Lavender Matcha Latte - Native Batch

Recently while on a much needed vacation I was able to eat some amazing food and drink some fabulous beverages. One of the beverages in particular has opened the creative flood gates to what I can recreate myself at home, using my favorite….matcha!

I normally drink a matcha latte every morning, it’s easy on my tummy, gives me a nice slow energy boost and best of all it’s delicious! Like posted many blog posts ago there’s a certain way on how I make my matcha latte and I tend to not stray too far from the recipe. But since my visit to a lovely loose leaf tea shop the way I drink my matcha is definitely getting a remix.

When travelling I still like to have my matcha latte in the morning so this means I always have to research where I can get it. Due to matcha not being as popular as coffee it can take a little time researching. The little tea shop I ended up finding was definitely synchronicity. I was walking around sightseeing when I saw a small blackboard stand in front of a tea shop that said something about, “Let’s match you with a matcha”, bingo there it was! Because it was late in the evening and wanting to retire early for the day, I made a mental note to come back the following morning.

Upon going into the shop the next morning I already knew my order, an unsweetened matcha latte made with almond milk. But first let me rewind a bit to give you a sense of how badly I wanted a matcha latte. This was day seven of a seven day trip, the last matcha latte I had was in another state on day three of the trip and my flight home was scheduled to leave at the break of dawn the following day. Knowing the next time I wouldn’t be able to get another matcha latte would be when I got home, excited for my matcha fix, I was there 15 minutes before the shop opened and was the first customer.😊

The young lady at the counter took my request and started to make my latte when she stopped and asked if I wanted to add an herbal element. Intrigued I asked her what she meant, she proceeded to tell me how she personally likes to add lavender to her matcha lattes and how she enjoys not just the flavor but the scent of lavender while she’s drinking her latte. Very interested in what she was saying and always opened to trying something new I told her to add the addition of lavender. I saw her steep the lavender first in a small glass teapot using a timer to make sure the steep was to the exact minute, then in a separate bowl she whisked the ceremonial grade matcha with a traditional bamboo whisk. She then combined both together and added warm frothed almond milk. The first thing that hit me when she gave me the latte was the smell. The smell was floral, relaxing and very inviting. I was worried the latte would have a soapy taste due to the lavender but the taste was soothing, herbaceous and not overwhelming at all. After drinking my latte I knew when I got home I would come up with my own versions of mixing different herbs with matcha with the first one being my version of a Lavender Matcha Latte.

Lavender Matcha Latte

1 teaspoon of Matcha (I use Encha)

1 Tbl of warm filtered water

1/2 teaspoon of Lavender flowers

1/2 cup of hemp or almond milk

1/2 cup of filtered water

1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil

Sweetened to taste by using a touch of maple syrup or honey (optional)

Pour the 1/2 cup of non-dairy milk of your choice and 1/2 cup of water in a small pot. Put the lavender flowers in with the milk mixture and place the pot on the stove. Turn stove to a low heat. Let the lavender flowers steep in the milk for about 5 minutes, do not let the milk mixture boil. In the meantime put matcha in a wide mug or a bowl, pour the tablespoon of warm water in with the matcha and whisk using a bamboo whisk until the matcha is totally incorporated and there’s no lumps. Pour the heated lavender milk mixture in with the matcha, at this point you can add sweetener if you choose to. Last but not least stir in a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil for healthy fats and to add creaminess to the latte. To make the latte frothy you can take a frother and froth the latte.