My next hippie-esqe activity has been drinking matcha tea. I tried a matcha latte for the first time at a coffee shop a few weeks ago and was initially a little bit alarmed that it tasted so much like a plant. Delicious- but yes, a little bit plant-y. I have since come to learn that matcha powder is literally just finely powdered green tea. So all of those benefits you've been hearing about green tea all this time? Matcha has all of that- and more because you are ingesting the actual nutrients instead of just steeping them in hot water. (One cup of matcha tea has the nutritional benefits of 10 cups of brewed green tea.)

So what exactly are these benefits and how will they effect you? I don't know about you, but I am a 2-coffees-a-day kind of person and I have been for years. Nothing gets me more amped up for the day than a nice hot, strong, cup of coffee in the morning. I often think about my morning coffee before I go to bed at night. Pure excitement and anticipation. Then in the early afternoon I start needing another pick-me-up. I've been replacing my second cup of coffee with matcha tea and I feel great! Matcha still has 52mg of caffeine, which is more than a Coke but less than a coffee. It just provides a different kind of energy.

(I stole this caffeine chart from TenzoTea.com.)

Matcha tea is rich in antioxidants and provides a non-jittery, focused kind of energy. But what even are antioxidants? Everyone always screams at you about how they're so good for you but like, who even knows why? Well, I looked it up and according to "MatchaSource.com" antioxidants are "naturally occurring chemical compounds that prevent aging and chronic diseases." They act as "defense agents" against things like infections.

So it's good for you but it tastes a little plant-y... but so does spinach and there are tons of ways to eat spinach that we all enjoy. You can shovel it in your mouth dry and by hand, or you can put salad dressing on it or you can put it in a smoothie.

Matcha is the same way. You can make it as plain hot tea, or you can make it into a latte or add it to a smoothie. Whatever way you like it the most, it's worth adding to your diet because it is literally SO GOOD FOR YOU. Some friends of mine started the company Tenzo Tea and they sent me a little package with all the tools to make matcha tea. You just mix a teaspoon of the matcha powder with hot water and then go from there. Today, I added ice and my homemade almond milk to make an iced latte and it was pretty fire. I will literally never give up coffee, but I think that replacing one of my quad-shots over ice per day is probably a healthy avenue to travel down.

If you want to try it, I recommend going to a hip coffee shop and asking for a matcha latte. Then, when you love it, order some from Tenzo Tea and use the code "tenzosam" for 20% off any purchase online. Let a sista know your favorite way to drink matcha in the comments below.

Here is a link to an article where the health benefits are explained by an actual person who knows what they are talking about.

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