By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Nov 09, 2015 at 6:12 PM

You know what matcha is, right?

If you don't, be very intrigued. It's actually a fresh, creamy green tea traditionally served during the artful Japanese tea ceremony.

The rare tea is made from shade-grown leaves, stone-ground into a fine powder, which is then mixed with water and enjoyed for its uplifting energy and lively, sweet flavor (read: delicious).

Fortunately for all of us, Colectivo just released a brand new matcha drink, which is available at all 12 of its Milwaukee cafes: a matcha latte.

Here are five reasons to give it a try.

  1. It’s gorgeous and green. For the latte, Colectivo sifts the fine matcha powder into cups and adds steamed milk to create a lovely drink with green and white latte art! The flavor captures the freshness of matcha balanced with the addition of steamed milk.

  2. It's got caffeine, but not too much. One teaspoon of matcha powder (mixed with 8 ounces of water) has about 70 grams of caffeine; that’s about half the caffeine of an average 8-ounce cup of coffee.
  3. It’s the real thing, and it's sourced from a local company. This matcha is crafted from micro-lots produced exclusively for Rishi Tea and ground on hand-carved granite wheels.

  4. It's good for you. There are no sugar or additives in the matcha latte. Plus, green tea is known for being an excellent source of powerful antioxidants, so it makes perfect sense that it could reduce your risk of cancer.  It also has the amino acid L-theanine, which is suspected to increase dopamine and decrease anxiety.

  5. It might keep you from getting sick. Some studies show that components of green tea can kill bacteria and inhibit viruses like influenza, potentially lowering your risk of infection.

The matcha latte is available in all sizes. A small is $3.25, medium runs $3.75, large costs $4.25 and extra large is $4.75.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.