My personal preference to coffee has changed significantly since I have met my matcha friend! I have stopped drinking coffee for over two months now and I am not going back.

I feel fantastic, alert and most importantly matcha is a super food powder. You can literally do anything with the tea powder: make tea (the traditional Japanese use), ice cream, cake, smoothies, lattes, cookies, or martinis (less healthy but hey, better than other syrupy options…)

The quality of the matcha powder you buy is important. But it also very much depends on what you would like to do with the matcha. For example, if you are cooking with the powder then you will need a lesser grade than if say, you are making tea and/or drinking it straight. I will focus on giving my suggestions for finding the best matcha powder for making tea with as it can get complicated. First of all, do a bit of research before purchasing the powder online. If you have a health food store you trust go there first and ask questions. Here are some easy rules of thumb: the powder should be made in Japan, try to find a bright green shade of the powder (the brighter the powder colour, the better the quality – try to find a shade as close to the one in the picture below as possible), organic, organic and organic – it’s important that it comes from an organic source, lastly buy a small quantity to ensure the powder your drinking is always fresh and not stale. For more info check this post out: https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2014/11/quality-of-matcha.html

Additional items you will need to make your life easier in dealing with the powder are:

• small bamboo whisk
• small shallow mixing bowl

Below are some online recipes I found to help welcome matcha into your life! If any of you have more recipes, please feel free to share, I am sure a lot of people want to get inspired. Some facts about matcha are also below… stay green!

Recipes…

https://chilliandchocolate.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/desserts-celebrating-matcha-gluten-free-and-dairy-free/

http://nutritionstripped.com/matcha-tea-latte/

https://www.zenmatchatea.com/recipes/

https://www.zenmatchatea.com/matcha-martini-recipes/

Matcha facts…

• improves mental alertness and clarity
• helps build a stronger immune defense and detoxes your body
• great source of vitamin A, vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, Vitamin E, vitamin K and trace minerals
• components with super antioxidant activity including polyphenols, catechins and chlorophyll
• improves gastrointestinal health
• exerts anti-inflammatory actions
• works as a superb energy booster