Written by Keiko
Cooling down with a cup of matcha tea
The heatwave we’ve been having here isn’t just restricted to the UK, and I know many of my friends and family in Japan who are having to put up with really hot days there too. Which made me think of recommending some ideas of how you can cool down with matcha tea.
Have a cold matcha tea and matcha latte. I am not a huge fan of having milk in my matcha tea, but I think it’s great having a glass of iced matcha tea. I recommend using one bamboo spoon of stronger matcha tea to make a glass of iced matcha tea. It can be really refreshing. I like having iced matcha tea with Kinrin, which has a strong taste is still really enjoyable with some ice. If you like iced matcha latte, why not to try kitsho or Kinrin with some milk.
Have your matcha tea in a glass cup. I went to the glass museum in Venice a couple of years ago (Le Stanze del Vetro). There, I noticed that the Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto had developed a glass tea house over the swimming pool that’s next to the glass museum, as part of 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale. As you can see, using glass makes it look cool and refreshing. He has also used glassware to make a cup for match tea. In Japan, there are a number of tea ceremony teachers who use glass tea caddies and glass bowls as a way of creating a coolness for our eyes during the hot summer days.
Use a teacup and a saucer to have your cup of matcha tea. I drink a cup of matcha tea regularly, quite a few times a day. When it is not so hot outside, I do enjoy the matcha tea in my matcha bowl, feeling the heat though my hands as I hold the cup without a handle. During hot summer days though, it is not so comfortable, and I prefer to drink the tea using a cup & saucer instead.
Matcha contains a large amount of Vitamin C, and having a peaceful cup of matcha at tea time is a great way of maintaining a balanced mind and a way of releasing daily stress. I hope the tips above will help you to cope during the heatwave, physically and mentally!