Brown Sugar Matcha Latte for Cafés: Kokuto vs Brown Sugar, Official Recipes Compared, Kuromitsu Syrup and Labeling

Matcha lattes sweetened with Japanese black sugar or its syrup, instead of white sugar or plain syrup, are on menus at cafés in Singapore and at Japanese chains. But the sugar called “brown sugar” in English is not always the same as Japanese kokuto. This article checks the difference between the sugars in public sources, then compares recipe ratios from tea companies and Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), and covers making and storing kuromitsu, labeling and cost.

What is a brown sugar or kuromitsu matcha latte?

It is a matcha latte sweetened with kokuto (Japanese black sugar) or with kuromitsu, a syrup made by dissolving kokuto in water. In English it appears under names such as “Brown Sugar Matcha Latte” and “Matcha Kuromitsu Latte.”

Menus in Singapore, Thailand and Japan

Country	Shop	Menu name	What the source says
Singapore	Whisking Matcha	Brown Sugar Matcha Latte	Listed in a Grab matcha feature alongside its Classic and Coconut lattes
Singapore	Hey Matcha	Brown Sugar Matcha Latte	Listed in a Grab matcha feature
Singapore	HALO Ube + Matcha	Matcha Kuromitsu Latte	A latte with a dark sugar syrup base (Grab)
Singapore	Tsujiri	Kinako-Kuromitsu Latte	A soybean powder-based drink sweetened with Japanese black sugar syrup, from S$6.80 (opening article, September 2023)
Thailand	Café Amazon	Hojicha Brown Sugar Latte	A hojicha latte, 65 baht on a delivery listing (one branch)
Japan	nana’s green tea	抹茶黒蜜ラテ (matcha kuromitsu latte)	M ¥780, L ¥880 on the official menu. English name: Matcha Latte w/Brown sugar syrup and Whipped cream

In Thailand, among the menus we checked, we found no brown sugar matcha latte, only the hojicha latte. In Indonesia we did not find one either. For hojicha lattes, see Hojicha Latte Recipe.

Pairing with kinako

Tsujiri’s latte combines kinako (roasted soybean flour) with kuromitsu. Kuromitsu and kinako are often used together in Japanese sweets. MAFF’s “Nippon Traditional Foods” guide also introduces kuromitsu kinako mochi from Yamanashi. Adding kinako adds soy, which also changes how you write allergens.

Matcha boba with tapioca and brown sugar syrup is covered in Matcha Boba and Matcha Milk Tea for Cafés, and syrup with matcha dissolved in it in Matcha Syrup Recipe for Cafés. Lattes flavored and sweetened with vanilla or honey are compared in Vanilla, Lavender and Honey Matcha Lattes.

Kokuto, kuromitsu and brown sugar: the differences

Japanese kokuto is sugar made by solidifying sugarcane juice without separating the molasses. English “brown sugar” includes sugar made by mixing white sugar with molasses, so it is not always the same as kokuto. When buying, tell them apart by how they are made and by the ingredients, not by the name.

Kokuto (black sugar)

The Consumer Affairs Agency’s Food Labeling Standards Q&A defines kokuto (kurozatō) as sugar made by removing impurities from sugarcane juice through neutralization and settling, concentrating it by boiling, and then cooling it without separating the molasses, in solid or powder form. According to MAFF, kokuto is a specialty of the Amami area and Okinawa Prefecture. Under Kagoshima Prefecture’s certification standard for kokuto, the only additive allowed is calcium hydroxide (or quicklime), used to remove bitterness and impurities.

Source: Consumer Affairs Agency, “食品表示基準Q&A” (Q&A on the Food Labeling Standards), Chapter 2 Processed foods, Q 9 (in Japanese) https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/food_labeling/food_labeling_act/assets/food_labeling_cms201_261001_12.pdf

Sanontō and English brown sugar

Japanese sanontō is also brown. According to MAFF’s public relations magazine aff, it is made by boiling down the sugar liquid left after the crystals of white sugar or granulated sugar have been taken out, and heating gives it a caramel color. The Sugar Association, the US sugar industry association, explains that brown sugar is made either by directly boiling a brown sugar syrup or by mixing white sugar with various amounts of molasses. Unrefined cane sugar with the molasses not removed is called muscovado.

