Single-Serving Matcha Smoothie – Dr. Karen S. Lee – GWC Mag

Published: Dec 23, 2020 / Modified: Dec 27, 2020 by: Karen Lee / This post may contain affiliate links. As Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. /

Creamy matcha smoothie is just what you need for a quick “pick-me-up” to give you energy and healthy fats. This smoothie is easy and quick to whip up in a blender and is a perfect drink to take ‘on-the-go’ when you’re short on time!

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Intro

Best Blender For Smoothies

I already own Blendtec’s Pro 800 that I bought years ago and because I love it so much that I asked the company to be their brand ambassador. And they sent me the BlendtecGO jar when they accepted me to be their ambassador. The honest opinion in this post is mine and I DO NOT make any commission if you use the links in the post or if you use my discount code “DKLBLENDTEC25” for 25% off to buy a product from Blendtec. I just love their products and I highly recommend them. But there are a few Amazon affiliate links in the post which I do make a few pennies if you use them to buy from Amazon. Your price is the same as if you bought them on your own.

Matcha

If you love green tea, you will love matcha. If you haven’t tried it, you can start with something like Green Tea Ice Cream to get your palate to get used to the taste. But I know you’ll get hooked into drinking matcha once you try it.

What is Matcha?

Matcha is essentially green tea (tencha) in a powdered form. Matcha should be made from spring harvested special green tea leaves that have been ground (traditionally, they used a mortar and pestle to grind the leaves!) to a fine powder form to dissolve in hot water to drink. Matcha from spring harvested leaves is mild and vibrant in taste. It should be subtle and never be bitter. If you ever tasted bitter matcha, the chances are, they were harvested later in the season.

There are two types of matcha: ceremonial and culinary.

• Ceremonial matcha is for drinking has been used in tea ceremonies in Japan, hence the term. Ceremonial tea has one flavor, one ingredient from one origin. The taste is mild, smooth, almost sweet, and some describe it as even grassy. It could be all of those qualities but one quality it should NOT be is bitter since it could be from a late harvest. More on that later. Some lesser quality brands might taste ‘grassy’ but that’s not a terrible thing. The bottom line is to find out which brand you like that fits your palate.
• Culinary matcha is not as refined, but stronger, bolder, and can be cheaper. It is usually harvested later in the season, second (summer) or even third harvest (fall.) It is used with other ingredients for cooking so it needs to be bolder and be able to stand out. I wouldn’t recommend it for drinking. This type is what I used in making the ice cream and the smoothie.

I tasted a bazillion matchas at a recent Fancy Food Show in NYC and my head was spinning after a while from all the caffeine. But one company that stood out in my mind out of the myriad of tea companies is Matchaful matcha company. It is a woman-owned company with a mission that I love. The company is passionate about the planet, sustainable, transparent, does not use any pesticides, and their teas are certified organic.

They have a direct and close working relationship with one green tea farm in Japan where they source their teas from. They test for contaminations from Fukushima nuclear plant regularly. The company even donates to the “1% for the Planet,” but most importantly; they have great tasting matcha! I’m not an ambassador or anything for them; I just love their tea and their mission. But regardless of which matcha brand you use, make sure the taste is clean, smooth, mild, and not bitter or stale.

Instructions

I’ve been enjoying smoothies with all kinds of flavor combo for years but using matcha has been one of my favorites lately. I use culinary matcha since I’m adding a few other ingredients so I want a little bolder taste. But you could use either ceremonial or culinary. It’s up to you.

How To Load The Blender

I always combine ‘like’ colored ingredients so I don’t end up with all mixed up ‘poopy’ browny color drink. (Yes, I went there.) But that’s just me. You can use any ingredients you like. But before you start adding ingredients to the blender, did you know there’s a right sequence in adding the ingredients? Yes, there is a right way and a wrong way!

If you’re using a blender, like Blendtec or any other upright blenders,  add soft foods first, like liquids and soft leafy veggies or fresh fruits, then, dense foods, like frozen fruits or veggies, and finally, ice cubes. If you’re using a blender that inverts, like Blendtec’s BlendtecGO jar, add the dense ingredients FIRST, and end with liquids so when you invert the jar, the blades will touch the liquids first.

The idea is to have the liquids and soft items touch the blades first as it blends its way through the ingredients and ends with hard and dense ingredients last. If you are adding protein powders or matcha, add it right after adding liquids and before adding other solids.

Regardless of what type of blender you use, make sure your blender can handle ice cubes before you break your machine and blame me. I have a Blendtec and I never have to worry about ice cubes breaking the blade. (Remember, #willitblend videos? They’re awesome!⁠) If you have more questions about how to load a blender, refer to this article on “How to load a jar.”

Ingredients

I used all whole ingredients for this recipe. Here is what you’ll need from the store before you make this smoothie.

• Filtered Water
• Matcha
• Baby Spinach
• Avocado
• English Cucumber
• Celery Stalk
• Sweetener of your choice (optional)

You can use milk of any type if you’d like but it will cloud the color and alter the taste.

I usually have matcha flavored ice cubes for cold iced matcha so that’s what I use for richer flavor but you do you.

I also don’t add any sweeteners but you can add honey or maple syrup or even coconut sugar if you like. But if you are watching your calories, you can use Monk Fruit sweetener that has NO AFTERTASTE. Stevia works too if you like the taste.

And like I mentioned above, place the ingredients in layers, in order as written, into your blender and blend until smooth. And enjoy!!

FAQ

If you enjoyed this matcha smoothie, then you will love these breakfast recipes too.

Recipe

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