Iced Green Tea Matcha Latte

Y’all, I just paid $5.62 plus $1.00 tip for a large iced matcha latte at Starbucks.  That’s outrageous and what’s even more ridiculous is I smiled and said thank you.  I don’t know, but it seems to me that non-alcoholic drinks should be somewhere around $2.18, don’t you think?  And cocktails need to drop down to….say, $6.00.  I’m good with $3.00 drinks during happy hour.  Hmmm, remember those days?  Yeah, well, something tells me they ain’t coming back.  But you can make iced matcha lattes for a fraction of the street price.  If you’ve not tried one yet you’re truly missing out.  With much less caffeine than a cup of coffee, matcha is full leaf green tea that’s been ground into a fine powder.  It can be sipped hot or cold but I think hot might be gross as all get out but that’s just me.  I love strong hot coffee but equally enjoy a tall, cold iced coffee.  I grew up on strong coffee and am crazy about all forms of it.  But tea…not so much.  We had tea when we were sick.  But a homemade iced green tea latte is a game changer.  It’s slightly sweet and creamy even when made with almond milk which is pretty great because I do love me my almond milk.  Exquisitely earthy in flavor, iced green tea latte is a favorite here in south Florida to quench your thirst when it’s hotter outside than a witch’s cootchie or for a quick afternoon pick me up when the daily 3 o’clock power slump hits you.  Green tea matcha powder can be purchased at Whole Foods and the Fresh Market packaged in tins.  Amazon is another option.  It can also be had at grocery stores and discount grocery stores but you want a strong, pure, very green product otherwise you’ll end up with a muddy, murky drink you’ll want to toss and forget you ever tasted.  A good quality matcha powder costs between $15.00-$20.00 and is worth every penny.  I typically get 10-15 iced drinks out of the tin so you do the math.  I love these lattes and enjoy mine in the morning, maybe around 10:30 and with that little boost I don’t need lunch until 1:30 or 2:00 in the afternoon.  Plus by making this at home or at the office you avoid using then tossing a plastic glass and straw which, by the way, takes 20 years to decompose.  I know it’s one more step and can be inconvenient to boil the water but that step truly brings out the deep flavor of the matcha powder and allows it to bloom.  The water called for can be heated up in a microwave, stove top or electric kettle; it matters not.  This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.  I don’t even measure the ingredients anymore, I simply eye-ball it.  I hope y’all will take a break and try this easy and delicious, slight buzz in a glass that will look ever so pretty in your hand.