There are so many tips on matcha and matcha recipes out there, that choosing the right kind can quickly get confusing. The best way to get the low-down on a crowded topic? Call a friend! I recently chatted with the amazing Remy Park from Veggiekins and got her take on choosing the right matcha and the recipe for her daily pre-workout matcha latte. Take a read if you're looking for some quick advice on the topic. ** photo by Dani Duran of And A Pinch of Love
Remy's tips:
"When it comes to matcha, you can find a variety of matcha products at different price points based on quality and intended use. If you're looking purely for flavor, it’s totally okay to use a more modestly-priced matcha in your routine. As long as you’re getting culinary grade, you should be okay without going for the priciest one on the market. If you’re not looking for the health benefits, like antioxidants, but more the caffeine hit or the flavor then you can go lower end. For example, If I’m making a huge cake or something, I might not use my best matcha because I'm going more for flavor.
Matchaeologist has really great matcha (and a cool breakdown of grades on their site) at different price points and I also really like Matcha Maiden. That one comes in a larger sachet and I really like putting it into my smoothies, whereas with the Matchaeologist one, I prefer to use to make very traditional small cups of matcha, because it’s pricier. In general, higher quality matcha will typically dissolve more easily for a smoother, clump-free beverage once whisked. I find that when making smoothies however, if I'm really in a rush, I can skip whisking the matcha. My grandma would kill me if she heard me say that (I'm part Japanese), but so long as you have a good quality matcha, you don't need to really worry about whisking it before it goes into the blender.
My favorite way to drink matcha is with Ripple milk or with just a tiny bit of coconut butter and hot water. Vanilla bean is killer in it with a tiny bit of salt. It helps bring out the natural sweetness in matcha. I don’t usually sweeten my matcha lattes. Sometimes I mix maca in, but then it’s really an energy bomb, so it really kind of depends on my mood. For lattes--I’m a blender girl. I normally just use the Vitamix Explorian and if you let it run on high speed for a minute or two, you can even skip using hot water because the high power heats the liquid up and gives you the nice froth too.”
Remy Park’s Go-To Matcha Latte Recipe
1 teaspoon of matcha
1/2 cup of ripple original milk, or other original + unsweetened plant-based milk
1/4 cup of hot water
2 teaspoons of coconut butter
1/2 vanilla bean pod (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
tiny pinch of himalayan pink salt (just to enhance flavour)
Add your ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes, until frothy! Alternatively, add all of your ingredients into a pot over the stove and froth with a frother once heated.
If you're looking for other ways to enjoy your superfoods, try these:
Banana, Spinach, and Spirulina Pancakes
Vibrant Raw Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes
