How to Make an Instant Natural Energy Drink

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Caffeinated tea is one of my favorite ways to get some energy, but 9 times out of 10 the whole process of brewing it, waiting for it to be ready (to be strong enough) and then adding ice to make it cold and sweetener to make it sweet just sounds like too much work, so I usually don't do it.

I recently discovered matcha green tea powder and it is awesome! There is no brewing, there is no waiting and if you do it just like I show below, it is a completely natural instant way to get some energy.  I have been drinking this throughout the day or right before I go for a run and I can tell a major difference as compared to when I drink coffee.  I don't feel jittery and cracked out of my mind. You coffee drinkers know what I am talking about.  I feel alert, focused and have a ton of energy to do whatever I need to do.

The benefits of matcha green tea powder:
  • Boosts metabolism and burns calories.
  • Does not raise insulin levels.  Being a type 1 diabetic I love this since coffee sometimes spikes my blood sugar for no reason at all. 
  • Fights against viruses and bacteria.
  • Enhances mood.
  • Has more antioxidants than blueberries or pomegranates.
  • Provides potent cancer fighting properties.
  • Helps to safely cleanse and detoxify the body.
  • I have personally noticed that it helps curb those annoying afternoon snack cravings. 
  • Does not raise blood pressure or heart rate.  
What you need:
  • An empty reusable water bottle.  *I used a glass bottle so you can actually see the green tea, but I usually put mine in a BPA free water bottle that I bring with me everywhere. 
  • Matcha green tea powder.  You can find this at most health food stores, specialty Asian markets and online here.
  • Liquid stevia.  Optional but I think it makes it taste amazing. 
Directions:
  1. Fill your water bottle up to almost the very top.  
  2. Add 1/4 tsp of matcha powder for every 8-20 ounces of water.  Add a few drops of liquid stevia.
  3. Put the lid on and shake shake shake until everything has dissolved.  That's it! 
  4.  Enjoy :) 


So easy right?  All you do is add and shake!  This is my new favorite thing to drink for energy.  It tastes light, refreshing and has the perfect amount of sweetness without any unnecessary calories.

    82 comments:

    Elise said...

    Can not wait to try! I had no idea about all those benefits.

    ❤ Meghan said...

    thanks for the great idea! i should probably start drinking this instead of two cups of coffee every morning...

    Leica said...

    I used to live in Japan, and matcha powder was the standard drink at conveyer belt sushi joints (sushi-go-rounds, as we called them). You'd grab a mug from one of the conveyers, then make your own tea with a small hot water tap and box of powder at each place setting along the bar seating. The matcha was free and the sushi was cheap! I miss those days!

    Danielle said...

    Mmm this looks god, and provides energy? That is exactly what I need when I come home from work before I start my workout! Lately I have just been grabbing a coffee, but I will have to hunt this down. What is the flavor comparable to if any?

    Anna Elder said...

    I need to check this out after the baby comes! I drink a cup of coffee a couple times a week but it definitely spikes my blood sugar and will sometimes leave me shaky and starving for the rest of the day. Too bad it tastes so dang good.

    Unknown said...

    mmmmmm.... it's green! lol. i'm always skeptical, but you make this sound AWESOME!!! need. to. try.

    Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

    Danielle- it tastes similar to bagged green tea but a thousand times smoother and not bitter and all like green tea can sometimes be. And with the added stevia it reminds me of how green tea ice cream tastes.

    Ashley said...

    I really want to try this! By the way I made your parsnip fries and apple chips! Yummmm! I shared with my family. I also am going to post pics on my blog!

    http://loveliveandbehappy.blogspot.com/

    Anonymous said...

    i am getting some of this asap! yay!

    Sarah Elizabeth said...

    Love this! Wish it wasn't so expensive!

    Alexa said...

    Seems just perfect and something I will certainly need when I have 2 kids! Eeek!

    Kendy P said...

    i will be trying this!

    Anonymous said...

