The Matcha Green Tea Craze
If you stay on top of nutritional trends or love Starbucks, you’ve probably caught wind of all the recent matcha madness! In a nutshell, matcha is pretty much highly concentrated green tea. I first heard about it from a former colleague who was obsessed with trying new teas, including matcha and yerba mate.
Instead of drinking coffee from Starbucks, I usually order their hot or iced teas. An Iced Green or Passion Tea Lemonade have been my go-to drinks of choice for years now. Due to the flood of articles on my Facebook newsfeed, I recently discovered that Starbucks now carries matcha powder. Wait, it gets better, a venti “matcha water” is just 87 cents!
If you’ve never tried it, then drive to your nearby Starbucks and order the following:
“I’d like two scoops of matcha powder in a venti cup of ice water, shaken.”
Some employees may be confused as to how much they should charge you, since theres no “matcha powder drink” button. Don’t let them charge you for a Green Tea Latte, either. Explain that it’s simply matcha powder in water, and you should only be charged 87 cents.
Featured below are just a few of my favorite photos that I came across on Instagram:
I’ve enjoyed drinking regular varieties of green tea occasionally for its health benefits, along with getting a boost of energy. However, after trying a two scoop venti cup of matcha green tea, I’m definitely going to drink it more often, because of its great value and amazing taste.
Where Does Matcha Green Tea Come From?
Apparently, this variety of tea beverage originated many years ago in China when it was difficult to preserve and transport tea leaves long distance. Eventually, this special type of green tea made its way to Japan where drinking this beverage is a ritual with specialized tea ceremonies.
The plants that provide this tea are grown in shaded areas for three weeks before harvesting to increase the amounts of chlorophyll and theanine in its leaves. Theanine is an amino acid that helps me have better mental clarity, increased metabolism and better digestive health.
The intense green color of matcha tea is due to the chlorophyll that provides essential nutrients. When workers are processing this plant into a fine powder, the veins and stems of the leaves are removed first to make it a smoother substance that mixes nicely with liquids such as boiling water or milk.
Matcha Green Tea FTW!
When I drink matcha green tea from Starbucks, its caffeine combined with theanine increases my energy levels but does not make me feel shaky or jittery the way coffee does. This tasty beverage also offers antioxidant flavonoids that are vital for good nutrition.
While many coffeehouses charge a lot of money for matcha green tea, a basic beverage is affordable at Starbucks, and it is possible to upgrade with additional ingredients. No matter whether I drink my matcha green tea plain or have it combined with ice or almond milk, it offers a delicious way to get me through the day.
Have you took the plunge and tried matcha yet? How did you like it? Comment below.