Hi guys!
I am def a little late to the whole matcha game but am so excited I finally tried it out for myself! There’s lots of different ways to incorporate matcha into your daily eats, but my favorite way is through a hot, steamy, creamy latte. Mmmmm.
You guys know I love me a cup of coffee first thing in the AM, but recently it just hasn’t tasted as amazing to me. Idk, it’s like my body doesn’t want it as much right now. So since I wasn’t totally loving with my morning cup of joe (as I usually am) I decided it could be a good opportunity to try some of these fun lattes and elixirs I see floating around on instagram. I haven’t had coffee in the morning for a few weeks (gasp!) but I’m actually really loving starting my day this way. By no means am I “cutting out” or “quitting” coffee, you know I don’t like extremes 🙂 I just like to listen to my body, and eat things I’m really enjoying, so I can truly savor it! My love affair with coffee has certainly not come to an end… we’re just seeing other people right now, lol.
First things first, what even is matcha? It’s basically what you get when you take green tea leaves and grind them into a very fine powder. The green tea used to make matcha is typically grown in Japan, and the leaves are actually shaded in the last few weeks of their growth which makes them especially rich in chlorophyll – this is what gives matcha it’s insane green color! It’s also rich in antioxidants, especially polyphenols, and if you watched my video on antioxidants you know just how important of a role they play in keeping your body balanced & your oxidative stress levels at a minimum. And since you are consuming the powder, and therefore the whole tea leaves, instead of just steeping & then removing them, they pack a much higher nutritional punch overall.
One thing I will note though, that I came across in my research, is that all green tea (even when organically grown) will have trace amounts of lead. When you drink regular green tea, the leaves are steeped & removed, and therefore so is most of the lead. But when you are drinking ground up leaves, and trace amount of lead in the leaves will be in your drink. I’m not trying to scare you by any means, as it is a very trace amount, but I felt it was worth mentioning and to any of my preggo followers out there, you may want to pass on the matcha for now. (You could always check with your OB or midwife as well to see what they say!)
Matcha tea is traditionally made with just the matcha powder & hot water, and mixed using a bamboo whisk and spoon (this special traditional whisk is what gives it a frothy texture) but since I make a latte with my matcha, I kinda went off the beaten path and made my own concoction, and to make my life a little easier used a blender 😉 I do have one of those handy little milk frothers as well, but I’ve found that using a blender does a much better job at breaking up any clumps of the matcha powder that may remain after whisking. And also just to up the nutrition ante, I also add a bit of turmeric as well, which takes the antioxidant punch up a notch.
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup milk of choice (I’ve been doing 1/2 cup cashew milk & 1/2 cup organic milk from grass fed cows – it’s a yummy combo!)
- 1/2 tsp matcha (I recommend getting a higher quality brand, I got mine here)
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- Sprinkle cinnamon
- Dash vanilla extract
- Pinch of pepper (to help activate the turmeric)
How to make it:
- In a small saucepan on the stove, add all ingredients, and heat on medium/high.
- Whisk continuously while mixture is heating up.
- When the mixture starts to boil slightly – when small bubbles start forming on the edged of the saucepan – remove from heat.
- Pour mixture into a blender, blend for ~15 seconds or until frothy.
- Pour into your favorite mug & enjoy!
That’s it! You can whip this together in just a couple minutes, it really is so easy. I’m not sure how long this will be hanging out in place of my morning coffee…but for now I’m really enjoying it!
What’s your favorite way to consume matcha?
