Iced Matcha Latte 101

If you have spent any time in a coffee shop and/or on the internet in the past few years, you will most likely have spotted a couple bright green drinks floating around. Well, I'm here to tell you all about my love affair with matcha. 

Matcha comes from ground green tea leaves, which means that you get all the nutrients that usually get thrown away when you take your green tea bag out of your hot water. For this reason a nice matcha drink is absolutely loaded with antioxidants, which are great for anything from preventing cancer, to boosting your metabolism. I'll take three matcha drinks, please and thank you!

But aside from all this healthy business, I love love love a nice cold matcha latte on any hot day. Although it's expensive, I bought a tin of it back in January and it's still going strong because you only use at most a teaspoon every time. I'm almost positive there is a more traditional way of preparing this green cup of goodness, but if you know me at all you know I'm not willing to drop $20 for a specialty bamboo matcha whisk (If you have one, I applaud you). Here's my step-by-step guide to making THE BEST SUMMER DRINK!!!

Ingredients

1/2 tsp matcha powder

2 Tbsp + 1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1/2 cup milk (I've tried it with almond or cow's milk, both are good)

5 ice cubes

Preparation

1. Measure out 1/2 tsp of matcha powder into a bowl. I sometimes use a whole teaspoon if I'm feeling bold. 
2. Add in the 2 Tbsp of water. You want your bowl to be big enough to whisk it like no one's watching.
3. Start whisking until there are no more chunks and little bubbles start to form on the surface.
4. Add in the 1/2 cup of water and continue whisking. You add the water in two parts because it's easier to get those stubborn chunks to dissolve when there's less water.
5. Add in the sweetener of your choice or if you're sweet enough skip it! I used maple syrup.
6. Pour into a glass filled with ice.
7. Add in as much milk as you would like to fill the glass. Sometimes I'm digging the earthy taste of matcha and other times I want a smoother, milkier drink. A lot of people even replace the water entirely with milk. Go with your gut, I trust you. 
8. Stir or shake and serve immediately.

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