How the nutrients differ

Per 100g	Kokuto (black sugar)	Sanontō	White sugar (jōhakutō)
Energy	352kcal	390kcal	391kcal
Carbohydrate	90.3g	99.0g	99.3g
Potassium	1,100mg	13mg	2mg
Calcium	240mg	6mg	1mg
Iron	4.7mg	0.1mg	Trace

Values are from the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan (8th revised edition, 2023 supplement) by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Because the molasses is not separated, kokuto has more minerals than the other sugars and slightly less carbohydrate.

MAFF’s aff magazine (November 2016) describes non-centrifugal sugar as sugar whose crystals and molasses are not separated during production, and says kokuto is made by boiling down sugarcane juice. Its sugar content is about 85 degrees, but its distinctive flavor makes it taste strongly sweet.

Source: MAFF, aff November 2016, “特集1 砂糖(4)” (Special feature 1: Sugar, part 4, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/pr/aff/1611/spe1_04.html

Kuromitsu

Kuromitsu is a syrup made by dissolving kokuto in water. MAFF’s “Nippon Traditional Foods” guide says kokuto is used as the raw material for kuromitsu. As nana’s green tea writes its matcha kuromitsu latte in English as “Brown sugar syrup,” “brown sugar” on an English menu can mean kuromitsu or US-style brown sugar.

Official recipe ratios compared

In tea companies’ recipes, matcha is 1 to 2 teaspoons, and the sweetener is either mixed in as powder or added as a syrup. Few recipes state how much sweetener goes into one drink, so you need to set the amount in your shop.

Matcha latte ratios

Source	Matcha	Sweetener	Liquid to dissolve	Milk	Hot/iced
Sugimoto Tea Company (Japanese green tea maker founded in 1946, US site)	1 tsp	1 tbsp brown sugar (as powder)	1oz (about 30ml) hot water	3/4 cup unsweetened milk, steamed to 160°F (about 71°C)	Hot
Nio Teas (seller of Japanese green tea)	2 tsp latte matcha	Syrup made from 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup water	A splash of hot water	1 cup oat milk	Iced (crushed ice)
Yunomi (seller of Japanese tea)	Not stated	Kuromitsu made from kokuto or muscovado	Not stated	Not stated	Recommended for matcha lattes

Nio Teas’ recipe is for one serving, but the syrup is a batch made from 1/2 cup of sugar, and the amount used in one drink is not stated.

Kuromitsu ratios

Source	Kokuto	Water	Kokuto : water	Share of kokuto
MAFF regional food pages, “Getanha” (syrup for a Kagoshima sweet)	300g	150cc	2:1	About 67%
Yunomi	200g kokuto or muscovado	200ml	1:1	50%
MAFF Hokuriku Regional Agricultural Administration Office, “Kuromitsu dango”	100g black sugar	2 cups	About 0.25:1	About 20%
Nio Teas (brown sugar syrup)	1/2 cup	1/4 cup	2:1 by volume	Not calculated (volume measures)

The share of kokuto is the weight of kokuto divided by the total of kokuto and water before boiling (taking 1ml = 1g and 1 cup = 200ml), calculated by our editors. Water lost during boiling is not included. The Hokuriku office’s kuromitsu is a thin syrup for soaking dumplings.

What the tables show

The ratio of kokuto to water differs eightfold, from about 0.25:1 in the thin syrup for dumplings to 2:1 in the thick syrup for a sweet. For lattes, starting from Yunomi’s 1:1 and adjusting in your shop for sweetness and how easily it pours makes the amount per drink easier to keep consistent (our view). How to set the strength of the matcha is covered in How to Make a Matcha Latte (Hot).

How to make kuromitsu and add it to a latte

To make kuromitsu, dissolve kokuto and water in a pan, skim off the scum and let it cool. For the latte, dissolving the matcha in a little hot water first makes both the kuromitsu and the matcha mix in more easily.

Making kuromitsu

MAFF’s “Nippon Traditional Foods” guide says to put black sugar and water in a pan over low heat and dissolve the sugar while skimming off the scum. Starch syrup (mizuame) is sometimes added. Yunomi lets the kokuto and water sit briefly, heats them over medium heat, lowers the heat once it boils and skims off the scum, brings it to a boil again, turns off the heat, lets it cool and keeps it in the fridge. When using kokuto in lumps, letting it sit in the water for a while before heating, as Yunomi does, makes it easier to dissolve.

