Featured Ingredient: Matcha
Oh how I love matcha. That is, really good matcha. The
quality of this ground green tea can vary greatly with some brands offering a
slightly astringent drink with lingering sweetness and others a harsh bitter
mess that could very well be a knock-off from China .
This is why if you are going to splurge on the verdant powder from Japan,
it’s a good idea to find the best stuff.
As a matcha devotee, I can definitely vouch for the
offerings from Matchasource. I recently made a purchase of their Gotcha Matcha
and could not be more thrilled with my daily cup of afternoon goodness.
With
each sip, I know that I am showing my body some love. Because you are consuming
the whole ground tea leaf, you are also consuming a massive amount of
antioxidant awesomeness. In fact, a University
of Colorado
Many coffee shops are now offering matcha lattes, but the
quality can vary greatly and generally the price is steep. A better solution is
the DIY version. Using your mini muffin cups, you can have frozen cups of
matcha at the ready to whip up a latte (or even a smoothie). You’ll find that
silicon muffin cups make it easier to extract frozen items. You can also use
regular milk, but I like the earthy taste of the hemp milk from ManitobaHarvest.
Some other Muffin Tin Mania matcha inspiration:
Interested in giving matcha a sip? Matchasource is
offering up free shipping if you click here. You can check out their website
for other great ideas for using matcha in the kitchen and tips on brewing a
perfect cup.
Iced Matcha Hemp Latte
1 1/3 cups water
2 teaspoons matcha powder
Unflavored or vanilla hemp milk
Honey
Bring water to just under a boil. Place matcha in bowl and
top with about 1/3 cup of the hot water. Whisk until the matcha has dissolved
in the water and pour the remaining water into the bowl. Divide among 12 mini
muffin cups and freeze until solid.
Unmold matcha cups and place in a zip-top bag for storage in
the freezer. If not using silicon and you have trouble unmolding the matcha
cups, try dipping the bottom of the muffin tray in warm water, being careful
not to thaw the contents.
When ready to serve, Add 4 frozen matcha cups to a blender
container along with 1 cup hemp milk and 1 teaspoon honey; blend until smooth.
Sprinkle additional matcha on top if desired.
Switch hits
- Replace hemp milk with cow, almond, rice or coconut milk
- Use steamed milk instead of cold milk
- Sweeten
with agave instead of honey
Posts
I keep meaning to buy some matcha each week but always forget. This is the week! I was completely convinced when you called it the MVP of tea.
ReplyDeleteWell, you hooked me on trying this tea. I have placed my order and looking forward to some smoothies made with it. Take care.
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you guys like the tea. To make a good cup of matcha, what I do is put a little less than a teaspoon in mug and whisk with a little bit of steaming water so it dissolves. You can than top with additional hot water. Best not to use boiling water.
ReplyDeleteI was never a fan of matcha because I found it too bitter until I found a really yummy flavored matcha from Jade Monk (http://www.jademonk.com). I make lattes with their chai all the time. You might want to check them out
ReplyDelete