Iced Matcha Latte, better than a coffee shop

There was a period of time when I would buy iced matcha lattes from my favorite drive-thru coffee shop. Until one day, when I was shopping at Costco, I found a 12-oz bag of organic green tea matcha for a little under $20. On the bag, it posted "225 servings." Nine cents a serving? Hell, yeah. I purchased it, figuring it would likely save me some serious money on my little iced matcha latte habit at the coffee shop drive-thru. Not only save money, but also control the quality of the ingredients I used.

When I sat down to do the actual math, I was very pleased with myself. At the drive-thru I was paying $5.09 (before tax) for a medium. With my home recipe, same size, the total per serving was 47 cents, since the maple syrup I use as a sweetener is from the sap from the maple trees in my woods. If I was using a local syrup, add another 24 cents. Either way, homemade is under 75 cents!

What about the nutritional breakdown between the drive-thru and the at-home version of an iced matcha latte? Here you go:

Drive-thru: 250 calories - 9g fat - 32g sugar - 10g protein

At-home version: 196 calories - 9g fat - 19.8g sugar - 9g protein

And the taste? I see no difference. So, if you have a nice thermal travel mug, some ice, and less than five minutes, make it at home before you leave the house with this easy, quick, and delicious recipe:

Iced Matcha Tea Latte

serves 1

2 tsp organic or local maple syrup

1/2 tsp powdered green matcha tea

1c raw or organic milk

In your container, first add the maple syrup, then the matcha, and about 1/4c of milk. Using a handheld frother, mix it up. Once mixed, add the rest of the milk and stir. Now add your ice. That's it! Enjoy!