Iced Matcha Afternoon Pick Me Up
When the afternoon hits, my body typically craves a little pick me up. I grew up watching my parents and grandparents hit the pause button every afternoon and enjoy a cup of coffee. I feel like in a lot of Hispanic cultures it is normal to break for coffee and rest in the afternoon. My family is Costa Rican and café was something that always brewed in the morning and afternoon. It is a bit nostalgic for me and I love letting the coffee scent take me back to when I was a child. I used to rest my head on my grandma Cookie’s lap and nod off to Spanish conversion. To this day I love nothing more than to sit and listen to my family chat colorfully in Spanish.
Anyways, thank you for listening to that little walk down memory lane. Today isn’t about coffee at all! It is about matcha. The theme here is afternoon pick me up, which both matcha and coffee are great for. Take a moment and let me know in the comments below which you prefer, coffee or matcha?
I vote for either. Both are delicious and some days just call for a good creamy Iced Matcha. I’m sharing how I make mine and a little simple syrup trick I can’t live without! I hope you enjoy and when you get a chance, take an afternoon pause with me.
Let’s Talk Simple Syrup! This concoction is just water and sugar melted together to create a silky, sweet syrup that you can add to just about anything that needs a sweet kick. I make a batch every few weeks. I like to keep Simple Syrup on hand to add to cocktails, iced coffee, and iced matcha! The trick is, to simmer 1 cup of water with 1 cup white sugar slow and low in a saucepan until the two have become one. You’ll know when the sugar fully dissolves and the liquid becomes clear and it is ready to come off the heat. *Be sure to keep stirring and don’t leave it alone! It comes together pretty quickly. Once it cools, pour it into a storage bottle, these are my favorite, and keep in the refrigerator for up to three weeks!
In a decent sized glass, add 1 or 2 scoops of your favorite matcha powder. Now, everyone has their favorite and reasons why they love what they love. I’ll tell you mine and if you want to share yours I’d love you to in the comments! Just in case anyone is looking for matcha, we can give them options. My go to is the Care/of Matcha and I love this one because it has added collagen which I appreciate. It also tastes delicious!
The trick to not have any matcha lumps is to stir vigorously with 2 tablespoons of piping hot water! This way the matcha dissolves fully and you won’t end up with any powdery tea lumps in your drink.
Next, I like to fill my glass with lots of ice! I add about 1 or 2 tablespoons of the simple syrup. If you aren’t into simple syrup you can add honey! Then I add oat milk and leave about a 1/2 inch of room at the top of my glass. You can use whatever kind of milk you enjoy most here. I never thought I’d be an oat milk fan, but it surprisingly compliments the matcha. I now keep oat milk on hand for matcha and smoothies! If you missed my Blueberry Muffin Smoothie give it try HERE!
Now, this next step is FULLY optional and only worth it if you want to feel a little more fancy and enjoy cold foam. I have THIS handheld foamer that I use everyday to make my coffee and matcha feel more special by adding foamy milk to both. I love it and if you do too, then I highly suggest foaming up some oat milk on the side and then spooning the foam on top of your matcha! If you are feeling extra fancy you can sprinkle a little matcha powder on top too ;)
There! You now have a seriously delicious Iced Matcha to enjoy when the afternoon calls to you and demands you to pause. Somethings I like to do while I hit the pause button in the afternoon; read, watch a YouTube video, write, read books with my girls, go for a walk, or sit in my garden.
Love you all! Enjoy.