Hot

Sugimoto Tea Company mixes the matcha and brown sugar in the cup first, adds hot water little by little and whisks, then pours in frothed milk. Tea companies’ recipes in Matcha Syrup Recipe for Cafés also recommend mixing matcha with sugar first to reduce lumps. When using kuromitsu, mixing it into the dissolved matcha before pouring the milk lets it combine while warm.

Iced

Nio Teas drizzles the cooled syrup around the inside of the glass, then adds crushed ice, the matcha dissolved in hot water and oat milk, in that order, and stirs gently. Drizzling kuromitsu down the side of the glass gives a drink with visible brown streaks. Layering is covered in Iced Matcha Latte Recipe.

Why it goes wrong

The common problems with a brown sugar latte are three: it gets too sweet, the matcha flavor gets lost, and the syrup does not mix into cold milk. Each can be explained by the nature of kokuto and by how much you add and in what order.

Too sweet

MAFF’s aff magazine says the sugar content of kokuto is about 85 degrees, but its distinctive flavor makes it taste strongly sweet. Adding the same amount of kuromitsu as a white sugar syrup tends to taste sweeter. The thickness of kuromitsu also changes with how long it is boiled, so make it to the same recipe every time and weigh the grams per drink.

The matcha flavor gets lost

As MAFF’s aff magazine notes, kokuto has a distinctive flavor. With too little matcha, the tea flavor becomes hard to taste (our view). If you pair it with a milk that has its own flavor, such as oat milk, Oat Milk Matcha Latte is also useful. For drinks with kokuto, keep the matcha the same as your usual latte or a little more, then set the amount of kuromitsu (our view).

It does not mix into cold milk, or it clumps

Thick kuromitsu is viscous and tends to settle at the bottom among ice and cold milk (our view). Matcha is also a powder that clumps easily when added straight to a cold liquid. For iced drinks, dissolve the matcha in a little hot water first, and loosen the kuromitsu with the dissolved matcha or a little room-temperature milk before combining. How to avoid lumps is covered in How to Make Matcha.

Storing kuromitsu and how much to make

We did not find a public guideline for how many days homemade kuromitsu keeps. What is published is a retailer’s advice to refrigerate it and a public explanation of water and microbes.

Thinner kuromitsu spoils more easily

The Hiroshima Prefectural Food Technology Research Center explains that the higher the concentration of dissolved ingredients in a food, the lower its water activity, a value showing the share of water microbes can use. Ordinary bacteria grow at a water activity of 0.90 or higher, yeasts at 0.88 or higher and molds at 0.80 or higher. Thin kuromitsu with 20% kokuto leaves more water that microbes can use than thick kuromitsu with 67%.

Storage in the shop (our view)

Let it cool, put it in a clean container and refrigerate it
Write the date and time it was made, and make only as much as you will use in 1 to 2 days
Decide how many days it can be kept in your shop by mixing freshly made and several-day-old kuromitsu with the same milk and comparing color, aroma and taste
Do not make kuromitsu lattes ahead. How to hold milk drinks is covered in Iced Matcha Latte Recipe

Using powdered kokuto

Dissolving a powdered sweetener together with the matcha, as Sugimoto Tea Company does, means you do not need to prepare a syrup. Powdered kokuto can be weighed for each drink, so it suits shops that want less prep and storage work. Use powdered kokuto for this method (our view).

In Japan, only kokuto that meets the definition can be labeled simply as “kokuto.” When writing kokuto on a menu or a take-away product, write the sugar you actually used.

Japan’s rules

Under the Consumer Affairs Agency’s Food Labeling Standards Q&A, kokuto with raw sugar or similar added cannot be named simply “kokuto” and must have a name showing that it is not pure kokuto, such as “processed kokuto” (kakō kokuto). Products made from raw sugar and molasses cannot list “kokuto” in the ingredients. Sugar that contains no kokuto cannot be given a name such as “kokuto ○○” either.

When kokuto is used with other sugars, consumers may assume all of the sugar is kokuto. The Q&A asks that the ingredients be written as “sugar (white sugar, kokuto)” or similar so as not to mislead. A shop that buys kokuto should not emphasize “made with Okinawan sugarcane”; it should state the fact, for example “All of the kokuto we use is made from sugarcane grown in Okinawa Prefecture.”

