Frozen Matcha Latte

This frozen matcha latte requires just five ingredients and ice to make a refreshing and energizing beverage perfect for warm spring weather.

I'm a sucker for buying frozen drinks when the weather is nice. How often do I make them at home? Rarely. Even though I have a decent blender and the main ingredient for any frozen beverage: ice.

Jump to:

• What is matcha?
• What are the health benefits of matcha?
• How to make a frozen matcha latte
• Frozen Matcha Latte

This is the year I stop doing that. Why spend money on something that is mostly frozen water? Alright, so maybe I can't take my blender with me wherever I go. But if I can satiate my frozen appetite at home, then maybe I'll stop buying the drinks when I'm out. And when it's eighty degrees in the middle of summer, I'll be fine ordering a hot coffee instead of a frozen one, right?

Because really, does it get any easier than throwing things in a blender and hitting a button? Not really. There's no skill required here. You say you can't cook? Fine, I'll accept that. But you can't blend? No, you actually can do that.

Now that iced beverage weather is here (most days), frozen coffee is perhaps the easiest place to start reacclimating yourself with your blender. You need some coffee, ice, and your preferred milk or cream. You can easily make this with leftover coffee that you've saved in the fridge. Just add everything to the blender, throw in some sweetener like maple syrup, and you have yourself one of those overpriced frappuccino drinks. Use coffee that brewed more strongly to prevent a watered-down taste.

I know I drink too much coffee, you don't need to remind me, and instead of consuming another frozen coffee beverage, the voice in my head told me to try using that matcha powder I ignored all winter. Matcha is green, and it is mostly spring here in Vermont, so it made sense to make a green drink to sip while admiring all the green things popping out of the ground.

What is matcha?

Matcha is a green tea powder. It's made with a special shade-grown green tea plant high in chlorophyll that is ground into a fine powder. When you make matcha, the powder is incorporated into the liquid, such as milk or water. This is different than when you make a cup of tea and steep the leaves and then discard them. With matcha, you're actually consuming the plant.

The result is surprising. Matcha tea is smooth and rich, with an earthy, sort of herbal taste. On its own, it can be bitter. But incorporated into milk with some sweetener, it's quite satisfying and unique.

What are the health benefits of matcha?

There are many benefits to drinking matcha. Most of these are the same as regular green tea, but the benefits are even greater because you directly consume the plant. They include increased energy, reduced stress, and the ability to help burn fats. The energy you get from matcha is said to be less jittery and more focused energy than coffee.

Because matcha is full of antioxidants, there are claims of its ability to fight cancer, prevent heart disease, and slow aging. As with anything else, I think these kinds of benefits are probably most true when you consume matcha regularly. One cup of the stuff isn’t going to work miracles for you.

How to make a frozen matcha latte

Matcha powder clumps easily. Because of this, it’s helpful to first sift the powder into your cup or bowl. Then you need to whisk it into hot water to dissolve the powder. There is a special bamboo matcha whisk that professionals use to prepare the tea, but a small traditional whisk is fine at home. You want to whisk in a back and forth motion to help create foam.

After dissolving the powder into hot water, you can add steamed milk and sweetener for a simple cup of matcha tea. For this latte, we start by dissolving the powder as you would in any other instance. Then, that’s added to the blender with your choice of milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and ice. It doesn’t get any easier.

This refreshing frozen matcha tea is a good introduction to matcha and takes just five minutes to make at home. Pour it into your reusable straw and cup, and you’re ready to head outside and enjoy the weather.

For another refreshing and colorful spring beverage, try my creamy carrot cocktail.

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