect shade of green, which is creamy and opaque. You can’t get that shade of green without at least 2-3 g of matcha, which is about a teaspoon and a little more.

What Does a Double Matcha Taste Like?

Disclaimer, I’ve never actually tried their double matcha (yet!) but from what I’ve been reading and hearing from friends, it’s a rich, creamy matcha latte with a nice vanilla flavor. It’s also not too sweet (which is great). It’s not too far off from a matcha einspanner or matcha vanilla latte, but it has extra matcha flavor from the matcha cream top.

My guess is that their matcha powder is a good blend of both creamy and umami, suitable for lattes. A lighter, milder matcha would get washed away with the milk and vanilla syrup for a bolder matcha powder works best.

If you’re able to, you should definitely try this double matcha for yourself! There’s a reason why it’s amassed 20-minute lines at Stagger.

How Much Caffeine Does a Double Matcha Have?

Honestly, this double matcha probably has the same amount of caffeine as a double-shot espresso latte.

One gram of matcha green tea powder can have on average 30-35 mg of caffeine, but this varies depending on the matcha quality. A double shot of espresso has around 125 mg of caffeine.

So, guestimating that the double matcha has around 4 g of matcha in it, you’re getting the same amount of caffeine a standard iced latte would have. Didn’t know matcha powder packed that much of a punch? Most people don’t!

Since you’re consuming the entire green tea leaf through matcha, you’re getting a larger caffeine dose compared to brewed tea. You can read more about it in my matcha green tea guide!

How to Make Matcha Cream

The key component of the double matcha is the matcha cream top.

A regular cream top refers to a sweetened soft whipped cream topping that you add to lattes or teas. With a drink, it’s also known as an einspanner!

Cream tops are super easy to make and a great way to elevate any classic home-cafe beverage. All you need is heavy cream and sugar, and a whipping or whisking method. Most cafes use a blender or electric mixer to whip large batches of cream, but for a single serving an electric frother or hand whisk works best.

For a matcha cream top, simply combine heavy cream, sugar, and matcha powder together in a small cup or bowl. For a smooth cream, sift your matcha powder into the cream. This will help get rid of clumps that can make your cream gritty.

If sifting the powder still doesn’t get rid of clumps, you can try making a matcha powder paste with a little bit of water, and then adding it to your cream.

You want to whip the cream until it is soft and fluffy but still pourable. It should not be thick like whipped cream, otherwise it won’t have the same satisfying, soft texture.

How to Prepare Matcha

You need to whisk matcha in water before you can drink it, which makes it velvety and smooth.

Usually, you use a tea bowl and whisk, called a chawan and chasen. But if you don’t have these tools, you can also make matcha without a whisk using an electric frother or shake in a lidded jar.

Whisking matcha in water removes all the clumps that can make a matcha drink super gritty and unpleasant.

First, sift your matcha powder into your bowl, then add water. Soak your whisk in warm water, then whisk your matcha in a zigzag motion until foam forms at the surface of your tea. Stop when you get a nice foam!

You can check out my in-depth matcha whisking tutorial, which has much more detailed steps and a video to follow for reference.

What Matcha Powder to Use

According to Stagger, they use ceremonial-grade matcha powder straight from Japan. After doing some digging, they use Matchaful’s Hikari blend, which is from Shizuoka, Japan, and from a multi-generational farm! This single-origin matcha powder has notes of lemon, butter, and walnut and is described as a robust, bold matcha.

So, to recreate this drink to the tea, get your hands on some of the same matcha the cafe uses! For this recreation, I’ve also used Matcha.com’s ceremonial which is also robust and bold, with a nice umami flavor. Any good quality, bold matcha would be perfect for this double matcha.

However, since there is a matcha shortage of popular matcha brands, sourcing matcha powders might be tough. So use whatever you have on you!

How to Make a Double Matcha

Here’s what you’ll need to make a creamy double matcha at home:

• 2-3 tsp vanilla syrup
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp matcha powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup ice

Double Matcha Recipe

1. Make a Matcha Cream Top. Add sugar, heavy cream, and sifted matcha powder to a tall cup or bowl. Using an electric frother or whisk, whip the heavy cream mixture until it almost doubles in size. It should be soft and fluffy and still pourable, not stiff like whipped cream.
2. Whisk Matcha. Sift matcha powder into a bowl and add water. Using a softened matcha whisk, vigorously whisk your matcha in a zigzag motion for 20 seconds until a foam forms on top. Watch this matcha whisking tutorial for reference.
3. Assemble Drink. Mix the whisked matcha with milk and the vanilla syrup until well combined. Add ice and the matcha latte to a separate glass, then top with the matcha cream.
4. Mix and Enjoy!

More Matcha Cream Top Recipes

If you love sweet and creamy matcha lattes, then you’ll love some of my other matcha cream top recipes like:

• Blueberry Cold Foam Matcha Latte
• Matcha Einspanner
• Banana Cream Matcha Latte (My Favorite)
• Strawberry Cold Foam Matcha Latte
• Vanilla Pudding Matcha Latte
• Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cold Foam Matcha Latte
• Gingerbread Cream Matcha Latte
• Carrot Cake Matcha Latte
• Ube Pudding Matcha Latte

Tips:

Here are some tips for making Stagger Coffee’s double matcha at home!

• Accidentally Made Whipped Cream?: If you accidentally make matcha whipped cream, you can take it back to a softer texture by adding a little more heavy cream and re-whipping for that soft and fluffy consistency.
• Weak Matcha Flavor: If your matcha latte doesn’t have a strong matcha flavor, try adding more matcha powder to your drink, too! If more matcha powder doesn’t work, your matcha powder might not be fresh or poor quality.
• More Creaminess: For an ultra-creamy drink, use whole milk or a milk alternative that is creamier, like oat milk!