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We all love matcha—whether as a tea, coffee substitute, or go-to superfood option. I also love matcha in many other forms: <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/categories/cookies">Cookies</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/categories/dessert">desserts</a>, and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/categories/drinks">drinks</a>. Thankfully, everyone around me knows my love for it, so much so that I even received a matcha set for my birthday last year. Sadly, the set did not come with matcha powder, so I had to complete the matcha vision. Now, instead of spending 5€ on matcha lattes that never taste quite right in cafés, all I need is the perfect matcha powder to <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/3-ways-to-prepare-matcha">make my own at home</a>. Little did I know, there are a lot of options for matcha out there, and finding the best one can take a while. To save you the trouble, from one matcha lover to another, I’m sharing everything I&#x27;ve learned about matcha here: What is matcha, what types of matcha are there, what to pay attention to when buying matcha, and of course, our best matcha recipes.

Matcha is easily found these days; in supermarkets, drug stores, online shops, and specialty shops. Still, the question may persist: What exactly is matcha powder? Matcha powder is basically a finely ground tea made from special green tea varieties. What makes it so special is the fact that it is all hand-harvested, with very carefully plucked young tea leaves from the tops of the bushes. The amount of care put into it explains the high prices for small amounts of the powder.

There are 3 grades (types) of matcha powder: “Ceremonial”, “Premium”, and “Culinary”. 1. “Ceremonial”: Highest quality of matcha powder. This grade represents the finest and purest type out there, and it&#x27;s used for both tea ceremonies and pure enjoyment. Ceremonial grade matcha has a bright, deep green color, doesn’t taste bitter or sour but creamy and fresh. Even small amounts can be quite pricey. 2. “Premium”: Also high quality with the same color and taste as the ceremonial. The only difference is that this one is harvested a bit later than ceremonial. It’s a great option if you regularly enjoy matcha (e.g. in matcha lattes), and it’s slightly cheaper too. 3. “Culinary”: Harvested from more mature leaves from the lower parts of the bushes, this grade tastes rather bitter. It’s best for baking, cooking, and with sweet combos like in desserts or sweet drinks like matcha latte. It’s also the cheapest grade of matcha powder. Choosing the best one for you should depend on your purpose, and not only on the price. Cheaper matcha doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “bad”, it will still work in your smoothie for example. However, for better nutrients, the premium grade might be a better match.

Organic matcha powder is said to be better, but this may not be entirely true. The “Bio-Matcha” or “Organic matcha powder” label simply means it was cultivated and produced via more environmentally friendly methods. This type of matcha powder is grown without pesticides and herbicides. Some may argue that these conditions create a powder with purer taste and better aroma.

Buying matcha powder: Pay attention to these points

Here are 3 factors to keep in mind while buying high-quality matcha powder: 1. Color: Should be a rich, bright green. Avoid muddy, or yellow/ brown-tinted matcha. This may suggest some stalks made their way into the blend. 2. Texture: Should be finely ground and without a chunky feel. 3. Smell and taste: Should smell grassy, floral and fresh with a slightly sweet taste. It should also have a creamy mouthfeel. If the smell is algae-like, with a sour or bland taste, this would mean poorer quality. Another matcha powder tip from me: a specialty store is almost always the best option to shop from. You&#x27;ll have more freedom to ask questions, smell, see, and even taste different types. Prices may be more tempting online, but in-store shopping might give you the best answer for your matcha powder needs.

(Culinary) matcha powder will give you the harmony you need in your pastries and desserts. It will match the sweet and creamy notes with a balancing tart and grassy taste. These recipes star matcha powder either as a superfood addition, or as the main ingredient. All you need to do is pick your favorites. What’s your favorite way to use matcha powder? Let me know in the comments below!

Iced matcha tea

Matcha smoothie bowl with chia seeds

Matcha tiramisu with raspberries

Matcha Affogato

Matcha green tea white chocolate cookies

Matcha cupcakes with matcha buttercream

Honeydew melon and matcha no-bake cheesecake

Matcha ice cream

Matcha, spinach, and kiwi smoothie

How to make homemade bubble tea in 2 delicious ways

Special strawberry jam with matcha

… and here’s what I found

My Quest to Find the Best Matcha Powder

Summer, sunshine, coffee! This might sound like an unusual combination, but throughout this article you’ll soon find that this might just be what you need this summer! Actually, this combination is made up entirely by things that most of us love – meaning this can only be good.

You’ll find 3 amazing recipes for drinks that contain coffee and are going to take your summer picnic to a whole new level. We’ll also offer some helpful tips on how you can prepare them to bring with you, and will let you in on the secret of one of the ultimate tricks to have a carefree and refreshing picnic on those warm summer days.

A perfect match: Summer + Picnic + Coffee

You might ask yourself how coffee is supposed to be nice in the sweltering heat of summer. To this I’ll simply say: Cheers to ice cubes and portable containers that will turn every hot drink into a pleasant and refreshing drink on the go.

