MATCHA LATTE

Here's a quick little post and delicious recipe for the summer. A cold and frothy Matcha Almond Milk Latte. I just adore this divine green little drink and it is the most effective and clean way to pick yourself up first thing in the morning or to tackle an afternoon slump, which let's face it happens to even the best of us sometimes.

I actually stopped drinking caffeine many years ago, mainly for taste reasons as I just prefer the taste of rooibos (and how it makes me feel) to any other hot beverage and I just haven't ever felt the need for caffeine. I usually get my morning boost from green juice and my afternoon pick me up from some raw treat or coconut water. But then I discovered matcha- that silky smooth cloud of pure green grassy yet creamy goodness.

Yes matcha does contain caffeine but it feels very different to that in coffee or black tea; it gives me an unparalleled level of clarity of mind and focus (not the type of jittery and wired caffeine hit that coffee can give you). Instead it's a clean and bright lift of energy and hug of deliciousness in a cup!

For those of you who haven't yet discovered the marvellous wonder that is matcha... Matcha is basically the purest form of Japanese green tea. It is a finely-milled powdered green tea that has 137 times more antioxidants than regularly brewed green tea. Bona fide matcha experts claim that 1 cup of matcha is equivalent to 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea in terms of nutritional content!

One of the major health benefits of matcha is that it delivers a powerful dose of antioxidants in every sip. According to some research, matcha is packed with "exponentially more antioxidants than any other superfood", now how cool is that?

Matcha boosts metabolism and helps detoxify the body naturally. It also calms the mind and relaxes the body, which is perhaps surprising for a caffeinated beverage but it's so true, it really does sharpen my mind and make me feel alive and happy (not in the way coffee ever used to). Matcha also provides a healthy does of vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium!

So let's get matcha making! You can make yourself a traditional brew by whisking 1/2 teaspoon of matcha with 1 cup of warm water (ideally 70°C, not boiling) and drink as a lovely hot tea. Or you can make yourself this Matcha Almond Milk Latte, matcha green tea powder whisked with homemade almond milk, now this is the stuff of dreams! And basically the quickest simplest green smoothie of all time.

So where can you get this wonderful green tea magic powder? You can find it in most health food shops but I get mine from a trusted brand called Clearspring, that  offer a great range of high-quality organic ingredients and their matcha is one of the most reasonably priced on the market. This 40g pack goes a very long way as you only use a tiny bit at a time.

Hope you enjoy this Matcha Almond Milk Latte as much as I do!

Happy Matcha Making!

Marie

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Matcha Almond Milk Latte

Ingredients:

• ½ tsp matcha green tea powder
• 2 tablespoons freshly filtered water
• 250ml (1 cup) homemade almond milk
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• ½ tsp honey to taste (depending on how sweet your almond milk already is)

Instructions:

1. Mix together the matcha powder with the water in a jam jar until fully dissolved.
2. Pour the almond milk and vanilla extract into the jam jar. Close lid of jar and shake vigorously. This is the quiest and easiest way to get a frothy cold matcha latte without any fancy equipment.
3. If you have or feel like purchasing a traditional matcha whisk or mini milk frother whisk (please do), and then you can whisk away until super frothy, but it's not necessary to enjoy this delicious drink.
4. Add honey or preferred natural sweetener to taste.
5. Drink straight out of your jam jar!