Because English “brown sugar” covers a wide range, if you use kokuto, writing what it is, such as “Okinawan kokuto (black sugar)” or “kuromitsu (black sugar syrup),” makes it clear (our view). If you use US-style brown sugar or sanontō, simply write brown sugar.

Sugar and allergens

In Singapore, drinks made in shops are also covered by Nutri-Grade, which grades drinks by sugar and saturated fat. Because the amount of kuromitsu can change the grade, set the kuromitsu per drink in grams. The scheme is covered in Strawberry Matcha Latte for Cafés. If you add kinako, it contains soy; for how allergens are handled in each country, see Matcha Mochi for Cafés.

Cost per drink and what to check when buying

The matcha cost per drink is “price per kg ÷ 1,000 × grams used per drink,” and the kuromitsu cost is “ingredient cost of the batch ÷ grams of kuromitsu made × grams per drink.” Check the name and ingredients of the kokuto and the grade of the matcha before setting the recipe.

Matcha cost and kuromitsu cost

Work out the matcha cost with the same formula as for your usual matcha latte. How the price per kg is set is covered in Why Is Matcha So Expensive?.

Kuromitsu loses water when boiled, so always weigh how much you made. For example, make a batch with Yunomi’s ratio (200g kokuto and 200ml water) and divide the cost of the kokuto by the weight of kuromitsu made to get the cost per gram. Multiply that by the grams used per drink. For powdered kokuto, it is the price of a bag ÷ net weight × grams per drink. Include any kuromitsu thrown away unused, and add the cost of milk, ice and cups to get the ingredient cost per drink.

When buying kokuto

Check whether the name is “kokuto” or “processed kokuto” (processed kokuto is kokuto with raw sugar or similar added)
Check the ingredients (kokuto lists “sugarcane”; processed kokuto lists “kokuto, raw sugar, molasses” or similar)
Lumps or powder (lumps are easier for syrup, powder is easier for dissolving as is)
For brown sugar bought outside Japan, check whether it is refined sugar mixed with molasses or unrefined cane sugar

When choosing matcha

Choose matcha whose tea flavor and green color remain after mixing with milk, so it is not lost under the kokuto. “Culinary” and “ceremonial” are sellers’ names, with no official standard. Make the candidate matcha to the same recipe with your shop’s kuromitsu and milk, line them up and compare the color and aroma when freshly made. Differences in harvest and raw material are covered in Matcha grades, regions in Origins, and choosing matcha for lattes in How to Choose Matcha for Café Lattes.

Omakase Matcha sources matcha from Uji, Yame, Shizuoka, Kagoshima and Miyazaki. Orders start from 1kg, you can choose up to 3 samples, and we can help adjust the blend for your menu. Request samples for testing on the samples page.

