“Just… one… more… refill…”
You’re tired throughout the day, then wired at night. You chug coffee at work just to keep you going, then you can’t fall asleep until midnight. Sound familiar?
Whether that’s happened to you a few times, or it’s your day-to-day, most of us have been there, done that. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others. Some just drink too much dang coffee.
Thankfully, matcha and ashwagandha just signed up to be your new BFFs and provide support through these trying times.
In tandem, these two tasty goodies can give you the energy boost you need during the day — and ease you into sleepy time at night.
Matcha is a green tea powder, not only loaded with health benefits, but also amped up with caffeine (a more concentrated amount than regular green tea).
Best part: It doesn’t give you those shaky coffee jitters.
A research review showed that matcha slowly releases its caffeine throughout the day (so thoughtful!), helping you stay at the perfect level of bright-eyed concentration for hours.
As any bona fide espresso aficionado knows, caffeine boosts your brain function. Studies have linked it to everything from faster response times to increased attention.
But one study showed that matcha also contains L-theanine, which helps avoid the energy crash that can sometimes follow a caffeine binge.
Translation: Matcha is mega-fuel.
Green tea vs. matcha
Both green tea and matcha come from the Camellia sinensis plant, but they grow differently.
With matcha tea, the cultivators hide the tea bushes from sunlight for the final 20 to 30 days of growth before harvest.
This fills the leaves with chlorophyll — the compound in plants that allows them to eat sunlight, essentially (just imagine!). The leaves are then ground into the powder we recognize as matcha.
Matcha also has a unique nutrient profile.
So, what about ashwagandha? It’s an adaptogenic herb, meaning it helps you adapt to stress and normalizes the effects on your body.
Ashwagandha also helps calm your nervous system and control your hormones when you’re feeling anxious — like when you can’t stop thinking about everything on tomorrow’s to-do list instead of going to sleep.
It’s a key component of South Asian ayurvedic therapy — a practice that has been a part of alternative medicine for thousands of year.
So, let’s add these powders to your daily routine, but let’s do it deliciously. Say, in the form of lattes?
Here are two recipes for you to whip up and sip up!
We’ve drummed up one recipe for the morning and one for the afternoon — so you’re never without an antioxidant-rich energy burst.
Morning matcha latte
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water, filtered
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder
- 3/4 cup macadamia nut milk (or whichever you prefer)
- 1 teaspoon honey (maple syrup or agave for our vegan friends)
Directions
- Heat water in a saucepan until just simmering, NOT boiling.*
- Pour water into a blender and top it off with matcha powder. Blend for 1–2 minutes on low speed.
- Meanwhile, heat milk in a saucepan until just simmering (again, NOT boiling).
- Pour milk and honey into the blender with matcha and blend on low speed for 1 minute.
- Transfer matcha latte into your favorite morning mug and enjoy!
Taste warning:
*Blending boiling liquids with matcha will make the powder taste extremely bitter.
Evening moon milk latte
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cashew milk (or whichever milk you prefer)
- 1 teaspoon beet powder (or 1/2 cup cherry or cranberry juice)
- 1 teaspoon honey (maple syrup or agave for our vegan friends)
- 1/2 teaspoon ashwagandha powder
- a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)
- dried rose petals for decoration and important self-care (optional, but also definitely not)
Directions
- Heat milk in a saucepan until simmering. Add cherry or cranberry juice if using instead of beet powder.
- Pour into a blender and top it off with beet powder, honey, ashwagandha, and cinnamon or nutmeg if using. Blend on low speed for 1–2 minutes.
- Transfer moon milk latte into your favorite mug, sprinkle with dried rose petals, and enjoy!
This drink is teeming with antioxidants — find other antioxidant-rich bevvies here.
Lattes aren’t just for getting you buzzed up and running down your bank balance at a coffee shop. If you lean on caffeine too much, you may wind up having difficulties sleeping.
These matcha and ashwagandha recipes provide the perfect balance between energy and relaxation, inspiring you to keep moving throughout the day and let go of your stresses in the evening.
There are plenty more herbal lattes where these came from, so check out our recipes and keep yourself refreshed at all times.