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Tea Recipes

3 Simple and Delicious Matcha Recipes You’ll Make Over And Over Again!

November 12, 2022

Matcha is a powder that is manufactured from specially grown green tea and is prepared using a traditional Japanese tea-making technique that dates back to the 12th century. In China and Japan, the process of preparing and drinking matcha, as well as serving and drinking it, is considered ceremonial, and the drink itself has gained popularity all over the world. Matcha has been compared to the protein powder used in the world of tea: Smoothies, baked goods, yogurt, and just about anything else you can think of are all wonderful candidates for its incorporation. You’ve probably heard of matcha, a sort of green tea that is pounded into a fine powder and has a flavor described as having hints of earth, spinach, and umami. You are aware that it is said to be beneficial to your health: It is strong in antioxidants, just like traditional green tea (that is, the leaves-in-a-bag type), but because it is a powder, you wind up swallowing the full leaf, and as a result, more nutrients—at least, that is what many people speculate. But what in the world are you supposed to do with it? Matcha is traditionally consumed by adding water that has been brought to a boil and then whisking the mixture with a bamboo whisk until it becomes frothy. However, that is only the beginning of things to come. Matcha has been compared to the protein powder used in the world of tea: Smoothies, baked goods, yogurt, and just about anything else you can think of are all wonderful candidates for its incorporation. In this collection of recipes, we have included a few of our favorite ways to prepare food with matcha, we hope you enjoy making these recipes as much as we do! 

  1. Matcha White Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

  • Matcha Powder
  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 4 oz white chocolate

Recipe:

  • Sift matcha powder into a double boiler and whisk in 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Add white chocolate and 3 more tablespoons cream. Melt chocolate over medium-low heat, stirring. Remove from heat and cool, stirring periodically, for 15 minutes.
  • Beat remaining heavy cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold the leftover whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate 4 small dishes for 2 hours.
  • Serve fresh, add whipped cream, white chocolate shavings, or berries.
  1. Matcha Coated Almonds 

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup of almonds
  • 60g dark chocolate
  • 1 tbsp matcha powder

Recipe:

  • Line a baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.
  • You can melt the dark chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. If you like, you can temper the chocolate.
  • After adding almonds to chocolate that has been melted, give the mixture a good swirl so that the almonds are evenly coated in chocolate.
  • Spread the almonds out on the prepared baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Take special care to maintain the separation of one component from the others.
  • If you are using tempered chocolate, you should let the chocolate set at room temperature. If you are using chocolate that has not been tempered, allow it to harden in the refrigerator.
  • When the chocolate has cooled and hardened, place the almonds in a container that has a lid and sprinkle the matcha powder on top. Put the lid back on the jar and shake it vigorously until each almond is covered in matcha.
  • Voila, you have a perfectly healthy snack filled with matcha goodness. 
  1. Matcha Chia Pudding

Ingredients:

Recipe:

  • In a dish, combine the chia seeds and the non-dairy milk, making sure to break up any clusters of chia seeds that may have formed. In a second bowl, whisk together the matcha powder and the warm water, and mix until smooth.
  • After thoroughly combining the matcha mixture, maple syrup, and vanilla with the chia seed mixture, place the mixture in the refrigerator to chill for at least two and a half to four hours, or for as long as overnight.
  • When you are ready to have your matcha chia seed pudding, I highly recommend garnishing it with some of your favorite fresh fruit, granola, almonds, or a dollop of non-dairy yogurt. Alternatively, you could also try serving it with a spoonful of chia seed pudding.

We have curated some of our favorite recipes with matcha, which are not only healthy but also really simple and easy to make. We’re hoping you get to try them and fall in love as much as we did! Let us know your favorite in the comments below and share it with a loved one. Give them a push to try a healthy but really yummy match recipe…maybe even this weekend?!

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Tea Recipes

Tea Candies to Make This Easter

April 1, 2017

Easter is coming. And with it, lots of candy. This Easter, bypass the candy aisle at the grocery store and challenge yourself to make your own candy–with tea.  For tea lovers with a sweet tooth, these tea candy recipes are practically perfect in every way:

1) Matcha Rock Candy

Matcha Rock Candy

To make this matcha candy, start by adding sugar to boiling water, then whisk in matcha. Pour this solution into a jar and cover with tin foil. Poke skewers through the tin foil down into the solution. Now comes the hard part: wait 7-10 days. Once a week’s come and gone, remove the skewers and turn them upside down to dry out overnight. Once the sun’s up, your beautiful, green, crystalized candy is ready to be licked.