    I'm guessing this is okay to drink while breast feeding. I have to try this for sure. Thanks for sharing :)

    Anonymous said...

    Wow, I am so excited to try this!! Do you have a couple of brands that you recommend?

    Thanks!
    Kerry

    Anonymous said...

    Can you use this tea poweder to make Kombucha?

    inspired said...

    I'd love to know, also if you can use it to make Kombucha.
    I am also thinking, I'd prefer to use another sweetner besides Stevia. Any suggestions?
    Thanks!!!

    Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

    Yes you can use Matcha powder to make kombucha. As far as other sweeteners, it is best to use something that dissolves quickly, which is why I like liquid stevia. If you experiment with something else let me know how it goes!

    Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

    Kerry- The one I show in the picture is really delicious and smooth! I buy it from my local Asian market but you can also find it here: http://www.maeda-en.com/store/productlist.php?teatype_id=07

    Anonymous said...

    How about using honey for sweetner? I'm thinking of getting this for my mother and trying to stay away from refined sugar which is all that we have.

    Jacqueline said...

    I just found your site. I will be trying the energy drink for sure and I love your DIY skin care tips, will be trying some of them as well.
    Thanks for all the great recipes and tips.

    Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

    I'm not sure how well honey would mix up since this beverage is room temp or cold. If you are looking to keep the calories and carbohydrates low, I would stick with liquid Stevia, which dissolves instantly too.

    Anonymous said...

    Hi Lindsay,
    I just bought the stuff that was listed in this post and I was wondering how many you are allowed or able to drink a day? Are there any limits? Also I am trying to stop drinking coffee too and rather drink this stuff. Thanks so much. Have a great weekend :-D

    Neek said...

    would the powdered stevia work the same?

    Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

    As to much you should drink that really depends on personal preference and how much caffeine you wish to consume. Everyone's tolerance is different so start with one drink as listed above and see how you feel and go from there. Hope that helps! As far as switching from coffee to Matcha--that's an excellent decision! Matcha has so many more health benefits and like I said it doesn't crack you out like coffee :)

    Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

    Neek- powdered Stevia should be fine to use.

    Anonymous said...

    Thank you Lindsay for getting back to me about the amount you can drink. I appreciate you taking the tie to get back to me, as i know how busy you are with 2 little ones ( I have an almost 3 year old and an almost 7 month old). Take care pretty momma.

    Anonymous said...

    I just found they have liquid stevia in various flavors is it okay to use them also to change the taste.

    Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

    Any flavored Stevia is fine.

    Anonymous said...

    I received the tea yesterday, immediately made it, and loved it! I am not really a stevia fan, so I used a bit of honey...took a while for the honey to dissolve since this is cold, but it was wonderful. Drinking some now with ice cubes & no sweetener, and it is still amazing. Thanks for the information!

    Unknown said...

    I just ordered this but could not find any information listed about the ingredients. Is it just matcha green tea powder or does it have anything else in it?

    Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

    Denise- the only ingredient listed should be 100% pure matcha green tea powder.

    laurieb145 said...

    Thank you so much for sharing this!! I added lemon to mine and its fantastic and gets me thru that 3 o clock lag!! Love your blog!

    Austin said...

    LOVE Matcha! I am going to try this drink out today! Got a long day of watching dance and gymnastics(: I normally drink it hot, but this sounds refreshing. I get my matcha from
    www.GotMatcha.com can be a little expensive. Great quality! Organic.

    Oh Caro said...

    This is fantastic. Your blog was a great find, so thank you.

    www.ohcaro.blogspot.com

    Nicole said...

    Thank you for this post! I just emailed the link to a couple friends at work who were just talking about needing alternatives for soda and coffee.

    Loraena Tuttle said...

    Matcha is also delicious made into a latte with hemp milk. I can't drink coffee (or dairy) anymore, but matcha hemp lattes are so good!

    Suri said...

    add some lemon juice and ginger powder... sooooo good!

    Suri said...

    add some lemon juice and ginger powder... sooooo good!