To present to you our favourite coffee drinks to go, we’ll of course need some good coffee first. For this, we partnered up with <a href="https://www.lavazza.de/de.html" rel="nofollow">Lavazza</a>, a family-run company from Italy, that has successfully been producing coffee since 1895.

Perhaps known to most as a traditional company, Lavazza emphasises supporting a fair coffee culture. Its foundation Fondazione Giuseppe e Pericle Lavazza Onlus has been around since 2004 and has supported 20 countries and more than 136,000 coffee producers in 32 projects. The ¡Tierra! seal was created which certifies products for environmental protection, the economical and social development of coffee farmers and the support of healthy agricultural practices.

Our 3 favourite coffee recipes for summer

We want you to be flexible for your picnic idea, so you can serve the right drink at any time of day. That is why we have created 3 coffee drinks that you can prepare in the morning, at noon or in the evening – or do all three of them at once, which can’t hurt either.

This one is my favourite, because it just sounds so modern and trendy and is so photogenic at the same time. I mean, just look at this strawberry – it’s real, I promise!

The beautiful thing about drink recipes is that only a few ingredients and a little bit of time are needed to achieve a complicated but also super good-looking end result – and it’s just like that with this drink. For this one we played with colours, aromas and ingredients, to present to you this multi-layered goodness.

Iced Strawberry Latte

I can definitely see the caffeinated Iced Strawberry Latte as a nice addition to a summery brunch outdoors – and for this you have to wake up first anyway, right?

Imagine you’re sitting in an overheated office in the middle of the week and during lunchtime only one thing can help: A cold drink that wakes you up at the same time. We’ve got you covered!

Just pack some blueberries, cold tonic water and some freshly brewed espresso (as well as some ice cubes if you have them lying around) and you’re ready to assemble whenever you like:

Blue Espresso Tonic

And now: Lean back, watch the play of colours and enjoy your well-deserved break.

An amazingly good coffee cocktail with passion fruit

I can’t hide it: I’m a big fan of this recipe. Have you ever tried combining passion fruit and coffee? I hadn’t , but after this drink I definitely will again.

The recipe comes with a clever twist: You’ll be making a coffee syrup out of freshly brewed espresso and sugar, that you can also use for other drinks or desserts. This drink certainly fits a picnic on a summer evening: A refreshing treat that gets its liveliness from the fruity, soft flavour of the Lavazza coffee and is – thanks to the tequila – the perfect drink for a good time with friends. The Passion Fruit Espresso Sour is without a doubt my new favourite drink for the summer.

Passion Fruit Espresso Sour

This is how you can prepare drinks for your picnic

Okay, we now have recipes and ideas for picnics for different occasions – so far so good. But how can you prepare these drinks in a sustainable way that also keeps them fresh and lets you enjoy them easily on site? There are different possibilities and tools, that you won’t want to miss:

Possibility No. 1: Prepare everything at home

The good thing about preparing the drink at home is that you don’t have to do anything on site, except pouring the drink into a glass full of ice cubes. If you have a container for ice cubes that fit into the picnic basket, you’ll be well-prepared. This works especially well with our <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/maracuja-espresso-sour">Passion Fruit Espresso Sour</a>, which you can completely prepare at home.

If your drink doesn’t contain too many ingredients, like our <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/blue-espresso-tonic">Blue Espresso Tonic</a>, you can carry them separately in a cooling box. Then it is really easy to assemble the drink at the picnic as many times as the ingredients allow. This way you have to carry more, but you also get a super fresh drink.

Possibility No. 3: Prepare one part beforehand and mix the other one on site

Just like our <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/iced-strawberry-latte">Iced Strawberry Latte</a>, some recipes are made to be enjoyed fresh. For this you can bring the strawberry puree and the cold espresso in a reusable bottle and other ingredients like the milk or (even simpler) spray cream can be transported in a cooling box to assemble everything at the picnic. In our recipe we use mini ice cubes as they benefit the layering of the drink.

But if this is too complicated, and you are happy with some adjustments to your drink, then you can just fill everything into a to-go cup and do it like possibility no. 1 – the flavour is going to be equally delicious.

What is still missing in your picnic basket

… is of course the food. In this <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/6-picnic-worthy-recipes-to-prep-ahead">article</a>, you&#x27;ll find multiple recipes that can be effortlessly prepared for your picnic. More tricks on how to be prepared for your next picnic can be found <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-cheat-sheet-for-what-to-take-to-your-next-picnic">here</a>. And whatever else you would need for the ultimate picnic equipment, you can read in this <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/your-ultimate-picnic-checklist">article</a>.

