Matcha Lemonade

I'm in love with the ease and simplicity of this time of year.

No heavy coats, no boots and no extra socks. No frozen toes or frostbitten noses.

Just a vast expanse of burgeoning green and the sweet contentment of wandering outside in bare feet and feeling the good earth beneath you.

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Today's Green Recipe

As temperatures rise, my afternoon green tea routine gradually (or abruptly) evolves from a warming cinnamon matcha latte to a refreshing lemon matcha on ice.

This iced beverage not only tastes delicious, it also has outstanding health supportive properties.

Luscious Lemon - lemons have a long history of medicinal use against various forms of ailments and poisons.  Not surprisingly perhaps given this citrus fruit's natural anti-bacterial properties and strong concentration of vitamin C - a potent water-soluble antioxidant that helps boost the immune system and fight disease. 

Matcha Tea - matcha is made from green tea leaves that have been finely milled into a silky, radiant green powder. When you drink matcha you are benefiting from the entire green tea leaf, not just the brewed water from the leaf. Matcha is considered amongst the highest quality green teas with one of most concentrated antioxidant contents.

Even better news, a recent study out of Purdue University reveals that adding lemon to green tea can boost the bioavailability of catechins (the antioxidant compounds found in green tea) which have been linked to lowered cancer risk as well as improved heart and brain health by roughly four-fold.

Matcha Lemonade

• 16 ounces boiling water
• 4 tsp of matcha, or according to preference
• Juice of one lemon
• Zest of one lemon, I used chunky zest for this one
• 1 or 2 tsp raw honey, optional
• A few fresh mint leaves, optional
• 2 cups of ice

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Notes:

I generally like to use 1 tsp of matcha powder per 4-6 ounces of water. If you are new to matcha you may wish to begin with a smaller amount or add more water to suit your taste until you habituate.

Dressing matcha is a very particular thing.  Some matcha drinkers have a strong preference to drink the beverage straight up - no milk, no cream, no sweetener, no funny business.  My husband likens the taste of this hard-core approach to mud (I think he finds it a bit strong) and prefers a touch of cream and a bit of honey or agave - which takes the edge off. 

The lemon and ice in this version act as a nice balance, reducing the potency somewhat, but you may well find that you prefer it with a touch of honey so you can make adjustments and see what works best for your taste preference.

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Serves 2

Bring 16 ounces of water to boil (ideally, just to before the boiling point).

Place the 4 teaspoons of matcha powder in a large bowl or jug and add boiling water.  Using a matcha whisk as pictured above (or an ordinary whisk) whisk to integrate powder and water.

Add lemon juice, lemon zest, honey or agave if using and mint if desired, stirring to combine with matcha.

At this point, you can either place the matcha mixture in a pitcher in the fridge to cool for a few hours before enjoying over ice or you can pour it directly over ice (the ice will cool the drink down considerably even without it being refrigerated). 

Place one cup of ice in each serving glass (I used mason jars).  Give the matcha mixture a thorough stirring before pouring the mixture by divided portions over each glass.

No matter how well you mix your matcha, you may find that some of it inevitably sinks to the bottom of the glass.  I like to use a spoon while I drink my matcha to give it an occasional stir and make sure I'm benefiting from all those wonderful antioxidants!

Cheers to Spring ~