You would think drinking Matcha lattes to combat my vitamin D deficiency and osteopenia would be a great idea, but nothing is EVER as simple as it seems.
I know Matcha good for me, but I can’t get past that it tastes like ground up leaves mixed into skim milk.
To be fair, I shouldn’t be surprised that ground leaves mixed with skim milk tastes like ground leaves mixed with skim milk.
The Matcha would probably taste better if I made it with 2% or whole milk, instead of skim. But that’s out because I need to watch my cholesterol.
The reason I developed a vitamin D deficiency in the first place is because, about two years ago, I finally heeded my dermatologist’s advice and started taking sunscreen seriously.
Did I mention that I have a history of kidney stones–which the calcium in the milk could, potentially, contribute to?
At 61, maintaining my health has become a delicate balancing act.
I have to choose between some combination of skin cancer and wrinkles, heart disease, kidney stones, or osteoporosis.
I tried drinking regular lattes first, instead of matcha, but that didn’t work out.
Straight coffee was out because it gives me a stomach ache (sometimes accompanied by a dash to the bathroom.)
But coffee is my all-time favorite ice cream flavor.
“So I’m just going to add a couple of tablespoons of coffee to a glass of milk,” I explained to my daughter, Lindsey.
“Oh, you mean you’re making sugar-free melted coffee ice cream,” she said.
Isn’t it great when your children get you?
Coffee milk tasted great but I had to give it up after a week because:
Reason#1: I have no caffeine tolerance–which meant obsessive toe tapping. It was like my feet had a mind of their own.
You know how annoying it can be when you’re waiting to see the doctor and the guy sitting across from you won’t stop tapping his feet?
I was doing that to myself!
Reason #2: The acid in the coffee gave me canker sores.
So now the choices were skin cancer and wrinkles, heart disease, kidney stones, osteoporosis, canker sores and ADD.
So Matcha it was.
I make my own Matcha lattes at home. For flavor and to give it a little body, I add a splash of half and half.
Do you think that reintroduces the cholesterol that I’m trying to avoid?
I wasn’t sure how to make Matcha so I Googled some recipes. The first recipe completely overwhelmed me. Just the equipment was crazy complicated. Did you know that traditional Japanese Matcha-making requires a special bowl, a strainer, a bamboo whisk, and a tiny scoop?
I had no idea.
Being the type of person who will spend $150 on supplies for an art class, then only go twice, I decided it would be better to look for a recipe that used stuff I already owned.
I searched a bunch of other recipes which warned me about the perils of using water that was too hot (burns the tea and makes the matcha bitter). Another potential pitfall is whisking in a circle instead of a “Z” configuration (you won’t get good froth).
This was a bit overwhelming so, I simplified it down to: you mix a small bit of Matcha powder with hot–but not boiling– water. Then add hot milk and whisk.
It was all I could handle.
It’s best not to look at the Matcha at the add hot water stage. If the color it makes were a Benjamin Moore paint sample, the name of the color would be swamp.
Or pond scum.
One of the Matcha recipes I found online said something to the effect that: Matcha is to regular tea what diamonds are to plain old rocks.
After looking at the murky mess in my cup, I thought: oh, that makes sense. It’s an item whose perceived value is the result of a well-executed marketing campaign.
Lindesy, suggested I try a Matcha that one of the influencers she follows on Instagram raves about. $169 for a starter kit with just a few ounces of Matcha. Crazy!
I looked for a highly rated Matcha on Amazon and the price wasn’t that much different.
I finally bought a small package at my local farmers’ market. Still pricey, but at least I could start with just a small amount.
The Matcha shopping experience made me understand the Diamond metaphor in a whole new way.
And then there is the milk frothing. If I’m being honest, the milk foam was 75% of the attraction.
I can’t drink coffee but I love milk foam!
Sometimes when I’m with friends, I’ll face the perils of coffee just for the foam.
Because I was a milk frothing newbie that took a little trial and error too.
Using a tiny hand whisk wasn’t getting much froth so I tried one of those battery powered frothers you buy at IKEA.
The first time I used the frother, it turned the entire cup of Matcha into a whirlpool. Not a small one like at the bottom of your kitchen drain, but a large one. Like the one in the Odyssey that swallows entire ships.
I’m going to need a much bigger mug I thought, as I wiped the Matcha up off the counter.
Now what I do is heat the milk in the microwave in a Pyrex measuring cup. I pour ¾ of the milk into the swamp mixture–which I’ve prepared in the serving mug. Then I add the half-and-half to the hot milk and froth it in the measuring cup.
Let me say that this works great.
Best milk froth imaginable.
Almost like whipped cream.
So the milk froth has lived up to my expectations.
But the matcha?
The matcha still tastes like ground up leaves mixed into skim milk.
I’m going to try it for a little bit longer. But I think I hear my old friend, cheese, calling my name.
