The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A matcha made in heaven
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She gets her matcha from Japan and cautions that if you’re going to work with matcha at home, you want to make sure what you get is fresh. “It should smell fresh and have a bright green color. If it’s not handled right by the store, it can lose that smell and color. Once you open it, you have to store it airtight and use it quickly. Refrigerate it or freeze it. This is one of those ingredients where the price reflects quality. Buy the most expensive matcha.”
Connie Miller of Zen Tea in Chamblee says matcha has become the shop’s signature drink. When she opened nine years ago, she had to initiate her clientele into the world of matcha. “But as soon as they were introduced to it they liked it, and then their friends would come in and say, ‘I want that green drink my friend gets.’ It has a very green taste so we serve it as a latte with a little vanilla soy or coconut milk. Now 70 percent of our regular customers get a matcha latte every day.”
The shop sells organic stone ground Japanese matcha so you can experiment at home. The most popular size container is 1.5 ounces, which is enough for 20 servings at a half-teaspoon per cup. It sells for $19.99 and you can get it at Zen Tea, or at Press and Grind in Virginia-Highland, Vivid Boutique in Decatur and Nature’s Garden Express at Krog Street Market.
When she was learning about matcha, Miller was intrigued by how the monks who ground matcha found it helped them stay awake but in a meditative and calm state. And she says what makes matcha so special is that it’s like a live food source. “The tea plants are shaded three weeks before harvest, which forces the nutrients to the top of the plant. Only the tips are harvested and the leaves are ground into matcha powder, so you’re eating the whole plant, not just a brew from the leaves. It makes an uplifting, energizing and healthy drink.”
Over at Press and Grind in Virginia-Highland, general manager Jennifer Thompson has become a matcha fan. “I found that drinking coffee, my body had energy but my mind was exhausted. Someone introduced me to matcha and I find it’s like a timed-release caffeine. You get the energy but without getting jittery.”