I am in LOVE with matcha lattes from Peet’s. With some vanilla syrup in them.
Oh my gosh.
But they’re costly. And I seem to wind up late for work on the days I stop to pick one up 😉
So I figured out how to make them at home! It’s actually pretty simple.
Quick disclaimer: the up-front cost is definitely more than a couple cafe-made lattes, since it requires investing in some matcha tea powder (and a vanilla bean if you want the vanilla syrup too!) You could also buy a bamboo whisk if you know you’ll use and enjoy your matcha – that’s the traditional way to mix it. But it’s not necessary.
Matcha is made from green tea leaves that have been pulverized to a powder. So when you use matcha tea, you ingest the whole tea leaf instead of just infuse your tea. Here’s a little shpeel from the insert of my Organic DoMatcha tea to explain the benefits:
DoMatcha may ….
- Raise energy level for up to 8 hours
- Induce a state of relaxation and calm mental alertness
- Boost metabolism by up to 40% in regular consumers and help control body weight
- Contain up to 37 times more of the potent antioxidant EGCG than steeped green tea
- Help regulate healthy blood sugar levels
- Support healthy cholesterol levels within a normal range
- Act as a strong blood detoxifier and alkalizer
Yep, that’ll convince me to indulge in a can of matcha so I can whisk up a glass of tea or one of these delicious lattes! I’d been plotting to buy some nice matcha for awhile, so when I saw this can of organic matcha on sale at Whole Foods, it was a done deal.
So here’s one fantastic way to drink this healthy green tea!
vanilla bean simple syrup:
1/2 C raw sugar
1/2 C water
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and turn on low heat. After you scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean, throw the whole pod in there too! The extra seeds that stick in the pod will seep out into the syrup. Bring to a soft boil, make sure all the sugar dissolves, and remove from heat. There you have it!
matcha tea latte:
serves 1
1 C soy milk, steamed (this is an occasion when sweetened vanilla soy milk is amaaaazing)
1 T vanilla bean simple syrup
1 t matcha powder
With a bamboo whisk: Combine matcha and soy milk in a bowl or large mug with some serious mixing room. Whisk that up until combined and frothy. Stir in vanilla syrup.
Without a bamboo whisk: Combine matcha and about a teaspoon of the soy milk to a mug or bowl and mix until they form a smooth paste. Then add a couple tablespoons more of the soy milk and mix into a thinner paste. Then add the rest of the soy milk and vanilla syrup and stir until well combined and frothy.
If you want a lot of foam like a typical latte, you can steam your latte after it’s mixed, or steam the soy milk ahead of time and set aside the foam.
I was being a little ridiculous when I made this to take pictures. I swore it wasn’t mixing as well as usual and couldn’t figure out why. Ummmm because the little flecks I thought were clumps of matcha were vanilla beans because I added the syrup before stirring. Ugh. Dummy, Leslie.
Here are a few other uses for your matcha tea:
- Put it in a smoothie (like my Blueberry Cashew Matcha Smoothie)
- Use it in baked goods (I haven’t tried this yet, but how good do these matcha muffins look? That post is full of helpful information about the benefits of matcha and some considerations when buying. Check it out.)
- Mix it in some breakfast truffles!
Happy matcha-ing!
Nutrition facts per latte: Calories: 199; Calories from Fat: 39; Total Fat: 4.3g; Saturated Fat: 0.5g; Sodium: 139mg; Total Carbohydrates: 32.2g; Dietary Fiber: 2.5g; Sugars: 9.8g; Protein: 9.0g
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