What is Matcha?
Matcha is finely milled green tea powder. Its history dates to 10th century China. However, Matcha is most noted for its role in Japanese tea ceremonies. It is the only tea in which the whole leaf is entirely consumed (instead of drinking only the brewed water of the tea leaves).We all know that green tea is awesome for your health and that’s just from drinking the brewed tea water. By consuming the entire tea leaf you get 137 times more antioxidants than that of brewed green tea.
Growing and harvesting Matcha is labor intensive. Three weeks prior to harvest, farmers cover the plants with shade cloth. This is to force the plant to put on larger, thinner leaves. The leaves are then harvested by hand and steamed to prevent fermentation. The leaves are dried and stored in cold storage for an average of 6 months before they are ground into a fine powder. This is the reason for the higher cost of Matcha vs regular green tea.
Kiss Me Organic Matcha
The finest Matcha is from Japan. Kiss Me Organics offers two grades of the tea: culinary or ceremony, both from Japan. I received the culinary grade for this review. The tea came in a resealable 4 oz package. Upon opening the bag, the deep green smell hit me first; a burst of grass-like freshness. As I mention earlier, Matcha is spendy. However, a little goes a long way. Most recipes only use a teaspoon or two at a time. The 4oz bag of Kiss Me Organic Matcha currently retails for $25 on Amazon.
What are the health benefits that Kiss Me Organics Matcha offers?
- ALL DAY ENERGY & FOCUS
- CALORIE BURNING BOOSTER
- 137x ANTIOXIDANTS OF BREWED GREEN TEA
- IMPROVED SKIN HEALTH
The purchase also includes a free recipe ebook that is emailed to you.
Sweet Mint
We grow three types of mint in our garden: sweet, peppermint and spearmint. I chose to use sweet mint for my latte because is has the mildest flavor out of all three mints. I wanted a hint of mint for the latte, but not one that over powers the taste of the green tea.
Mint has plenty of health benefits that compliment green tea. Most are familiar with mint’s ability to freshen breath, but it has many other beneficial properties as well. It aids in digestion, relieves nausea and headaches, reduces pimples and treats fatigue and depression.
How to Froth Matcha
Traditionally, there are special tools used to froth Matcha: a small bowl (chawan) and a bamboo whisk (chasen). I did not own either, so I used a hand-held battery operated frother. If you do not have one on had, just use a whisk (I know, the Matcha tea experts out there will cringe, but hey, gotta use what you got).
Add the Matcha to a bowl and pour the hot water in.
Hold the rim of the bowl and whisk until it has a thick froth with many tiny bubbles on the surface.
Why whisk it first? Because the powder is so finely ground, just adding it to water and stirring will leave clumps. Whisking will ensure a smooth, clump-free tea. At this point the tea is prepared and you can drink it as is. The taste is smooth, slightly sweet and bit grassy. If you are just getting into green tea and not ready to drink it straight up, then a Mint Matcha Latte is perfect for you!
Mint Match Latte
- 1 tsp. Matcha green tea powder
- ¾ cup soy milk
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 1 tsp. honey
- A couple of springs of fresh sweet mint (or one bag of mint tea)
Instructions
- Heat the soy milk until hot (not boiling). Brew the fresh mint in the hot soy milk for 2 minutes.
- While the mint is brewing, add 1 tsp of the Matcha powder to the bowl and pour the 1/4 cup of boiling water over it. Whisk to blend.
- After the mint has brewed, remove the mint (or tea bag) from the milk.
- Slowly pour the Matcha into the cup of soy milk/mint tea and add the honey.Whisk to blend.
- Sip slowly and enjoy.
Kiss Me Organics provided me with a complementary package of Organic Matcha for this product review.