Matcha, much?
Make it your go-to green tea
This St. Patrick’s Day, get your green on with matcha — an intense, vibrant green-tea powder enjoyed in everything from lattes to cupcakes to avocado toast.
“It’s the Japanese ceremonial tea by tradition,” said Kari Dandrea of Pureblend in West Chester. “But the oldest matcha fields are from China.”
Try an iced vanilla matcha latte, available at her tea bar in Lancaster.
“The caffeine is a nice slow release of energy,” she explained. “I like the way it makes me feel. I like the fact that it’s super-high in antioxidants. I feel like I’m putting something good in my body as opposed to coffee.”
Kimberton Whole Foods sells Pureblend’s organic matcha and serves matcha lattes too.
At Green Engine Coffee Co. in Haverford, “we probably get more oat milk matcha lattes than dairy milk matcha lattes,” said owner Zach Morris. “Matcha is a really great pairing with oat milk. And oat milk is such a trendy topic right now.” But that’s not all. “We just finished making a matcha icing for a matcha ‘Pop-Tart,’” he added. “We make these little hand pastries. They’re really good.”
Matcha also colors and flavors treats from Dia Doce Gourmet Cupcakes in West Chester. Guests at a recent special event sampled matchablueberry velvet cupcakes and gin cocktails with matcha, mint and muddled lime.
As for the powder itself, “it’s a very earthy, umami flavor to it, and I just love that,” said Natalie Lynn of Counterpart Kombucha, who brews matcha pineapple kombucha.
“It’s just so delicious,” she described, “one of my favorites.”
Find it at Green Engine Coffee Co., where green “is our color,” Morris said. “So I guess we’re always celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.”