Matcha Latte | With Dates and Cashews

My next favorite drink to a caffe latte is a matcha latte. It’s just a convenient and satisfying drink to get in any Starbucks, especially when you’re on the road. As a result, matcha latte has become my default alternative to coffee.

Then I read in Carla Oates’ The Beauty Chef that phytonutrients in matcha help slow the body’s absorption of caffeine, which gives you consistent energy source. That’s a revelation and secures matcha unique place in my pantry.

In this matcha latte recipe, the health benefits go beyond the green tea powder. I look for different grades of matcha in my travel. Culinary grade for baking, and premium grade for tea, the kind used for tea ceremonies throughout Japan.

The protein casein found in dairy may cause inflammation and allergies for some people. Nut milks can help to get around that. Furthermore, when you can make the time, making nut milk with raw cashews is not that complicated. You need a little more than an hour to soak the cashews, then drain and rinse them. Importantly, cashews provide a good source of good fats, zinc, selenium and tryptophan, making it a wonderful skin- and mood-boosting drink.

There is also a touch of sweetness from cashews too. To sweeten the matcha latte just a tad further, add one medjool date. Believe me, that’s all the sweetness you’d need for the latte. The magic of a single date!

Put aside some quiet time and treat yourself with a cup of matcha latte. I felt instantly rejuvenated; a sense of well being came over me with a drink of matcha in my palm. The matcha latte I made at home with cashews and date was far superior than any matcha drinks I’d purchased anywhere, in both taste and nutrition wise.

Print Recipe

Matcha Latte

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (35 g/1 1/4 oz) raw cashews
• 1 cup (250 ml/8 1/2 oz) water
• 1 medjool date, pitted
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or extract
• pinch of Himalayan salt
• 1 teaspoon matcha (green tea powder) plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 tablespoon boiling water

Instructions

1

Soak the cashews in cold water for at least 1 hour or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

2

Drain and rinse the cashews. Combine the cashews and water in a high-speed blender. Blend to finely grind the nuts, making NUT milk.

3

Strain the milk through a nut bag or double layer of muslin (cheesecloth), set over a jug or bowl to catch the milk. Squeeze the pulp to ensure all the liquid is EXTRACTED. Keep the cashew pulp for another use, such as adding to smoothies, muesli (granola) or in baking.

4

Return the milk to the blender, add the date, vanilla, and salt and blend to make a slightly SWEET milk.

5

Gently heat the cashew milk in a small saucepan over low heat, until HOT.

6

Blend the matcha powder with 1 tbsp of boiling water in a small bowl, to make a smooth MATCHA PASTE. Stir in a little of the hot milk. Pour the matcha mixture into the pan with the remaining hot milk and stir to combine.

7

Return the hot milk to the high-speed blender or a milk frother and blend until FROTHY. Serve and sprinkle a little extra matcha powder, if you wish.

Notes

Adapted from The Beauty Chef by Carla Oates