Some time ago I wrote about the mind-calming, mood-lifting power of carving out time for a morning latte. While escape from our daily woes might come more easily for you in the form of time stolen for a walk, a workout, some knitting, or a bit of dancing, a morning latte is still what does the trick for me. Since turning the clocks back, though, I’ve gotten into the habit of sleeping 8-9 hours a night. This change has unfortunately transformed my typically calming coffee-based latte into a very jittery way to start the day. Luckily for me, a good friend of mine introduced me to a very delicious alternative many years ago: the matcha latte.

For those unfamiliar with this wonderful green tea, matcha is a powdered tea created by grinding whole green tea leaves. Because it is composed of whole leaves, matcha dissolved in water contains up to ten times more nutrients than brew made from merely immersing unground, intact leaves in hot water. Aside from being very nutritious, matcha has quite a nice flavor, making it just as suitable for use in desserts and cocktails as for your daily cup of tea.

Of course, you may be familiar with the green tea latte available for order in your local Starbucks, but I promise you can make your own quite easily, and for a fraction of the price. I make my own matcha latte with organic matcha and–*gasp*–imported oat milk, and it still costs less than 1/4 of the price of the Starbucks alternative. (At $6.49, even the electric frother I use cost little more than a grande latte when I bought it!) Feel free to play with ratios of matcha, water and milk, and use whatever milk you like best, but here’s how I prepare my latte:

Interested in giving this a go? Visit www.wighttea.com and check out their high quality organic matcha. I can promise you it’s a deliciously wonderful addition to any winter morning routine!

What’s your morning beverage of choice? Have you tried–and enjoyed–a matcha latte before? Let me know in the comments!