Makin' Matcha

DISCLAIMER: I received the matcha powder used in this post free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own.

I had never tried matcha powder before I received samples from Raw Bear. They sent me a five-day sample and I was determined to find different ways to use it. I'll discuss my favourite here.

First, let me talk about matcha itself. It really is a powerhouse! Here are just a few of the health benefits:

• It contains many different antioxidants

• It naturally detoxifies the body

• It calms the body and the mind

• It is rich in fiber, as well as many essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, zinc, magnesium, selenium, selenium, chromium, and more

• It helps the body fight against disease

• It lowers cholesterol and blood sugar

It's no wonder matcha is so popular these days!

If you've never had matcha tea, it's unlike any other tea you've likely experienced. Instead of coming in the form of leaves, matcha is vibrant green powder. Instead of steeping it and then removing it from the water like you would a tea bag, matcha powder is whisked into the water to form an emulsion.

What does it taste like?

Raw Bear match powder is delicious! It has a very fresh, herbal, almost grassy quality to it -- in a very good way. It can be a bit of an acquired taste for some, but I think it's delicious. If you typically like your drinks sweetened, some agave or honey is a nice, natural way to sweeten your matcha.

Like other forms of tea, you can drink matcha both hot or cold. I've had it both ways during this trial, but with this hot weather finally here, iced is my current favourite way to drink it.

Here's my favourite "recipe," which is actually more of a method, since a lot of it is down to personal taste preference. I also used it as a hot beverage and I added the powder to smoothies, which was also very delicious!

What you'll need:

1 tsp of Raw Bear matcha (start here and work your way up to more if you like)

honey to taste

vanilla extract to taste

12 oz. milk of choice (cow's, almond, soy, coconut -- they would all be delicious!)

Add all ingredients to a blender* and blend until the matcha is completely dissolved. Pour over ice and enjoy!

*Important note: One of the challenges of using matcha is that it needs to be blended VERY well into the liquid, otherwise you'll get lumps and the matcha will settle at the bottom. I don't have one of the specially designed matcha whisks, so I mix my drinks in a "bullet" style blender. A regular blender works well, too.

Raw Bear is a UK-based company, but they do ship to Canada. Their customer service was friendly and helpful, and their shipping was fast! I highly recommend trying this company.

#tea #matcha #review