Almond matcha latte

Almond matcha latte

Serves 1 | Prep/cook 5 mins
1 tsp matcha
a little not-quite-boiled water
squirt of agave nectar
sprinkle of ground cinnamon
grating of nutmeg
200–250ml almond milk (dependent on cup size)

1 In a mug, make a paste of the matcha and water using a hand-held whisk (the small electric kind works well). 
Next, add the agave nectar and spices.

2 Now, make your almond milk hot and frothy. If you have a coffee machine with a steamer, you can use that. Otherwise, heat your milk in the microwave or on the hob and use a hand-held whisk to get it frothy.

3 Transfer the milk to your mug, mix with the matcha paste and serve.
Cook’s tip You can also make this with dairy or other non-dairy milks.
Add vanilla extract, sugar or coconut sugar to sweeten instead of the agave nectar, if you prefer, and decorate with an extra sprinkling of the spices.

Per servin g 82 cals, fat 4.5g, sat fat 1g, carbs 4g, sugars 4g, protein 6.5g, salt 0g, fibre 1.5g

What is matcha?
If you’re more of a builder’s brew kind of person, you may not have come across matcha before. This
increasingly fashionable ingredient is made from natural, organic green tea leaves that have been carefully ground to form a fine powder. Because you consume the leaves themselves – rather than
discarding the leaves or tea bag – you get a more concentrated dose of the tea’s natural nutrients, including antioxidant flavonoids and the amino acid L-theanine, which is believed to improve alertness and concentration.

Matcha has been drunk in Japan as part of the tea ceremony for almost 900 years, and is used by Buddhist monks to keep them alert, awake and focused during long days of meditation.

Until fairly recently, virtually all matcha has been consumed within Japan, but it’s becoming
increasingly popular in the UK and can be drunk traditionally – simply whisk into hot water to make
a smooth tea – or it can be added to ‘shots’ of juice, blended into a smoothie or used in all kinds of baking, desserts and even ice cream.