I drank a lot of coffee growing up. I started when I was about 10! I loved it, but as the years progressed, I realized my beloved drink was beginning to give me a stomach ache.
Nowadays, I can have about a cup. Of decaf. And even then, most days I just stay away from it because I don’t want to deal with the nausea. So I started looking for an alternative to coffee–something with a little caffeine (I’m SUPER sensitive to caffeine, iced tea gets me wired!) but that wouldn’t keep me up at night or give me a sour stomach.
I’ve always been a tea fan, and I just happened to stumble upon matcha one day and, well, game over.
Matcha is made from the entire green tea leaf. Instead of steeping the dried leaves, they are ground into a fine powder and dissolved in water for supercharged health benefits. Matcha contains a class of antioxidants called catechins, believed to have cancer-fighting abilities; it also has high levels of cholorphyll, known to reduce inflammation in the body.
Plus, I like the way it tastes.
It’s smooth and green and super refreshing when blended with my favorite coconut water. It may not be summer yet, but I’m sure dreaming of it while sipping this tasty drink!
Interested in making your own? It’s important to use good quality matcha, or you just won’t get the full experience and health benefits.
The matcha on the right was bought from my local grocery store, a rather inexpensive brand. The one on the left is from my favorite matcha retailer, Mizuba Tea Company. All of their tea comes from their organic farm and 100 year old family matcha tea manufactory in the Uji region of Japan. When I drink my matcha from Mizuba, I know I’m drinking preservative-free, radiation-free, non-gmo pure tea. It’s pretty awesome to know the exact type of quality tea you’re putting into your body.
Since matcha is very finely ground, it needs to be mixed really well or you’ll get green lumps and that is not delicious. You can do this a few ways, depending on the appliances you have: with a chasen in a chewan, (a traditional Japanese whisk and bowl), a shaker bottle (like for protein shakes), or a blender. I use a shaker bottle because I’ve yet to get my hands on an authentic chewan.
Whichever you decide to use, grab it and add:
1 teaspoon of Mizuba Tea matcha powder
2 cups of Coco Vita coconut water (1 regular carton)
That’s it! Shake it! Shake it! Shake it like a Polaroid picture! Ahem. That’s if you opted for the shaker bottle approach, of course. Grab a glass, fill with ice, pour and ENJOY! If you like it a little sweeter, add a dash of honey. Or if you like it a little creamier, add a splash of coconut milk on top!
Now, join me in dreaming of warm summer days.
We live in Arizona, so I can’t really complain when the temperatures get to the 60s and low 70s this time of year, but to me that’s just not warm! The desert has claimed me as her own. I get chilly in anything below 80 degrees.
Be sure to @ me on Insta if you try this recipe! Have a beautiful weekend, friends!
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