Why Everyone Is Mad For Matcha (Plus An Iced Matcha Latte Recipe!)
You have probably seen many an iced matcha latte during your daily scroll through Insta.
While it is an aesthetically pleasing drink, matcha is something of a super food as well. From the health benefits to some tasty ways of incorporating it in to your daily diet, here’s your guide to all things matcha!
So what is matcha?
Matcha is finely ground powder of specifically grown and processed green tea leaves. It first started in East Asia. Matcha is essentially really concentrated green tea, making it even more nutritious. Drinking matcha tea is equivalent to drinking three cups of green tea! If that doesn’t scream health, I’m not sure what does.
Matcha can be consumed in a whole host of ways. You can have it as a tea, smoothies and those ever famous iced matcha lattes.
What are the health benefits?
Matcha is as nutritious as it is photogenic. Just like green tea it contains a class of antioxidants called catechins. Matcha is specifically high in a catechin called EGCG which is said to have cancer fighting effects. There are a number of health benefits linked to matcha such as reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. We do stress to drink matcha as part of a balanced diet however!
How much matcha do you need to be drinking to reap the benefits?
There is a long list of benefits associated with matcha as seen above. How much do you need to be drinking to feel those benefits? 1-2 cups a day is the recommended amount when it comes to feeling the positive effects the tea has to offer.
Obviously you won’t be able to visibly see whether or not drinking matcha is preventing cancer but research in to the ingredients matcha is made up of make sense as to why it would.
What’s does matcha taste like?
Matcha is one of those drinks that takes a minute to get used to. It definitely tastes like a cup of health. While the taste might take a minute to get used to, you can get hooked on it fairly fast, as it leaves you feeling full and healthy. You’ll be getting excited about your daily cup of matcha in no time.
The best way to describe matcha would be like a green tea just more intense flavour. Makes sense though, considering that is what it is!
Where can you purchase matcha?
You can purchase matcha in a variety of different forms such as powder, capsules and tea! You can find it in most supermarkets, pharmacies and local health shops.
Matcha powder is a great way of incorporating the super food in to your diet. It can easily be mixed in to smoothies, juices, porridge and hot or cold drinks. Your options are endless!
Here’s how to make an iced matcha latte at home:
Here’s an iced matcha latte recipe to get you started!
What you’ll need:
- 12 oz milk of choice
- 2 tsp matcha powder
- 2 tsp vanilla syrup/honey
- 1 cup ice
Method
- Start by putting the milk, matcha powder and syrup in to a blender.
- Pour in to a glass of ice
- Enjoy!
Handy tip: make double or triple the recipe, keep the rest in a mason jar or the likes in your fridge so you can sip iced matcha lattes all week long!
Have you tried matcha before?
