Matcha Tea Ceremony

We sprinkle this magic jade powder even into our everyday water. Matcha - Japanese for "powdered tea" - is a finely ground, powerful antioxidant elixir. It is the only green tea where the leaves are powdered and drank – so you consume the whole leaf, giving you the equivalent of ten cups of regular green tea.

A single cup of matcha contains seventy times the antioxidants of a cup of orange juice and nine times the beta carotene of two cups of spinach. It carries trace minerals and vitamins (A, B-complex, C, E, and K) and chlorophyll.

Matcha is also grown in a special way.  The earliest spring leaves are covered for two to three weeks (‘shade grown’) which causes health-promoting nutrients to concentrate in the leaf of the tea plant.  Shade growing also increases the amount of the amino acid L-theanine in the tea leaf which relaxes the the body, lowers blood pressure, enhances mood and promotes a sense of wellness by enhancing alpha waves in the brain.

The Tea Ceremony Procedure:

1. Use a ceramic tea bowl and place the bamboo tea whisk into the tea bowl and pour some warm water in to soften the whisk and warm the bowl.  Pour out the water and dry the bowl.
2. Place 1 tsp of matcha per cup into the bowl.
3. Pour one quarter of a cup of hot, but not boiling (about 90°C) water over the matcha
4. Whisk the mixture for 30 seconds with the bamboo whisk to completely disperse the matcha.  
5. Drink and enjoy!

We also had to share one incredible recipe that was hand made for us by our sister Lily for a recent birthday, a scrumptious matcha tiramisu. Her inspiration, Master Chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

Tip: try to use fresh matcha for this recipe, it will make the green colour tone of your tiramisu vibrant. 

Ingredients:

Get your ladyfingers! We love all Italian brands.

Brew one cup of the matcha tea, as mentioned above.

Let the brew cool slightly to keep the lady fingers firm once you dip them.

Next is the mascarpone mixture:

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

250g mascarpone cheese

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp matcha 

Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl over a double boiler and whisk them (with a hand mixer or by hand). Keep beating for a couple of minutes until the mixture is double its original volume and a pale creamy colour.

It's easy from here: mix in the rest of the ingredients by folding into the mixture.

The assembly of the tiramisu is the next stage which is simply a matter of layering. Soak the ladyfingers in the matcha tea and then layer across the bottom of a springform pan, add a layer of the mascarpone mixture and repeat the process. make the last layer one of mascarpone. Smooth with a palette knife.

One last touch for aesthetics, is to sprinkle the match powder over the tiramisu!