The health benefits of green tea have been widely reported from weight loss and stress relief to improved brain function. Matcha is a super-charged version of green tea made from Camellia Sinensis but in fine powder form. People that ingest matcha are consuming the entire leaf rather than brewed water – one glass of matcha tea is the equivalent to 10 glasses of regular green tea!
Not only that a study from 2003 published in the Journal of Chromatography found matcha has 137 times more of the powerful antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) than other types of green tea. EGCG has been proven effective in the fight against many forms of cancer, HIV, heart disease and a host of other illnesses and diseases.
As matcha is a powder, you can reap the health benefits in all kinds of ways too – from lattes, smoothies and cocktails to poultry, beef and seafood to puddings, bread and dips. With this being our first dabble with matcha green tea powder, making cocktails seemed as good a place as any to put it to the test.
There are three matcha green tea powder cocktails on the menu today – the matcha orange cocktail, the sparkling matcha cocktail and a minty macha mojito. As you’d expect the latter does include rum while the other two alcohol free. All recipes are super easy and make one cocktail.
Matcha Orange Cocktail
1 teaspoon matcha
2½ teaspoons sugar
4 ice cubes
¼ cup hot water
½ cup 100% orange juice (cold)
Place the ice cubes in a tall glass and set aside. In a small bowl combine the matcha and then sugar then add hot water and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the matcha over the ice and let it sit for a minute. Top with orange juice.
I wasn’t sure if I’d got this one right initially but you just have to wait for it to settle to get the stripey orange/green effect. There should be a little more orange showing here although I think I was quite generous with my teaspoon of matcha.
Sparkling Matcha Cocktail
1 teaspoon matcha
4 ice cubes
2 teaspoons warm water
¾ cup sparkling water
1 lime wedge
In a tall glass stir the warm water and matcha until they’re blended. Add the ice cubes to the glass and slowly add the sparkling water. Stir until blended then squeeze the lime wedge on top.
This cocktail was the quickest to make and I was pleasantly surprised at how light and refreshing it was. A real thirst quencher. In case you’re wondering, matcha doesn’t taste like the green tea you’d normally have at all. This is a great alternative to sparkling water and so good for you!
Minty Matcha Mojito
1 lime (juiced)
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1 teaspoon matcha
5 fresh mint leaves
Crushed ice
2oz sparkling soda water
1½ oz rum
Add the matcha, mint leaves, sugar and lime juice to the bottom of a glass and use a muddler to mix if you have one. Muddle until the sugar is dissolved and you can smell the mint. Add the crushed ice to the glass then top with soda and rum. Garnish with additional mint leaves if desired. The recipe doesn’t include strawberries but we improvised slightly!
I slipped a little with the matcha on this one as it shouldn’t be this dark. That said I did the same with the rum so there was a good balance! A great tasting and nutritious mojito. In fact all three cocktails were delicious and as someone that’s never used Matcha Green Tea Powder before, I was thrilled. The POD Father is already asking me to make him a matcha latte with warm milk for breakfast too.
Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea Powder is available exclusively on Amazon. Its 100% organic, tested for purity, and contains more than 137 times the antioxidants found in a cup of brewed tea. You can also create all kinds of culinary delights with it – watch this space as we’ll be cooking with matcha next!
Disclaimer: We were sent a 113g packet of Kiss Me Organics Matcha Green Tea Powder for the purpose of this review. Opinions are our own.
