Green tea is so 2010, Chai is so 2020. Hello, matcha, the new cool kid on the block that’s infused into anything and everything due to its fantastic health benefits.
When I say new, it’s rather new to the mainstream café society. Matcha green tea has actually been used for hundreds of years by Buddhist monks and Samurai warriors to prepare for meditation and improve their mental clarity thanks to a brain-boosting, stress-reducing combo of amino acid and L-Theanine. Who doesn’t want some of that?
Some even say it takes 10 cups of regular green tea to match the antioxidant power of one matcha serving. Unlike green tea which needs steeping, Matcha green tea leaves are dried and ground up into a fine powder that can be blended into drinks, puddings, smoothies, icecreams, energy balls and pretty much anything else you want to infuse it with. Sure, it still has the earthiness of green tea and probably won’t bring any new devotes but it allows you to become more adventurous with your cuppa green.
I first tried matcha on my first visit to Japan about 20 years ago (gosh, that makes me feel old) so it’s a little surprising that places like Starbucks (with added sugar) have taken so long to bring it to the western world.
Matcha is found in your local Asian grocer store.
Green Matcha Tea Recipes
Matcha green tea latte – serves 1
- 1/4 tsp of matcha green tea powder
- 1/3 half cup hot water
- 1/3 half cup nut, rice or coconut milk
- optional – sweetener of your choice, to taste. (I put in 3 drops stevia liquid)
- 1 chai teabag
- Add the matcha to your cup and then pour over the hot water, stir to combine
- Add the milk of your choice and stir again
- Add in sweetener
- For the chai component (optional) steep a chai tea bag in the hot water for a couple of minutes before you add in the milk
Matcha Chia Pudding – serves 1
Ingredients
- 1 cup nut, rice or coconut milk
- 2 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp matcha powder
- 6 tbsp chia seeds
- berries to garnish
Instructions
- Add the milk, sweetener, vanilla to a blender and combine.
- Pour the milk mixture over the chia seeds in a jar or mug. Gently stir through to combine, then again in a couple of minutes.
- Allow to sit for at least an hour in the fridge or even better overnight.
- Stir the mixture before serving, add more milk if required, and serve with fresh berries.
