If you’ve ever spent time perusing Instagram, you’ve probably seen a few photos of green lattes featured on the accounts of coffee connoisseurs, style bloggers and health enthusiasts. This traditional Japanese beverage has become quite the trend, popping up on more coffee shop menus and frequenting the shelves of grocery stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes. Even Starbucks has started offering a Green Tea Latte made from their special matcha blend (which I just tried today and I have to warn you, is very sweet).
I had actually never even heard of matcha until I moved to NYC last year and stumbled across Chalait, a charming coffee shop in the heart of West Village. I ordered an almond milk matcha latte and it was love at first sip – now I can’t seem to get enough! Luckily matcha turns out to have an array of amazing benefits, which makes this quite possibly the healthiest new-found obsession ever.
So what is it exactly?
Matcha is a finely ground, premium green tea powder from Japan and is used for drinking and incorporating into various recipes. It has a pleasantly fresh, kind of grassy taste – very similar to traditional green tea or spinach, and is super versatile! Obviously I’m a fan of the latte variation, but I’ve also had matcha cocktails that were really quite delicious, although I guess lacking in the “healthy” department. hehe
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a pop up smoothie class with Candice Kumai at a beauty & wellness event hosted by ABC Home. During the class she demonstrated how to make a “clean matcha smoothie“ and boy was it delicious! It was extremely easy to make, full of antioxidants, and for only having 4 ingredients, it packed a whole lot of flavor. It’s definitely the perfect smoothie to have before or after a yoga sesh, and aside from the matcha powder, I’m sure most of you already have the other ingredients in your fridge. Check out the recipe here!
Now that you have an idea of what matcha is, you’re probably asking the obvious question…
Why should you drink it?
I definitely don’t claim to be an expert on the topic, however I’ve done my research and came across several sources that really outlined all the wonderful benefits this tea powder can give you. I highlighted a few of my favorites below:
One serving of matcha tea is the nutritional equivalent of 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea! (source: matchasource.com)
It helps induce a calming feeling without any drowsiness. So it’s the perfect beverage to find your zen. (source: naturallivingideas.com)
It’s rich in fiber and chlorophyll, which acts as an excellent detoxifier that flushes toxins out of your body. (source: organicfacts.net)
Matcha tea has 7 times more antioxidants than dark chocolate and 60 times more than spinach! Say what?! (source: bodybuilding.com)
The L-Theanine found in matcha stimulates alpha brain waves, which aids in concentration and helps to increase your ability to focus. (source: wellnessmama.com)
Now that you’re hopefully as obsessed with matcha as I am, I’d love to know if you’ve come across a recipe that you thought was uh-mazing? Please share it in the comments below! I’ll be sharing more matcha recipes that I love on the blog and Insta soon. 😄
Wishing you happy drinking!
I tried a very simple recipe of Matcha with almond milk and ice in the morning and it was surprisingly delicious! I have it most mornings now. Highly recommend it!