Geplaatst door Jeroen
Ube powder is dried and ground purple yam, the tuber of the plant Dioscorea alata. It comes from the Philippines, it is naturally deep purple, and it is used to make purple lattes, drinks and baked goods. No colouring is involved: the colour is in the root.
What does ube taste like?
Soft, lightly sweet and nutty, with a clear vanilla-like note. It is a mild flavour: less bitter than matcha, less spiced than chai and less sweet than white chocolate. The purple colour makes people expect berries, but ube is not fruity and not sour.
The closest comparison is sweet potato crossed with vanilla, with a hint of coconut. People trying it for the first time often say vanilla ice cream or homemade custard.
Ube, taro and purple sweet potato are not the same
| Type | Plant | Colour inside | Taste |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ube | Dioscorea alata, a yam | deep purple | lightly sweet, nutty, vanilla-like |
| Taro | Colocasia esculenta | white to light grey | mild, starchy, almost neutral |
| Purple sweet potato | Ipomoea batatas | purple | sweeter, clearly potato-like |
Taro drinks are usually coloured purple even though taro itself is white inside. Ube does not need that.
Does ube contain caffeine?
No. Ube is a root vegetable, so an ube latte has no caffeine at all. That is the main practical difference with matcha: you can drink ube in the evening.
How much ube powder per latte?
Two to two and a half grams, which is roughly one level teaspoon. Whisk it with 20 ml of hot water at about 80 degrees Celsius first, then top up with 180 to 200 ml of milk. Putting the powder straight into cold milk always gives lumps.
At that dose a 100 gram pouch makes about 50 lattes. Some brands recommend 8 to 10 grams per cup, which means a pouch is gone in ten drinks. Always check the dose before comparing prices.
What can you make with it?
- Ube latte: hot, creamy, ready in two minutes.
- Iced ube latte: whisk with hot water, pour over ice and cold milk.
- Ube coffee: layered with a shot of espresso. A dirty ube latte is the version where you pour espresso over cold purple milk and leave the layers.
- Ube cold foam: whisked with cold cream or barista oat milk, spooned onto iced coffee.
- Baking: cookies, cheesecake, panna cotta and ice cream. The vanilla note gets stronger when baked.
What to look for when buying ube powder
- The percentage of ube. This is the difference between powder and a latte mix. A mix with 9 percent ube is mostly sugar.
- Added sugar. If sugar is first on the ingredient list, sugar decides the taste.
- Colouring. Ube is purple from anthocyanins, the same natural pigments found in blueberries and red cabbage. It does not need added colour.
- Dose per cup. Work out the cost per drink, not just the cost per pouch.
- Origin. Ube comes from the Philippines. Many packs do not say where it is from.
Where to buy ube powder in Europe
Supermarkets rarely carry it. Filipino and Asian grocery stores usually do, though the composition varies by brand and is not always pure. Online you can read the ingredient list before you buy, which is the main advantage.
UBE.25 sells ube powder, 100 grams for 19.50 euro. It contains 99.7 percent ube and 0.3 percent natural vanilla, with no added sugar and no colouring. We ship from the Netherlands to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. Orders placed before 23:59 on a working day go out the same night, and shipping is free from two items.
Frequently asked questions
What is purple yam?
Purple yam is the English name for ube: a naturally purple tuber from the Philippines, botanically Dioscorea alata.
Is ube the same as taro?
No. They are from different plant families, taro is white inside and much milder, and ube is naturally purple.
What is an ube latte?
Milk with whisked ube powder. Naturally purple, lightly sweet, nutty with vanilla, and caffeine free.
Is ube powder vegan?
Pure ube powder is just dried root. UBE.25 ube powder contains ube and natural vanilla only, so it is suitable for a vegan diet. Latte mixes often contain milk powder, so check the label.
How do you pronounce ube?
Oo-beh, with the stress on the first syllable.
Try it
A 100 gram pouch of UBE.25 ube powder makes about 50 lattes. Recipes are on the recipes page, written in Dutch but easy to follow by the measurements.
