Orange Matcha Iced Tea

I had some leftover matcha powder from my Peppermint Mocha Matcha Latte addiction this winter.  It was just starting to get too hot outside for warm drinks so I knew I had to make something to cool off with on these hot summer days on the way.  Recently on vacation I tried iced matcha tea and wasn’t too thrilled with the flavor of plain matcha but loved the idea of iced matcha.  I also love all of the health benefits that this green tea powder has to offer, so I got to experimenting in the kitchen with an iced tea.  My favorite combination by far was orange with the matcha.  It helps add some sweetness to the tea without adding loads of refined sugar and what a great boost of vitamin C the orange adds.  This Orange Matcha Iced Tea will be the perfect beverage to cool off and increase your antioxidant intake at the same time when the temperatures rise.

One really great time saving benefit about making matcha iced tea is that you don’t have to boil water, wait for tea bags to steep, and then wait for the whole thing to cool off in the fridge.  From start to finish you can have an ice cold iced tea beverage in just minutes.

You can make this iced tea sugar free by keeping it as is or add a touch of pure stevia.  Or make this a sweet tea with some addition of raw honey.  Whatever your taste buds are in the mood for today.

Fun Facts About Matcha|

♦ One glass of matcha equals 10 glasses of green tea in terms of nutritional value and antioxidant content.

♦ Japanese Buddhist use green tea as a way to relax and meditate while still being alert.

♦ Samurai drank matcha tea before going into battle to increase their energy levels.

♦ During the last weeks before tea leaves are harvested, matcha is covered to keep out the sun in order to increase chlorophyll which helps add to the bright green color.

♦ Matcha is not widely grown accounting for only about 0.6% of total tea grown.