…so Match green tea is “all the rave” in L.A. Cali, and a Matcha shot is the “IT” drink of the moment in NYC. The TODAY show tried it, so of course I had to. First, I went into my new fave coffee hangout, Peet’s coffee and tea in Burke, VA.

I got their version of a cold icy drink, a javiva, which is one scoop of the matcha, some milk lots of ice and some secret javiva mix (just a thickening agent).  My favorite tattooed barista chick told me how to make a matcha latte, add some milk, sweetener and matcha, put it in the blender and serve over ice.

I tried it this morning from home, DELICIOUS! 2 teaspoons of matcha, sweetener of choice and the rest of the drink milk in the blender- and serve over ice! Pretty simple!

But wait, WHAT IS MATCHA?
It’s a highly potent form of green tea, shade grown and cultivated specially causing it to be more expensive than normal teas.  The whole tea leaf is used and ground finely into a green powder. I ordered this little tin of MATCHA (green tea powder) for $25!  The special production, including the extra labor of grounding up the tea leaves into a fine powder means a more expensive product.

WHY IS IT THE MIRACLE CAFFEINE STIMULANT? It is the green tea highest in caffeine content,  3 times more than a regular cup of tea and equal to a cup of coffee.  It keeps you alert but has a calming effect, which coffee does not.  Many dedicated coffee drinkers have abandoned their cup o’ java  for a cup o’ matcha due to the non-jittery, more zen-like effect that this liquid produces helping those with anxiety disorders.

Matcha green tea has many health benefits, like lowering blood pressure, helps reduce heart attacks and cancer, and is rich in antioxidants.  Personally, I like matcha in it’s latte form.  Lots of added milk and some sugar.  If I could, I would drink this all day, especially for the alert relaxation without drowsiness, product of the l-theanine.  Although it is only recommended to limit the consumption of this beverage to one cup a day because of the high levels of lead.  With matcha, the whole tea leaf is consumed, and therefore a lot of lead, about 30 times more than in a cup of regular steeped green tea.

The information for this article was taken from Time magazine, picture Wikipedia.

***I am very THANKFUL for this green tea leaf powder, and for the barista at Peet’s coffee and tea in Burke, VA for giving me a recipe to prepare this special drink at home!  Much love Meg!***