    Unknown said...

    Has anyone tried this blended in blender with fruits or greens?

    Anonymous said...

    I have made this with warm water, so the honey dissolves and then added ice to make it cold

    Anonymous said...

    For the one's wanting to use honey. Couldn't you heat it ever so slightly til the honey dissolved, then ice it afterwards? Just a suggestion. Haven't tried it yet.

    Melinda Fox said...

    is there a way to grow this Matcha Green Tea?

    emmismee said...

    I don't like Stevia. Without going into detail and causing arguments, I'll just say that most stevia in the US is highly processed and is nothing close to the actual plant it comes from.
    Aside from that. I mix 1/4 tsp organic matcha tea in 6ozs of juice with 1/4 tsp each of spirulina and chlorella along with 1 TBSP of black cherry powder and 2-3 drops of iodine. This is wonderful for someone who has fibromyalgia or other inflammatory diseases.

    Anonymous said...

    How about ginger syrup? Keep that oriental vibe going!

    Anonymous said...

    can you use this breastfeeding?

    Iz said...

    I try and drink this at least once a day but I add a cap full of organic apple cider vinegar for a little tang, it's so refreshing and so delish!

    mudlo said...

    Be careful of Stevia as it can affect sleep patterns, I used it as an alternate to sugar in my 5 cups of tea a day and was awake but not tired for around 20 hours a day. Stopped using this natural sweetner and my sleep pattern return.

    Anonymous said...

    Just made this with lemon and it's like a matcha-lemonade!! Also, I used the vanilla nunaturals stevia and it tastes great with this. SO easy and SO good! Thank you!

    Anonymous said...

    I grow my own stevia plant and dry the leaves out so when i need some extra sweetness.. i just blend the dried leaves and have my own natural stevia green powder! great blog thanks!

    Anonymous said...

    Saw a report recently of testing tea from Japan for radiation and it was indeed full of it. So beware. Also, dissolve raw honey in barely warm water and then add to your cold tea. Read that adding citrus/lemon to your tea is not good, either. Regular tea, anyway - especially if there is fluoride in your water. The citrus helps the fluoride cross the blood barrier in your brain too much, from what I understand.

    PNut said...

    Hi Lindsay - can you make this up ahead of time and store in the fridge or is it a make on the day you're going to drink kind of thing? I am hoping to make a number of water bottles up of it so I have one ready to go each morning.

    Anonymous said...

    I drink matcha lattes every morning. Just dissolve the powder in a bit of warm water and add hot or cold milk (I use almond, coconut, or soy.) It's so yummy!

    colleen said...

    I learned about Matcha years ago. Its good stuff, but I believe it has been later determined that the white tea leaf is even better than the Matcha, which is actually the green tea leaf tip of the new leaves in particular, isn't it? I worked at a law firm at the time of discovery and we found out that if we took a larger dose than was recommended we actually got a big buzz like drinking too much espresso.

    Jennifer Stohr said...

    Going to give this a try tomorrow! Thank you!

    Phoenix said...

    Sounds like a great idea - and works with Sencha powder too. For the differences and respective benefits for each check this out
    http://www.groundgreentea.com/index.php/content/matcha-and-sencha

    Anonymous said...

    I've had matcha while at a demonstration of a Japanese Tea Ceremony given for the pottery studio I was studying at: it's wonderful, yes, but strong ~ whew. I'm thinking about making this tea drink for sipping throughout the day to keep me going, and am giving thought to adding some chia (seed) for additional health benefits. Love that this calls for stevia, the only alternative sweetener I'll use, although honey is also a consideration if using hot water when mixing the matcha. Awesome that you commonly reuse a glass beverage bottle, as I frequently do the same as well. Bright blessings to all! ~C. Castillo

    Anonymous said...

    I would not recommend using this for Kombucha.

    Anonymous said...

