Purple Matcha Sweet Potato.
Roasted purple sweet potato blended into cream, layered with A-Grade Uji matcha. Naturally sweet, no added sugar, vegan by default. $7.00 at Café Mia in Bushwick.
Purple Matcha Sweet Potato is one of our two flagship specialty drinks, the caramel-sweet, root-vegetable counterpart to Pink Matcha Dragonfruit's fruit-forward brightness. Roasted purple sweet potato meets A-Grade Uji matcha in a striking two-layer iced drink. Naturally sweet, no added sugar, vividly purple. $7.00.
How we make it
- Whole purple sweet potatoes slow-roasted to caramelize their natural sugars.
- Blended with oat milk and a touch of maple until silky. No added sugar; no purple coloring.
- Poured over large-cube ice as the base layer.
- 4g of A-Grade Uji matcha whisked with hot water using a bamboo chasen for 25 seconds.
- Cold oat milk mixed with the matcha, then poured slowly over the purple base to create the two-layer presentation.
The sweet potato base is prepared weekly per Café Mia food safety standard. Each drink is assembled per order, no pre-batching of the finished drink.
What it tastes like
Layered: sip through the matcha layer first for pure Uji flavor, then mix and taste the purple sweet potato blending in. Fully mixed: gently sweet root-vegetable with a caramel finish, meeting matcha's umami depth and green-tea brightness. Cleaner and less sugary than a pumpkin spice or vanilla latte. Perfect for customers who want flavor without processed sweetness.
Why purple sweet potato works with matcha
Purple sweet potato has three qualities that make it exceptional in matcha:
- Natural sweetness without sugar shock. The caramel note comes from slow roasting, not added sugar. Matcha's natural sweetness (from L-theanine) complements it rather than competing.
- Creamy body. Sweet potato blends into a genuinely creamy texture, giving the drink a fuller mouthfeel than a plain latte.
- Vivid color. The anthocyanin purple is one of the most striking natural food colors on Earth. Green matcha over purple sweet potato is genuinely photogenic without any Instagram filter.
Signature menu
Order what everyone comes for
Iced Matcha Latte
A-Grade Uji matcha, 4g dose, whisked fresh with oat milk over large-cube ice. Our #1 seller.
$5.50
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Pink Matcha Dragonfruit
Real dragonfruit puree layered with A-Grade Uji matcha. Naturally sweet, vividly pink.
$7.00
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Iced Matcha Lemonade
Fresh-squeezed lemonade meets whisked Uji matcha. Summer bestseller.
$6.50
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Nutrition
Purple sweet potato: vitamin A, C, potassium, fiber, anthocyanin antioxidants. A-Grade Uji matcha: EGCG catechins, L-theanine. Oat milk: beta-glucan fiber. Approximately 220 calories per 16oz serving. Naturally vegan; contains no dairy, no eggs, no gluten. Can be made with whole dairy milk on request.
What pairs with it
- Matcha basque cheesecake ($8.50) — same matcha base in dessert form; the sweet potato drink complements the cheesecake's richness.
- Turkey pesto sandwich ($12) — savory-and-sweet contrast; the sandwich brings salt, the drink brings gentle caramel.
- Pistachio croissant ($5.50) — pistachio and purple sweet potato share a nutty, gently sweet register.
How it compares to a chai or pumpkin spice latte
Both chai and pumpkin spice traditionally lean heavily on added sugar and spice syrups. Purple Matcha Sweet Potato uses zero added sugar, no syrup, and the sweetness comes entirely from slow-roasted natural sugars in the sweet potato itself. If you love pumpkin spice season but want less sugar, this is the drink to try.
Order it
Available in-cafe at 1128 Broadway, and via GrubHub and DoorDash for delivery across Brooklyn. Open daily 8 AM to 5 PM.
Related
- A-Grade Uji Matcha — the base of every drink
- Pink Matcha Dragonfruit — the fruit-forward specialty
- Best Matcha in Brooklyn — the guide
- Matcha Basque Cheesecake — the dessert pairing
Frequently asked
What is Purple Matcha Sweet Potato?
Purple Matcha Sweet Potato is a two-layer specialty drink at Café Mia: a base of roasted purple sweet potato cream (naturally sweet, earthy, gently caramel) with a top layer of whisked A-Grade Uji matcha. The visual is vivid purple-into-green; the flavor is warm root vegetable meeting fresh Japanese tea. $7.00 for 16oz iced. Vegan-friendly with oat milk (default).
What does purple sweet potato taste like?
Purple sweet potato (Okinawan-style) tastes gently sweet, similar to regular sweet potato but with a more subtle, almost floral note, less starchy body, and a natural caramel finish. It's much less sweet than pumpkin or standard sweet potato in a Thanksgiving dish; think of it as a natural, unprocessed sweetness. The vivid purple color comes from anthocyanins, the same antioxidants in blueberries.
Is the purple color natural?
Yes, 100 percent from real purple sweet potato. No purple food coloring, no butterfly pea flower, no artificial dye. Purple sweet potatoes are naturally this vibrant when roasted and blended. Once the matcha's green layer sits on top, the color contrast is one of the most striking drinks we serve.
How is the sweet potato prepared?
We slow-roast whole purple sweet potatoes to caramelize their natural sugars, then blend with oat milk and a touch of maple until smooth and creamy. No sugar added. The base holds its texture and color for the full drink. We batch this weekly, per Café Mia food safety standard.
What's the sweetness level?
Gently sweet, similar to a mildly sweetened oat milk. Substantially less sweet than a flavored latte with syrup. The A-Grade Uji matcha's natural sweetness and umami depth complement the sweet potato without either dominating. Most customers don't add sugar.
Is it hot or iced?
Iced only, similar to Pink Matcha Dragonfruit, the two-layer presentation requires cold to hold. If you want a warm sweet-potato drink, we can make a hot purple sweet potato oat milk drink without the matcha layer (menu-hack; ask at the counter). But the classic Purple Matcha Sweet Potato is served iced.
Nutrition profile?
Purple sweet potato is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and anthocyanins. Matcha adds catechins and L-theanine. Oat milk adds beta-glucan fiber. Combined, this is a nutrient-dense drink without added sugar. Approximately 220 calories for a 16oz serving. Vegan by default; can be made with dairy milk on request.