Green Tea Frap Recipe

My idea of a relaxing afternoon is to curl up with a glass of tea, my knitting and some good music playing on my iPod. Lately with the hot weather I have been playing around with copying Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino and I think I have finally mastered it!

Here is my recipe for a regular blended green tea and the soy non-dairy option (for lactose intolerant people like me!). Yields 3 to 4 servings. (If you want a venti size then maybe 2 servings).

Ingredients:

Dairy option:
1 1/2 cups Half and Half (this mimics the creaminess of the base they use)
1 1/2 cups Milk (the closer to whole milk you use the creamier it will be)
3 tsps Matcha powder (I used The Tao of Tea's Liquid Jade 100% Organic Powdered "Matcha" Green Tea)
2-3 tbsps sugar (add to taste preference... you can also substitute Splenda)
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups of ice (depending on how much ice you want)

Non-Dairy option:
3 cups Vanilla soy milk (from my experience their soy drinks aren't as "creamy" as the non-soy ones)
3 tsps Matcha powder (I used The Tao of Tea's Liquid Jade 100% Organic Powdered "Matcha" Green Tea)
I don't add sugar to mine because the soy milk is already sweet, but this is completely up to you, you can add sugar at your discretion.
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups of ice (depending on how much ice you want)

*if you drink cows milk you can always use Lactaid milk  in place of soy milk and be sure to use the sugar.

Now to making it!

Blend Milk(s), Matcha and Sugar in a small pan on the stove at medium heat. I recommend using a whisk to blend the ingredients together. Stir until there are no longer any little clumps of matcha on the whisk. Heat until the powder is dissolved and then raise temperature until it reaches a simmer. DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Green tea has the highest flavor profile at 70°C(158°F)-80°C(176°F), if you boil it you will negatively affect the flavor of the matcha.

Remove from heat and pour into a large coffee mug. Place in refrigerator until mixture is completely cooled. The regular milk version will likely develop a skim on the surface, be sure to scoop this off before proceeding.

Once mixture is completely cooled, add 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups of ice and the mixture to a blender. Blend until the ice is completely crushed.

Next, pour your blended green tea frap into your favorite peace sign tumbler and enjoy! Be sure to keep it close at hand on any hot summer day while you're knitting!

Notes:

The "frap" is not as green as Starbucks version, this is called "natural". I don't know what they use in their matcha, but any type I have used has never turned out that green. There is a Japanese brand at my local tea store I've yet to try, if it turns out greener I will be sure to post about it. And Starbucks does not sell their matcha powder to the public, and the concentrate they sell on their website is not the same as they sell in the store.


The "classic syrup" they add to your drink in the store is SUGAR, WATER, CITRIC ACID (E330), PRESERVATIVE: POTASSIUM SORBATE (E202). While the one you make yourself has no preservatives because of the sugar (splenda being an exception). You know exactly what you are putting in your drink. And as I mentioned before, you can make it sugar free if you are diabetic.


You can make a lot of the mixture ahead of time and freeze it in an ice cube tray and blend it up real quick when you're on the go. No ice necessary!


And the best of all, its cheaper! Although sometimes it is quite convenient to take a trip to the drive-thru and grab one... However, here is some food for thought: "The capitalist economic system requires all participants to simplify their thinking and behavior to pursue narrow goals: the most efficient, quick, cheap method, technology or form of organization. It is important to understand that although these goals are easy to understand, they don't really mean anything—they are means to an end, but the end itself (more stuff, more growth at the lowest cost) doesn't really have any ultimate meaning. Capitalism has no internal way to determine whether anything—including, in particular, constant growth and cheapeness—is actually good. In fact, on an ecologically finite planet, limitless growth is not good. Capitalist growth may kill us all if we can't somehow stop it soon. Just having more stuff does not make human beings happy or make their lives meaningful." (source)


Enjoy! Please feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have any questions.