2) Honey Tea Lollipops

Honey Tea Lollipops

This recipe from Chef Gale Gand and the Food Network calls for 8 tablespoons of brewed tea. Place lemon rinds and mint leaves in lollipop molds, then pour in a mixture of sugar, honey, glucose, and your choice of tea. Cool for 20 minutes and then remove for a special lollipop that delivers a winning bittersweet taste.

3) Earl Grey Lollipops

Earl Grey Lollipops

If Earl Grey is your jam, try these lollipops from The Food Poet. Start by boiling brewed earl grey tea with sugar and corn syrup. Pour the mixture into lollipop molds. Wait approximately 15 minutes for the liquid to cool, then remove and enjoy.

4) Salted Chai Caramels

Salted Chai Caramels

This recipe from POPSUGAR calls for 3 tablespoons of loose-leaf chai tea. Begin by simmering the chai, heavy cream, and whole milk in a saucepan. Strain this mixture through a cheesecloth into a pot. There, add white sugar, dark brown sugar, salt, butter, corn syrup, and water. Whisk on medium-low heat until the butter and sugar have dissolved. Keep cooking for about 40 minutes until the temperature reaches 246 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour into a greased pan, cool, and then sprinkle with fleur de sel. Refrigerate, slice, and serve!

5) Thai Tea Fudge

Thai Tea Fudge

This recipe from Thai cooking blog She Simmers calls for Thai tea, a cold drink commonly made in Thailand that often infuses strongly-brewed black tea with spices such as cardamom, tamarind, and star anise before sweetening it with sugar and condensed milk. This recipe uses Thai tea to add flavor and interest to white fudge. Start by melting whit chocolate and condensed milk, and then whisk in Thai tea and baking soda. Pour this mixture into a greased bowl for your first tea layer. Then prepare the second white chocolate layer: melt white chocolate and condensed milk, then whisk in baking soda, and pour on top of the tea layer. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, then cut and devour!

6) Brown Sugar Jasmine Tea Caramels

Brown Sugar Jasmine Tea Caramels

This recipe from The Kitchen Paper promises “a strong, but not overpowering, jasmine undertone to the caramel.” If you have 2 tablespoons of jasmine tea and 25 minutes to spare, then this is the recipe for you. Steep the jasmine tea in heated half and half for a few minutes. Drain the tea leaves and set aside. In another pan, whisk butter and brown sugar over heat, adding in corn syrup, salt, and the jasmine half and half you set aside. Simmer and cook until the mixture reaches 244 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove from heat, add vanilla extract, and pour into a pan. Allow the caramel to cool, and then cut up into bite-sized pieces to enjoy.

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Tea Guides

How To Be A Trendy Tea Drinker This Year

January 5, 2017

We told you what tea trends will be taking center stage in 2017: green tea, matcha, and easy packaging options like on-tap tea and bottled teas. Now we’re here to show you just how you can be a part of these trends. If your New Year’s resolution was to be cool, you’re in luck.  Get ready to be ahead of the curve:

1) Green Tea

Green tea’s expected to perform very well in 2017 and beyond, especially as a bottled option for busy commuters in search of a healthy alternative to sugary sodas. Snapple, Lipton, Honest Tea, Arizona, and Tazo Tea all offer iced green bottled teas. Swipe one when you want to be trendy but you’re pressed for time. Or order an on-trend coffee-inspired green tea beverage, like a green tea latte from Starbucks or a green tea latte paired with vanilla or peppermint from Peet’s Coffee. Look for green tea to be offered at more and more locations, from highway rest stops and movie theaters to convenience stores and vending machines as it settles decidedly into the mainstream.  Go big green!

