Hey Everyone!
I’m sure all of you know green tea and some of you maybe also like it! Matcha however is not everybody’s taste. Traditionally there are two different ways to drink Matcha: Usucha (thin tea) and Koicha (thick tea). Koicha requires significantly more matcha and is as thick as paint (or nearly… ). It is served almost exclusively as part of Japanese tea ceremonies. I actually got the chance to try Koicha when I was in Japan but unfortunately I didn’t like it that much.Today Matcha is also used to flavour and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, ice cream and a variety of Wagashi (Japanese confectionery) so after reading about the most yummy Matcha muffins on Miho’s Happy Life I totally had the urge to do something myself with this magical green powder.
Matcha 抹茶 is a talc-like powder made from Gyokuro. Gyokuro (“shade-grown”) is called like this because part of its growth cycle must take place in the shade. This procedure slows down growth, turns the leaves a darker shade of green and causes the production of amino acids that make the resulting tea sweeter.
There are a lot of sites on the internet, describing why green tea and especially Matcha is good for your health so I am not going to write too much about it here. Fact is, that green tea and Matcha contain a lot of catechin which has vasoprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. There are currently researches going on to find out more about the beneficence of green tea.
As for my part I noticed a huge and positive difference in my skin’s complexion while staying in Japan and drinking green tea quite often. Probably it was also from all that seaweed, and omega-3 fatty acids I got from eating Sushi! There are many reasons to like Matcha! So with my newly found curiosity about this versatile companion, I prepared a Matcha Latte.
You’ll need Matcha, milk and honey (or an other sweetener)


I used a teaspoonful of Matcha and blended it with a teaspoonful of honey. Mixing the Matcha with the (thick) honey helps to dissolve eventual Matcha lumps.


Since I don’t have any electric stirrer it took the Matcha mixed with honey some time to blend in perfectly with the milk but in the end it turned out homogeneous and prettily green. Add some crushed ice if you wish. I finally added a bit of whipped cream on the surface and to have something to nibble at I skewered some blueberries and peppermint leafs. The green drops on the whipped cream is some of the Matcha-honey mixture.


Even if you don’t like green tea and/or Matcha I absolutely recommend you to try this delicious and healthy beverage!
Now to the part of the facial mask.

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