Matcha Butter Tea

I am so behind on blogging! There have been tons of yummy things to come out of my kitchen lately, and I have a queue of posts waiting to be shared. So here we go.

Although I do have a soft spot for really good coffee, I’m a tea person at heart. For me, there’s nothing like a warm, earthy cup of green tea to start the engines at the 6 o’clock hour. It’s nice and gentle, not too caffeinated, and sets my day on the right track. I love slow mornings, and you just can’t rush through a cup of tea. Lingering is almost mandatory.

I used to buy only Sencha tea, which I love for its grassy and rich flavor. I brewed it nice and strong. Then I moved onto Jasmine green tea, which – now that I think about it – coincided with the winter months. The floral scent of jasmine is especially uplifting. Now that it’s spring, I’ve discovered Matcha: the powdered superdrink that is Gyokuro’s expensive cousin. Match is especially high maintenance: to make it, I also had to invest in a special bamboo whisk and porcelain bowl. Trust me though, it’s worth it; and my sources agree.

But there’s one other step that I’ve recently invented, which is to add a small slice of grass-fed butter to the mix. This helps create a decadent foam on the top of your cup and also aids your body in absorbing as much of the supernutrients as possible. Tratidional Tibetan butter tea is made with brewed black tea, and shaken to create the foamy top. If butter tea sounds weird to you, think of it this way: it’s basically cream. You put cream in your coffee, right? Well, I prefer the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of butter. Either way, adding a bit of fat to your morning brew will help you assimilate the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants as well as possible. I’m no expert on the subject, but the recipe below is how I’ve been making it. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

 

Matcha Butter Tea :: makes 1 cup

1/2 tsp. good quality matcha powder (I got mine here)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp. raw local honey (for those of you in Northern California, I like this farm)
sliver of grass-fed butter (you can add more to taste, but start small)

1. Place matcha powder, honey, and butter in the bottom of a small drinking bowl. Latte bowls work well for this.
2. Once water has boiled, pour about 1/2 cup into the bowl. With your bamboo whisk and a nimble wrist, incorporate the matcha into the water. Be careful not to scrape the whisk against the bottom of the bowl. Once the powder is mixed, gently whisk on top to create a frothy layer. 
3. If desired, add up to 1/2 cup more water to dilute slightly. Sip slowly and enjoy.