Sources

Consumer Affairs Agency, “食品表示基準Q&A” (Q&A on the Food Labeling Standards), Chapter 2 Processed foods, Q 9, 69, 70, 201, 204 (in Japanese) https://www.caa.go.jp/policies/policy/food_labeling/food_labeling_act/assets/food_labeling_cms201_261001_12.pdf
Kagoshima Prefecture, “黒糖の認証基準” (Certification standard for kokuto, revised November 2015, in Japanese) https://www.pref.kagoshima.jp/ag04/sangyo-rodo/nogyo/suisin/ninsyou/documents/7977_20151201165641-1.pdf
MAFF, aff November 2016, “特集1 砂糖(4)” (Special feature 1: Sugar, part 4, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/pr/aff/1611/spe1_04.html
MAFF, aff November 2021, “違いを知って料理をおいしく！砂糖の種類と製造方法” (Types of sugar and how they are made, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/pr/aff/2111/spe1_01.html
MAFF, Nippon Traditional Foods, “黒糖” (Kokuto, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/traditional-foods/menu/kokutou.html
MAFF, Nippon Traditional Foods, “山梨の黒蜜きなこ餅” (Yamanashi kuromitsu kinako mochi, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/traditional-foods/menu/yamanasino_kuromitu_kinakomoti.html
MAFF, Our Regional Cuisines, “黒糖鹿児島県” (Kokuto, Kagoshima, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/kokuto_kagoshima.html
MAFF, Our Regional Cuisines, “げたんは鹿児島県” (Getanha, Kagoshima, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/getanha_kagoshima.html
MAFF Hokuriku Regional Agricultural Administration Office, “黒みつだんご” (Kuromitsu dango, in Japanese) https://www.maff.go.jp/hokuriku/seisan/komeko/recipe120.html
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Food Composition Database (Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan, 8th revised edition, 2023 supplement), black sugar (in Japanese) https://fooddb.mext.go.jp/details/details.pl?ITEM_NO=3_03001_8
Same database, sanontō (in Japanese) https://fooddb.mext.go.jp/details/details.pl?ITEM_NO=3_03004_8
Same database, white sugar (in Japanese) https://fooddb.mext.go.jp/details/details.pl?ITEM_NO=3_03003_8
The Sugar Association, “Types” https://www.sugar.org/sugar/types/
Hiroshima Prefectural Food Technology Research Center, “企業のためになるQ&A” (Q&A for businesses: water activity, in Japanese) https://www.pref.hiroshima.lg.jp/soshiki/26/foodfaq6-5.html
Sugimoto Tea Company, “Matcha Latte Recipe” https://www.sugimotousa.com/blog/matcha-latte-recipe
Nio Teas, “Adding a Sweet Twist to the Brown Sugar Matcha Latte” https://nioteas.com/blogs/japanese-teas/brown-sugar-matcha-latte
Yunomi, “What’s Kuromitsu” (17 February 2022) https://yunomi.life/en-gb/blogs/recipes/whats-kuromitsu
Grab, “Matcha Singapore: Order Matcha Drinks on GrabFood” https://www.grab.com/sg/articles/food/matcha-singapore/
Grab, “Matcha Orchard: Find and Order Matcha Cafes in Singapore” https://www.grab.com/sg/articles/food/matcha-orchard/
Eatbook, “Popular Matcha Cafe Tsujiri Opens In Tanjong Pagar With 1-For-1 Drinks” (29 September 2023) https://eatbook.sg/?p=145675
Wongnai, Café Amazon delivery menu https://www.wongnai.com/delivery/businesses/577439iz/order
nana’s green tea, official drink menu (in Japanese) https://www.nanasgreentea.com/collections/drink-menu

FAQ

QIs a brown sugar matcha latte the same as a kuromitsu matcha latte?

AThe sweetener may be different. Japanese kokuto (black sugar) is made from sugarcane juice without separating the molasses. According to the US sugar industry association, brown sugar is made either by boiling a brown sugar syrup or by mixing white sugar with molasses. Kuromitsu is a syrup made by dissolving kokuto or a similar sugar in water. On English menus, kuromitsu is sometimes translated as brown sugar syrup.

QWhat ratio of kokuto to water is used for kuromitsu?

APublished recipes vary. The syrup for a Kagoshima sweet on the Ministry of Agriculture's regional food pages uses 300g kokuto to 150cc water (2:1), the tea retailer Yunomi uses 200g to 200ml (1:1), and the Hokuriku Regional Agricultural Administration Office's syrup for dumplings uses 100g black sugar to 2 cups of water (about 0.25:1). For lattes, decide in your shop based on sweetness and how easily it pours.

QHow much brown sugar goes into one matcha latte?

ASugimoto Tea Company's recipe mixes 1 teaspoon matcha with 1 tablespoon brown sugar while both are still powder, whisks them with 1 ounce (about 30ml) hot water, then adds 3/4 cup steamed milk. Some recipes that use syrup do not state how much goes into one drink, so set a weight in grams in your shop and record it.

QHow long does homemade kuromitsu keep?

AWe did not find a public guideline for how many days homemade kuromitsu keeps. The tea retailer Yunomi says to keep it in the fridge. According to the Hiroshima Prefectural Food Technology Research Center, the more dissolved ingredients a food contains, the less water microbes can use. Thinner kuromitsu with more water spoils more easily, so refrigerate it, label it with the date it was made and make small batches.

QWhat should I watch for when writing “made with kokuto” on a menu or product?

AIn Japan, according to the Consumer Affairs Agency's Food Labeling Standards Q&A, only products that meet the definition can be labeled simply as kokuto. Products with raw sugar or similar added are named something like “processed kokuto.” If you also use other sugars, write “sugar (white sugar, kokuto)” or similar so customers do not think all of the sugar is kokuto.