Apr 1, 2010

green tea latte










yes, i am still thinking about the color green. thank you for asking. and my love of green tea is well known. so naturally it follows that one of my favorite breakfasts these days is a green tea latte. similar to one i had at le pain quotidien recently. i love that chain. do you have one near you, yet? if you don't, i am confident you will soon. they are taking the world by storm. each one seems like a handmade charming wholesome european coffee/tea/pastry/sandwich shop. you would never guess it was a chain until you look around and notice all the branded products, teas, honey, jams, mustard, etc. they are originally out of belgium and make the very best brownies (shaped like a little round chocolate tart) i have ever tasted in my (increasingly long) life. we have two near us in connecticut for example. having also sampled their wares in belgium, france, and new york, i can tell you they were all consistently charming to be in and delicious.

back to the green tea latte. the color is incredible. so green. very photogenic. i could photograph it all day. this green tea latte is made with organic soy milk. i like it best this way. it is the fastest breakfast i know how to make. plenty of protein. a good start to my day. i usually just nibble on a little fresh fruit as i heat and stir. takes about 3 minutes which includes getting things out of the refrigerator and gathering the needed accessories. like spoons and cups.

i make it with ito en matcha green tea powder. a very special finely ground green tea. you can find various brands available from numerous japanese sources. it is often kept in the freezer and has a short shelf life. matcha is very handy in that it can easily be whisked into a foam when mixed with hot water, or as you see here, warmed soy milk. whisked just as they do in the beautiful ritual that is the japanese tea ceremony. (which starts with making your own ceramic tea cup out of clay). i bought my tea cup. but maybe one day i will get back to kyoto and enroll in just such a tea class.

i had never thought of making a green tea latte at home until i saw one on one of my favorite reads, lovely blog out of the uk, quaint living. really great photography, food, travel, that sort of thing.

green tea latte
preparation
i use a heaping teaspoon of matcha to one and a half to two cups of soy milk. i heat over the stove or in the microwave. good results with both. whisk while hot. serve immediately. brilliantly simple, fast and delicious.

8 comments:

  1. i know nothing about green tea - but possibly should - so thanks for sharing! but PQ! i should get paid to talk about PQ! if you have a minute, i could say something more about PQ!

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  2. That is so nice of you to mention me! I was reading this thinking 'oh my, that looks yummy' and then I was so surprised to see me mentioned :D Thanks! I think I should get one of those proper whisks too. I have also made a cold matcha latte with iced soy milk which was good too :)

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  3. mlle paradis, i would love to hear all about PQ, do tell.

    alice, it is my pleasure, i love your work, brilliant. the bamboo whisk makes very short work of foaming the matcha, so elegantly simple and perfectly suited to the task. great to know about the iced soy milk option.

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  4. One of the things I enjoy about your blog, Gretchen is the Japanese influence. Thanks for explaining how to make a green tea latte--can't wait to get the stuff and try it soon. That whisk is out of control! And green is my favorite color...

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  5. I was delighted when green tea lattes were available stateside, even if through starbucks. I had my first in HK. Loved it. From Japan, I learned to love green tea KitKats. The best.

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  6. Oh, and green tea cupcakes. Those are great.

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  7. I sprinkled green tea on my plain yogurt yesterday accidentally and even that was delicious. Also love green tea shortbread cookies and green tea tiramasu. I have never had a green tea cupcake or kitkat. Hmmmm.

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  8. This i love... the colour green and the flow of images..
    Fab!
    Sophie

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