Japanese Latte Matcha Loose Green Tea

Matcha Latte is a delicious and creamy drink made from Japanese green tea powder and milk. Whether cow's milk or a dairy-free alternative such as coconut, soy, almond, or oat milk you can make a delicious latte with matcha. As a pure green tea, matcha contains rich tannins with deep umami notes, making it ideal to combine with something creamy. The bitter notes are perfectly balanced.

Because matcha is made using the entire green tea leaf rather than just an infusion of tea leaves, it contains a higher caffeine content than other green teas. It is wonderfully energizing, as well as having an enhanced antioxidant and vitamin content.

Matcha powder is made with the whole leaves of green tea. All green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves are ground into an extremely fine powder. The best matcha in the world is from organic tea fields in Japan, where matcha has a long and illustrious history. To make matcha, tea plants are shaded for 10 days to two weeks before their harvest. By reducing sunlight exposure, which the plants need for photosynthesis, the tea bush compensates by increasing compounds within the leaf, including chlorophyll and essential amino acids. This gives the matcha its strong green colour, enhancing its sweetness and delicious flavour.

To make the best matcha latte, begin with the best organically grown matcha powder you can find. Use approximately 3g of matcha powder and a small amount of cold water and whisk gently with your matcha whisk to make a paste. The mixture should have a smooth texture without lumps. This can then be combined with 150 ml of hot milk. Or cold milk to make a smoothie. You might like to use steamed milk, or a milk frother. You can use dairy milk or plant-based options like almond, oat, or coconut milk.

Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremonies involve carefully preparing and drinking matcha. However, these do not involve adding milk. The matcha tea is consumed with great reverence and love for the unadulterated tea in a traditional manner. Like a fine wine the best matcha tea should be enjoyed in their purest form.

There are many health benefits associated with drinking matcha tea or a matcha latte. Matcha offers antioxidants and vitamins, including Vitamin A, C, K, and B-complex vitamins. Matcha also contains minerals such as calcium, chlorophyll, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc in every teaspoon.

By adding a milk to the matcha, matcha lattes also offer protein. If you have a sweet tooth we would suggest adding a natural sweetener such as honey. Alternatively, maple syrup, cinnamon, or even reishi can change both flavour and nutritional aspects of the drink, depending on your preferences. Drinking matcha also offers a calming effect from the amino acid L-theanine which balances the caffeine, as opposed to jolt of coffee. A shot of espresso will give you a swift hit, whereas a green tea will have a more sustained and gentle lift.

Research suggests that the amino acids in matcha are less bioavailable when matcha is consumed with milk. The amount of milk added does not reduce the caffeine content. But it can offer a lovely balance in terms of taste. This strong green tea can be more approachable as a matcha latte.

A matcha latte is delicious whether hot or cold, making it a delicious and versatile drink all year-round. A hot matcha latte is both energizing and comforting. Meanwhile, an iced matcha latte can be extremely refreshing. Matcha can also be blended into a delicious ice cream or as an ingredient for cakes.

Matcha vs. matcha latte is very much a matter of personal taste and many people enjoy both. Matcha is intense with bold, rich, umami notes and a delicious balanced, bitter and sweet notes. It is whisked to give it a beautiful, creamy texture. For those who find the intensity challenging, milk is a way of softening the flavor, making a matcha latte more approachable and accessible. Once you've fallen in love with a matcha latte, you may want to try matcha on its own - its rather like a glass of wine rather than a spritzer, or a martini over a gin and tonic.

Matcha lattes can vary greatly in price based on the quality of the matcha tea itself. The shading of the plant before harvest and the precision grinding of the leaf into a fine powder increases the cost and the value. The best matcha teas are organically grown, which also increases costs. And lastly, the best matcha tea comes from Japan, where the value of land and wages are high. Sadly in some parts of the world where tea is grown, land and wages are devalued by the tea industry, and exploitation decreases price. This doesn't make matcha tea better than other green teas, necessarily. But the price is a clear indicator that people are being fairly paid for their craft.

Additionally, the type of milk added can increase the price.

If you are drinking matcha for the health benefits, please consider where it is sourced, how it is grown, and what else is in your cup. At Rare Tea, we only sell direct trade, loose leaf tea that has been grown under organic principles, to benefit of your health and that of the planet.