Have you fallen in love with a Latte yet?
Maybe you like a caffè latte. Bold coffee, mixed with steamed or scalded milk.
OR, maybe you are more of the tea latte, fan. Rich, espresso-free tea with swirls of heated milk.
Either way, you can’t really go wrong, however, I have a favorite and I typically never stray. “Soy Chai Tea Latte, extra hot, no water, please”. It’s like a drinking a little bit of Happy.
SO when I tell you that this post is NOT about a Chai Tea Latte, I’m kinda cheating on my first love because I’m going to share with you how to make a Matcha Tea Latte, right from home!
Now, I know what you are thinking, “make your latte at home, that’s absurd. I mean, do you see everything they have to do before handing us those cups filled with wonder from the Starbucks counter”? Typically, I would tell you how correct you are, BUT, you don’t need any of those things! Honest.
All you need is a mug or saucepan and a blender. Now if you have a fancy (meaning you spent $35 on Amazon) milk frother, then bring that out too but it’s not a must. However, if you want to ultimately save some $, then I can tell you that I make more drinks at home now and only order a drink every other day or so now that I have this handy little tool.
Before I share the “how to recipe”, I want to share the “what”, meaning, what Matcha Tea is exactly.
Matcha is a Japanese “powdered tea” made from leaves that grow in the shade which increases their chlorophyll content. These chlorophyll-rich leaves are hand-picked, steamed, then dried and ground into a fine green powder which is then blended into a drink or incorporated into traditional recipes. So instead of drinking tea infused water, you are actually drinking the powdered tea leaves themselves.
The health benefits are numerous, especially when considering its antioxidant content. Just one cup of matcha tea, has as many antioxidants as 10 cups of regular tea! When you drink a cup of matcha tea, it’s like when Popeye eats his spinach. It helps with metabolism, it reduces stress, helps lower cholesterol and all those antioxidants fight free radicals,teenage-mutant-ninja cancer fighter!
Matcha green tea also contains up to 5 times more L-theanine than conventional green tea. Whether you remember the “L-word” or not, what you need to know is that this is important because although matcha contains some caffeine, the relaxing properties of this L-theanine balance out the jittery effects of caffeine and helps with concentration without the side effects that coffee can bring. Pretty cool right?
Ok, have I convinced you to try this yet?
You may decide to start off and simply order it at a coffee shop and that is a good place to start. In fact, Starbucks has a nice tasting Vegan matcha latte, using soy or coconut milk (which is what I use). If you aren’t Vegan or don’t have a dairy allergy, I’d still suggest sticking with your non-dairy milks. From what I’ve read, the dairy cancels out a lot of the antioxidants, thus reducing its health benefits. No Bueno!
If you’re all in and ready to take the matcha plunge, then get yourself some wonderful Japanese tea and make this drink at home. Once you start seeing the results, you’ll be ditching that caffΓ¨ latte or other sugary drinks and opting for this nutritious, healthy, and energizing tea latte.
Matcha Tea Latte
Move over coffee, there's a new drink in town! Barista approved, Matcha Green Tea Latte. Delicious, healthy & full of antioxidant fighting power.
Ingredients
- 1 C. coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 TB. pure grade B maple syrup
- 1 tsp. matcha green tea
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place your milk in a mug and microwave until hot (1-2 minutes) OR warm in a saucepan over medium heat until hot.
- Pour milk into a blender. Add syrup, matcha tea powder & vanilla extract. Blend until dissolved and milk becomes frothy. Increasing the speed as you go, will create a lighter, more airy beverage.
- Transfer frothed tea to your mug and enjoy.
- Add additional sweetener if desired.
Notes
If desired, use your milk frother and add a little steamed coconut milk on top then sprinkle with some cane sugar for a beautiful presentation.
In case you’re wondering how to choose the perfect Matcha Tea Blend, jump on over to one of my favorite blogs, and check out Kathy’s Matcha Green Tea Review.
Love matcha! But I love baking with it more π
It really is kinda crazy that Starbucks does so well with how easy it is to make lattes at home! Matcha and chai, love them both, especially when made with coconut milk <3 This sounds perfect, hot or iced. And I love your close up bubble froth shot too!
They do make it so well. My son now works at Starbucks and I’m always trying to pick his brain for recipes but he’s not caving π
Ok…this might have to be my new afternoon beverage. Everything about it sounds divine!
Awesome! It’ll make afternoons a little sweeter
I tried matcha green tea for the first time last month and I LOVED it!!! This latte sounds divine!
Thanks Jenn! Blending it is key to making it light and airy.
Definitely a tea fan over here! Sounds so warm and comforting!
I love walking around with a hot drink in hand, so tea has been a great way to keep my coffee consumption down.
I have yet to try matcha but this sound delicious. I could drink a cup right now!
Thanks Mel! I’d love to hear what you think when you Do try it.
To be honest, I never really liked matcha latte but I drink it for the health benefits. Though the coconut milk must make it so much better than soy, I have to give it a try π
I didn’t like it at first either, but like you, drank it because I knew it was good for me. Let me know if you like it better using coconut milk.
i love matcha tea as well..but have never made it at home..
I finally started making it at home. You just have to get a good quality, organic tea and make sure its actually from Japan (there is a difference). You’ll end up using it for more things than just tea.
I love Matcha, I add it to my porridge, banana ice cream, smoothies, make almond matcha latte and Matcha Ice tea. It is simple brilliant!
I’ve never tried it in porridge, but I’d bet that tastes wonderful
I’ve heard great things but have never tried matcha
You really should. It’s a little earthy tasting, since you’re drinking the ground leaves, but its so good. And you can always add in some extract or sweeteners.
I tried this once, like it.This sounds so great!
Thanks Uma. I actually had to try it a few times and then when I made it at home, that was a game changer.
Ha, you have _totally_ convinced me to try a homemade matcha tea latte. π I love your writing, you get me smiling! π
Thanks Gin and I’m glad to hear you’ll be giving it a try! And I’m glad you like the writing, sometimes I think I just amuse myself π
I love matcha tea and this looks incredible as a latte, I totally need to try this! Did you use full fat or lite coconut milk?
I actually used the So Delicious Original, the refrigerated type, not shelf stable. Although I’m sure if you used that, it’d be even richer and creamier. Yum.
I love matcha and I love lattes, so this seems so perfect. I can’t believe I’ve never tried one before. Thanks for the awesome recipe. π
You are welcome Linda! I think you’d really enjoy it, especially if you already like the two separately.
I’ve made matcha tea ice cream but have never had a latte. I like this recipe!
Thanks! Is your ice cream on your blog? If so, I’ll have to check it out.
I love this recipe! I actually made a similar matcha latte months ago and STILL have not gotten around to posting it. haha. Looks awesome!
I know what that’s like. I have about 10 sitting there, waiting to be written now that the images are ready. Oh well, I’d still love to see yours!
Sounds so yummy and creamy with coconut milk and maple syrup!
And I’m sure agave would work in a pinch, but you can’t beat Real maple syrup
I love matcha lattes, they are my go to drink when I need something comforting! I will have to give your version go, sounds yummy!