Really. It's ridiculous. For years, I laughed at people who spent $3-5/cup on coffee and tea drinks at various coffee shops. Then, somehow, I became a junkie. I mean, I didn't just like the stuff. Some days, I woke up thinking about how quickly I could get done whatever was needed so that I could get to my coffee shop of choice (those who know me know which one that is) and get my fix. I don't know why, but paying four bucks for an iced coffee instead of making it at home made it so much better.
Then, at a certain point, I discovered Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk, and I was able to make iced mochas at home that totally blew away the ones to which I had become addicted. I had a new addiction, but at least it was less expensive than the previous one. So, I stopped buying coffee at coffee shops ~ with the exception of the occasional treat. Everything was going along swimmingly until, one day, I happened to find myself with a few free moments, and guess what familiar coffee shop happened to be right there...Yeah. So, I decided to try something else. I wasn't in the mood for coffee, anyway, so I asked if they could make me an iced green tea latte with soymilk. They could. They did. Oh. My. Goodness.
It was GOOOOOOOOD. So began a new addiction. But, but...(I told myself)...it's good for me! There's all of that calcium in the milk...and...and....everyone KNOWS green tea is good for you...
Spoken like a true junkie.
Well, now that we are all trying to find ways to carve out a little savings wherever we can, I decided to see if I could make an iced green tea latte at home that would satisfy my craving, save me a little money, and maybe be even better for me.
The first adjustment I would make would be to use almond milk, which I prefer to soy. If I used a vanilla soymilk, it would probably taste just like the one to which I have grown accustomed. However, I feel that, being vegetarian, I probably consume enough soy. Not to mention, I simply prefer almond milk. So, I bought some Matcha Green Tea Powder (holy crap! That stuff is expensive!!!) and got to work. The girl at the tea shop tried to tell me that the tea powder would not dissolve in cold milk ~ that I would have to heat it to a certain temperature and should buy a bamboo whisk or (better yet!) an electric tea frother (for, like, twenty bucks), because nothing I had at home could possibly mix this. But, see, I had SEEN people at my favourite coffee shop mix this stuff in a shaker. I thought I would give that method a shot first, seeing as I already owned one of those. Granted, mine is a plastic cocktail shaker I found in the bargain bins at Target several years ago, but I thought it might do the job.
I am drinking it as I write this, and, you know....it's darned good. So, I thought I would share.
If you decide to try it for yourself, here's what you'll need:
1/2-3/4 tsp Matcha Green Tea Powder
1 cup milk of choice (I used almond, original flavour)
a few drops of vanilla extract (unless you are using vanilla-flavoured milk)
sweetener of choice, if desired
ice
a cocktail shaker
a tall glass
Here's what you'll do:
Place milk, tea powder, vanilla and sweetener in your cocktail shaker. Add ice. Add a lot of ice. Cover. Shake. Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. Keep shaking until the powder is dissolved (it just took a moment or two for mine). Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.
Now, here's the scoop:
Flavour:
I would say this is not identical to the one I usually buy, but it is at least as good. Every bit as creamy and satisfying, but not too sweet ~ and I get to control how much tea I use, so it is always made exactly to my liking.
Value:
I paid about $20 for a tiny little tin of powdered tea (going to shop around for better deals) which claims to make eleven 1 tsp. servings. If I use 1/2 tsp for each glass, I get 22 servings. If I use 3/4 tsp. for each glass I get...uh...16 1/2? The milk cost about $3 ($2.99) for a half gallon (that's 8 servings). So, let's say, one tin of tea makes about 16 servings, and it would take two containers of milk to make that same number (that's about six bucks). So, for somewhere in the neighbourhood of $26 (vanilla and sweetener are used in such small amounts that I think their cost is negligible), I can make 16 lattes. That's about $1.63/serving which, if I am not mistaken, is cheaper than it would be to have them made for me at a coffee shop. I saved a trip to a coffee shop (gas) and a plastic cup. So, I think this is a win/win situation.
Off to enjoy the rest of my latte while dreaming of all the fabulous things we will do with the money we're saving.
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