on green tea

i am a green tea addict. i love its bitter and grassy, yet fresh flavor. there are many green tea´s and green tea blends out there, but here are the most common types:

1. sencha (made from tea leaves exposed to sunlight)
2. genmaicha (a mixture of green tea and roasted brown rice)
3. matcha (a green tea powder)
4. gunpowder (green tea rolled into small pellets)
5. jasmine (green tea mixed with jasmine flower)
6. oloong tea (a roasted tea, could be considered a hybrid between green and black tea due to its high percentage of fermentation)








green tea has been consumed and used as medicine for over 4000 years. just like black tea, it comes from the camellia sinensis plant. however, green tea is dried, not fermented. the shorter processing gives green tea a lighter flavor than black tea. it also helps keep all the beneficial chemicals intact, which is why green tea is so good for you. there are many mytical stories on green tea. it is said that green tea was discovered by a buddhist monk who was boiling drinking water under a tree. he fell asleep. while he was asleep, the tree´s fine leaves fell into the boiling water. when he woke up, he drank the hot water and was surprised by its delicious flavor. another story, quite unbelievable: one of the most expensive green tea´s available is called monkey tea, because it comes from a remote chinese village where trained monkies harvest this rare tea by hand.

a cup of green tea contains about half or one third of caffeine as a cup of coffee provides. green tea has more antioxidants (which combat the body´s aging process) than blueberries and broccoli, and more beta carotene than spinach. one of the most potent cancer fighting antioxidant, catechins, are only found in green tea.

matcha is a fine powder made of green tea, used for cooking and baking. only shade grown green tea leaves are used, laid out flat to dry, not rolled out as usual with normal tea. When dry, the leaves are de-veined and de-stemmed and ground to a fine green powder called matcha.
matcha is highly concentrated green tea, therefore all the health benefits of green tea are way stronger. Moreover, as matcha is fully ingested when consumed (unlike green tea where the tea leaves are discarded), all of its chlorophyll content goes straight to our bodies. chlorophyll helps remove toxins from our bodies.


moroccan mint tea

green tea, preferably gunpowder
1 large handful fresh spearmint leaves
1 liter water
1/4 cup sugar

how to make it:

boil the water. rinse a small tea pot with about 1/4 cup of the water. add the tea leaves and another 1/4 cup boiling water. swirl the pot to wash and rinse the leaves, and pour out the water. add the spearmint leaves and the sugar, and fill the pot with 1/2 liter boiling water. leave the tea to steep at least five minutes and serve.

matcha latte

ingredients:

regular milk or soy milk
matcha powder

utensils:
a small sieve
bamboo or metall whisk

how to make it:

in a pot, bring the milk to boil. sieve in the matcha powder, and whisk continuously to create a foamy liquid. serve immediately.

matcha lassie

ingredients:

milk
natural yoghurt
honey or sugar
matcha

mix all ingredients in a food processor.

green tea ice cream (quick version)









ingredients:

1 pack of vanilla ice cream
1 dl of water
2 teaspoons sugar
3 g matcha

how to make it:

add the water and sugar to a medium sized pot. heat slowly. add the matcha, sieving carefully so no lumps appear. add the ice cream and mix well. pour into a plastic container and put into the freezer. be careful to stir every hour or so to prevent ice crystals from.

green tea cheesecake

ingredients:

100g graham crackers
50g butter (melted)

250g cream cheese
200g sour cream
100g sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of lour
2 dl cream
4 tablespoons of matcha
4 tablespoons of hot water

20 cm pie mold

how to make it:

preheat oven. put the graham crackers into a food processor and mix until they break into crumbs. add melted butter, then mix well. press into the bottom of a cake mold using the back of a spoon. wash the food processor. put cream cheese and sugar into the food processor and mix. add sour cream until smooth, then add eggs, flour, cream and matcha. mix well. pour the filling into the pie crust. bake for 30-45 minutes.