    I make this health drink for my hubby to help his vocal chords when he sings. It is made with Bragg's Raw apple cider vinegar and Raw honey mixed into a cup of boiling water to make a hot tea. I don't care for it hot, but because of all the wonderful health properties of both the Bragg's and the raw honey, here's what I do. I measure out 2TBS raw honey into a small glass (8 oz) and 2TBS of the Bragg's raw apple cider vinegar. Then I add just enough really hot tap water to dissolve the honey, (it dont take a lot because the vinegar also helps dissolve the honey) then when it is all dissolved well, i fill the glass the rest of the way up with ice cold water. I also use stevia to sweeten mine.

    Debbie.

    Unknown said...

    Have never been a green tea guy but will will have to try this - looks so easy. Thanks for sharing

    Anonymous said...

    Hi
    how much 8-20 ounces of water is in millilitres?? Thanks

    Anonymous said...

    You can get flavoured matcha, the only ingredients are matcha and natural flavour. YOu can also get organic for an additional fee. They have over 100 flavours. Here is a link to their website.
    http://www.redleaftea.com/

    Unknown said...

    Nice and thank you. Now to try snd find this tea in South Africa! What is Stevia again?

    Unknown said...

    Siduduziwe I have found it in Melrose Arch @ a shop called Tea Merchant!

    Unknown said...

    My husband works 10 hr days/6 days a week and is incredibly fatigued. I saw this recipe shared on fb and had to try it. Matcha was expensive BUT there are several servings in the pack. For us I use 1/4 tsp of Matcha powder and roughly 5-10 drops of regular stevia in 1 cup of water. I made 2 cups of the tea for my husband. He drank half on his way to work and the second half on his lunch break. He texted me to tell me " I think this tea works." He told me he wasn't jittery, he was no longer drowsy, and felt more focused. Thanks for the recipe. It's light, refreshing and great tasting :)

    Anonymous said...

    Can you use coconut water instead of tap water

    Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

    Yes you can use coconut water.

    Anonymous said...

    There are different makes of matcha green tea which one is best or which would recommend

    Anonymous said...

    I have been making mine up in 2 qt batches..... 1 Tbsp of Matcha, approx 2 inches of ginger and tumeric each grated finely, 1 cup lemon juice (I like lemon) and aprox 1/3 cup of agave nectar. I am a diabetic but find the nectar doesn't fool with my b/sugars. I don't like stevia... to me it tastes like dirt and so I can't use that. The nectar dissolves amazingly fast! :c)

    Anonymous said...

    yesterday I tried drinking Matcha Tea .It made me sick to my stomach . Did I make too strong ? used 1 small teaspoon .

    Unknown said...

    Can I make it hot and drink as a cold drink later ?

    Unknown said...

    Have the same question as Vika...

    Unknown said...

    When you say fill with water, Can be cold water? Or hot then let cool down?

    Green Tea said...

    I love tea, and I also love coffee. I used to drink a green tea now. Its really excellent and it provides great relief for my health issues.

    Organic Green Tea in India said...

    For healthy life just take green tea for refreshment & start your days with energetic & full fletched. Our green tea highly treated with naturals so you can enjoy the nature & fragrant while drinking our green tea’s it assist to avoid your unwanted cholesterol & over waited problems in your body.

    Buy Green Tea online said...

    I absolutely love green tea, and totally appreciate all the information you provided here! The people who looking for weight loss can buy green tea online in India, it will be great benefit for you.

    shahid ali khan said...

    i like this post. can we boil this tea

    Unknown said...

    Matcha powder is available at Whole Foods too

    Anonymous said...

    How long will this store in the refrigerator?

    Unknown said...

    Just a word, I've read that there is extra led in matcha. The reason being that lead is in our soil but especially in Japan. Normally tea processing doesn't use leafs, so 90% is removed but matcha is all leaf. They recommend one cup per day and not to give to children.

    Unknown said...

    Very interesting to know about matcha tea.waiting to experiment.

    Anonymous said...

    What does it taste like?

    Unknown said...

    Thank so much for all the info on matcha hoping it will help me as I suffer from poor circulation

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