2) Matcha

Matcha is on the rise. Look for it on tea menus as a beverage and as a flavor in dishes from breakfast and lunch to dinner and dessert. Scan your menu and you’ll probably find matcha waffles and French fries or matcha chicken and pork belly this year. This green powder is infiltrating all parts of the menu, and not just at fancy restaurants. Matcha’s made it to the Big Leagues: Haagen Dazs sells its matcha green tea ice cream by the pint in American grocery stores and Trader Joes sells a Matcha Green Tea Latte Mix. Don’t be surprised if Japanese products like Matcha Oreos and Matcha Kit Kats come to the United States sooner rather than later.  Get ready to be singing “Break me off a piece of that matcha stick!”  OK, the jingle may need work, but the point is: matcha will be rolling off more and more tongues.

3) Tea On Tap

Get ready to see bartenders carrying kegs of tea or pulling a kombucha tap at the local watering hole this year. You can be part of this trend by ordering a tea keg for your next birthday party or installing a tea tap at your eatery. Full Service Restaurants said last year that, “Beverages on tap remain fresher for longer and offer a unique experience—bold flavors with an eye-catching presentation.”  Several companies work to bring tea kegs and taps to restaurants and organizations, such as Joyride, who argues that a tap “is the perfect solution to serve non-alcoholic beverages, offering product consistency, streamlined workflow, reduction of waste, and a unique customer experience.” That’s a lot of benefits on both sides of the bar! Joyride offers Ceylon Iced Tea and Green Tea in kegs and kombucha on tap. Look for signs outside bars advertising the allocation of taps to kombucha and tea, perfect for tea lovers not in the mood for an alcoholic beverage or non-drinkers looking for a way to feel included by the bar hopping experience.

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Tea History & Culture

Tea Trends for 2017

January 3, 2017

This year, tea’s not just here to stay—it’s poised to rise. According to MarketWatch, the global tea market will grow by 6.88 billion from 14.45 billion at the end of 2016 to 21.33 billion in 2024. Louise Pollock, the President of food, health, and wellness PR firm Pollock Communications, told Beverage Daily, “The beverage category has grown exponentially and tea is set to experience a lot of growth moving into 2017 and 2018.” But what exactly can we expect from the tea industry this year? We noticed a few prominent trends you can look forward to this year:

1) Green Tea

After surveying 1700 registered dieticians, Pollock Communications named green tea one of the Top Ten Superfoods of 2017. As busy Americans look for beverages on the go that are both convenient and healthy, look out for more bottled green teas. In addition to green teas, Pollock Communications expects teas made with whole leaves and natural ingredients to rise, thanks to our increasingly health-conscious population.

2) Matcha 

According to Datassential, matcha grew by 50% in the US from 2010 to 2015, and multiple sources say it will continue to rise in availability and popularity in the coming years. In 2015, just 1% of non-alcoholic beverage menus included matcha, so it’s still in its early stage of consumer awareness and demand, but get ready to watch that number climb. Matcha most commonly appears on menus as a tea or in blended beverages, but it’s also a great ingredient in baking, as we illustrated with White Chocolate Matcha Brownies. So look out for this green powder on dessert menus or in the grocery aisle to make your own tea-infused baked goods.

3) Tea on Tap

Restaurants want to make it easy to deliver you a new, exciting product. FoodBytes says, “Suddenly everything is on tap—wine, cocktails, nitro and cold brew coffee, kombucha, on-tred spirits like amaro.” That’s right: this year we predict you’ll see kombucha and other teas on tap with greater frequency. It’s part of a larger trend you’ll see in 2017: packaging and formatting that makes tea even easier to grab in a restaurant or on the go. From eateries that have self-serving taps at your table to coffee shops, movie theaters, and supermarkets offering exotic bottled teas, 2017 will see more grab ‘n sip options than ever before.

4) More, More, More

Tea trends from the last several years will drive the growth of tea consumption at home, at restaurants, and on the go in 2017. We’ll continue to see teas blending herbs and spices to deliver exotic and flavorful beverages, lesser-known leaves like oolong and rooibos sharing shelf space with black and green teas, tea dishes incorporating on-trend flavors like cateja, tea-infused cocktails, coffee-inspired teas (i.e. a green tea latte or mocha), ingredients like berries and fruit replacing milk and sugar as co-stars in every cup, and the strong performance of iced tea—85% of tea consumption in the USA is iced, per the Tea Association of the United States. These trends are far from over, and we’ll continue to see them grow this year. 

Whatever way you pour it, the teacup is looking half full for 2017!

 

 

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