The Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) has long been a favorite of coffee drinkers in America. Its popularity has bubbled over into other markets, and now you can get just about anything with pumpkin spice flavor (check out the madness here).
PSL better watch out though, because there's a new drink that America is becoming obsessed with: matcha. Made from green tea powder mixed with milk, matcha offers tons of health benefits that have Americans going gaga (read more about it here). It's believed to be filled with antioxidants which can do wonders for your skin, hair, and overall health. Once only available in specialty health stores and hipster cafes, matcha is now available everywhere. Including Starbucks.
So where did this matcha craze start? Matcha began as a traditional drink for Buddhist monks in Japan hundreds of years ago. The monks hand-picked green tea leaves, ground them up into a fine powder, and whisked the powder into water using a bamboo whisk. The same practice of using a bamboo whisk is still popular for matcha preparation today, but the tea leaves are picked by machines, making mass production much easier.
Green tea has a longstanding reputation as a health elixir. Because the powder is made from grinding the whole tea leaf (as opposed to just using part of the leaf as tea bags do), matcha offers even more health benefits than green tea from tea bags. Chock full of antioxidants, amino acids, and caffeine, this drink has a cult following of fitness models and A-list celebrities.
While matcha is popular among famous yogis, celebs, and models, it's accessible for the everygirl too. Your local coffee shop is bound to have a matcha latte on the menu (and they usually come with adorable latte art that's totally Instagram-worthy). Additionally, you can also buy the powder online to make at home!
Have you tried matcha? What do you think the next drink trend will be? Tell us in the comments below?