If you love sweet and salty flavors, you’ll love this salted tahini honeycomb matcha latte take on the viral Maman latte! This drink is creamy, nutty, earthy, and slightly sweet, with a delicious earthy matcha flavor. This creative flavor combination is definitely a must-try and the perfect way to experiment with your matcha latte!

Plus, it’s super easy to make at home with some kitchen pantry staples.

Here’s how to make a salted tahini honeycomb matcha latte at home!

What is Tahini?

Tahini is a ground toasted white sesame paste that is a popular Middle Eastern and Mediterranean condiment. You’ll usually find it paired with savory foods like falafel, in hummus, or in desserts like halva! It’s basically a ground sesame nut butter with added oil.

It’s usually white in color and very runny, usually packaged in plastic jars. You can find this condiment in any grocery store, and it’s usually $10 for a medium-sized jar!

What Does Tahini Taste Like?

Tahini has an interesting flavor. It’s basically concentrated sesame seeds, which, on its own, has a nice nutty, earthy, and slightly bitter taste. When you grind the seeds into a paste, it releases a fragrant oil, and the paste tastes a lot more intense.

To me, tahini is super roasty, nutty, and has a bitter aftertaste. It can also taste a little bit sour on the tongue if you’re not used to the flavor. Tahini can also taste a slightly sweet flavor.

To compare it to another flavor, tahini tastes very similar to peanut butter, but less sweet and more nutty and earthy.

Do Tahini and Honey Go Together?

You bet! Peanut butter and honey are a commonly known pairing, and tahini is very similar to peanut butter, as stated above. There’s just something so satisfying about something rich and nutty paired with a refreshing sweetness!

I think the honey brings out an additional nuttiness to the tahini that makes it seem more balanced. Without that extra sugar, I think tahini tastes a little bitter and slightly sour, which all washes away with the honey.

There’s definitely a phenomenon going on when salt and sweet combine, which makes this combination so popular!

Sweet and Salty

There’s a scientific reason why adding salt to sweet works so well! The physiological reason: Salt binds to your sweet taste receptors to amplify sweetness while masking any bitterness. This is why things like salted caramel and salted maple syrup are so addicting.

Food Science Break: When salt binds to sweet receptors, it highlights sweet flavors and reduces the perception of bitterness. This phenomenon is known as cross-modal perception, which is why adding a pinch of salt to desserts or sweet drinks is so common. This literally tricks your tongue and brain!

So, salt cuts through sugar and makes sweet things feel less cloying and more balanced. That pinch of salt can transform this salted tahini honeycomb matcha latte in ways we can’t even see!

What is a Salted Tahini Honeycomb Matcha Latte?

This drink is actually the matcha version of the viral salted tahini honeycomb latte from Maman in NYC.

Their version has tahini, honey, sea salt, milk, and espresso which makes an amazing sweet and salty combination. It’s no wonder their latte went viral on TikTok (granted, a large influencer posted about it) and garnered so many fans.

The tahini has a nutty, roasted flavor similar to peanuts, which works perfectly with a little honey and salt. People love a good sweet and salty concoction—think PB and J sandwiches, kettle corn, sweet peanut butter, etc. Additionally, the savoriness also works amazingly with espresso and cuts any bitterness!

So, because it works well with espresso, I wanted to try it with matcha, which is also bitter but in a more earthy way. And let me tell you, it tastes so good.

What Does a Salted Tahini Honeycomb Matcha Latte Taste Like?

As mentioned, the tahini has a peanutty flavor that works nicely with the sweetness from honey. It’s roasty, toasty, and slightly smokey (kind of like hojicha in a way) with a slight bitterness at the end from the sesame.

With matcha, the tahini and honey round out the bitterness and mask any earthiness in the drink. Instead, you’re left with the nutty, umami flavor of the matcha with a slight grassiness. The tahini also makes the drink super creamy, which makes this matcha latte so good!

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this combination is one you have to try, especially if you like sweet and salty and umami!

How to Make a Salted Tahini Honeycomb Matcha Latte

Here’s what you’ll need to make a salted tahini honeycomb matcha latte at home:

• ½ tbsp tahini
• 1-2 tsp honey
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1½ tsp matcha powder
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup ice
• ¼ piece honeycomb (optional garnish)
• A pinch of white sesame seeds (optional garnish)

Salted Tahini Honeycomb Matcha Latte Recipe

1. Mix Tahini and Honey. Add tahini, salt, and honey to a small heatproof cup or bowl and a little bit of hot water. Give it a good mix until everything is well incorporated.
2. Make Salted Tahini Honey Milk. Add the dissolved tahini honey mixture into your milk and froth or stir to combine.
3. Whisk Matcha. Sift your matcha into a matcha bowl, then add your room temperature or hot water to the bowl. Using a bamboo whisk, vigorously whisk your matcha in a zigzag motion until a foam forms on the top layer. See my matcha whisking tutorial.
4. Assemble Drink. Add ice and prepared milk to a glass, then pour the whisked matcha on top. Pour the matcha directly onto ice to create a layered effect. Garnish with a piece of honeycomb and a sprinkle of white sesame seeds.
5. Mix and Enjoy!

Other Sweet and Salty Matcha Lattes to Try

If you love this sweet and salty tahini honey matcha latte, you have to try other similarly flavored matcha lattes! From salted honey to salted maple syrup, try these savory and sweet matcha lattes next:

• Salted honey matcha latte
• Salted vanilla matcha latte
• Smoked sea salt maple syrup matcha latte (Must Try!)
• Honey salted pistachio matcha latte
• Salted maple syrup matcha latte

Tips:

Here are some tips for making the best salted tahini honeycomb matcha latte at home!

• Dissolve Tahini and Honey in Warm Water: Tahini and honey are both notoriously difficult substances to work with since one is oily and runny and the other is sticky and syrupy. To make it easier to mix into your drink, mix them together with a little hot water to make a syrup that dissolves nicely into your milk.
• Use a Different Sweetener: Not a fan of honey? You can always substitute the honey for your favorite sweetener! You can use agave, maple syrup, simple syrup, brown sugar, etc.
• Use an Electric Frother: To make combining the tahini and honey into milk easier, use a handheld electric frother to combine them instantly. Plus, you’ll end up with a nice aerated milk!