For National Dessert Day, we wanted something that let matcha do more than sit on top of a latte. Panna cotta is the right match: a cream base with nothing to hide behind, which is exactly where Barista Grade earns its keep.

Why Barista Grade

Barista Grade is bold and full-bodied by design, built to hold its character through heat, cream, and the freezer. Most matcha fades once it hits dairy or sugar. This one doesn't. Nutty, toasted, a little chocolate, a little sweet grass, it balances a rich cream base instead of disappearing into it. That's the whole point of a Barista Grade dessert: you can still taste the matcha.

Ingredients

Panna cotta

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp Barista Grade matcha
• 2 gelatin sheets

Spiced pear compote

• 2 ripe pears, peeled and diced
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• Splash of water

Method

1. Bloom the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes.
2. Warm the cream, milk, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Do not let it boil.
3. Whisk in the Barista Grade matcha until fully smooth, no clumps.
4. Remove from heat, squeeze out the gelatin, and stir it into the warm cream until dissolved.
5. Pour into four ramekins or glasses and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
6. For the compote, cook the pears, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and water over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until softened and syrupy.
7. Top the set panna cotta with the warm or room-temperature compote just before serving.

Tips

Whisk the matcha into a small amount of warm cream first to fully dissolve it before adding the rest of the liquid. This is what keeps the color even and the texture silky instead of gritty. If you want a firmer set for unmolding, use 3 gelatin sheets instead of 2.

Why this works

Barista Grade holds its color and its flavor through the cream, the chill, and the wait, so what you're eating a day later still tastes like matcha, not an afterthought. Spiced pear brings the same warmth as the season without fighting the tea for attention. Nothing added. Nothing masked. Just crafted taste, dessert form.

SHOP BARISTA GRADE