Here are some first-aid recipes: – <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/cranberry-pistachio-biscotti-with-jam">Cranberry pistachio biscotti with jam</a> – <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/italian-sandwich-with-prosciutto-di-parma">Italian sandwich with prosciutto di Parma</a> – <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/pesto-potato-salad">Pesto potato salad</a> – <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/5-ingredient-cacio-e-pepe-pizza">5-ingredient cacio e pepe pizza</a>

We hope that we were able to inspire you with our coffee recipes and excite you for a summery picnic. We’d love for you to share your coffee creations with us in the comment section below and let us know what you prepare most for a picnic.

Never say no to a coffee to go

Coffee to go: Summery drinks with coffee for your next picnic outdoors

The last thing we feel like doing in peak summer? Spending time over a hot stove. So you can maximize your time in the sun (or the shade), our August issue is dedicated to the (nearly) no-cook recipes we turn to when it’s just “Too Hot to Cook”. To stay up to date, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/everything-we-want-to-eat-when-its-just-too-hot-to-cook">check back here</a> for a full list of our latest recipes and articles, and don’t forget to follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kitchenstories_official/" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a> for more!

On a hot day back in July, I made a jug of iced black tea, quenched with lemon, sugar, and rosemary. As I sat on the balcony in the evening sunshine, pondering the addition of bourbon (pondering only because the bottle was empty), I wondered why I don’t make summery—and pointedly, downright easy—drinks more often? Although I cook daily, I don’t tend to go that extra jump to brew refreshing drinks, unless you count a swipe of orange zest in a negroni. Inspired, the next day I made rhubarb and mint syrup (welcome with sparkling water, welcome with gin) and last week I twice enjoyed a very refreshing no-jito (note the “no”). Next, I’m going to blend up the<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/hanna-makes-no-cook-meal-prep-3-ways"> easy-peasy, lemony watermelon juice</a> that Hanna made in her meal-prep video.

To fill out my summer cooking diary—and, more pertinently, yours—here are 7 easy ways us at Kitchen Stories and the KS community beat the heat with infinitely sippable drinks. There are non-alcoholic recipes and recipes with alcohol alike (like our 2 new favorite ways to drink Aperol), so there’s something refreshing for everyone. Cheers!

1. Make lemonade...with more than just lemons

Lemons play so well with other ingredients that it’d be a shame not to <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/7-lemonade-recipes-for-when-life-gives-you-lemons">explore further potential</a>. Try our <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/strawberry-lemonade">strawberry lemonade</a> for a sweet to drink, sweet to look at alternative.

Whether you prefer your <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/how-to-make-cold-brew-iced-tea">iced tea</a> peachy, green, or bubbly, here are different ways to brew up your next cool down:

— <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/peach-iced-tea">Peach iced tea</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/iced-matcha-tea">Iced matcha tea</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-bubble-tea-2-ways">Homemade bubble tea</a>: Our new recipe shows you two ways to make homemade boba (you can do it!) for bubble tea at home, served with black milk tea or matcha and strawberry tea. — Try this recipe for <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/ice-milk-butterfly-pea-2f59">milky butterfly tea</a> from the community!

3. Or go for even easier with cold brewed tea at home

<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/how-to-make-cold-brew-iced-tea">Cold brew tea</a> or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/how-to-make-a-really-good-cup-of-coffee-at-home">coffee</a> require zero heat or cool-down time—just add to water, leave in the fridge overnight, and you have yourself the basis for a day’s worth of sipping.

Find <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/cold-brew-tea-2-ways">two ways to cold brew tea here</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/cold-brew-latte-3-ways">three ways to sip a cold brew “latte” here</a>, or….

Try this mini recipe for an Agua de Jamaica inspired drink:

— Add 3 tbsp of loose-leaf hibiscus tea per 1 L (approx. 4 cups) water. Leave to brew in the fridge overnight. — When you’re ready to drink: Add ice and fresh raspberries to a glass, some maple syrup to sweeten to taste, then top up with the cold-brew tea and add lime juice, to taste, for a little extra pep. — Stir and enjoy!

4. Make your own syrups for endless rounds of drinks

We’re big fans of making our own syrups with fresh fruit. This month, we’re staying true to our no-cook credo (“the most we’ll ask you to do is boil water”), so if you can stretch that to adding fruit or herbs and sugar to your quick boil, you’ve got yourself some syrups! They’re a great way to distill flavor using minimal ingredients and a controlled amount of sugar, as opposed to the sometimes sickly sweet store-bought versions.

— Homemade <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/rhubarb-soda">rhubarb soda</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/ginger-ale">Homemade ginger ale</a>

There’s also loads of inspiration to be found in the Kitchen stories community. Here are some syrup recipes we love:

— <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/lavender-lemonade">Lavender lemonade with homemade lavender syrup</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/lemon-balm-syrup">Lemon balm syrup</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/id/ffc825af-9953-4765-a9e2-8f4e4e1a9ac3?draft=1&amp;v=1628780170">Elderflower and rhubarb lemonade</a>

5. Switch warm coffee for cooler caffeine

From tall orders of strong Greek frappes to the off-center espresso tonic or homemade cold brew <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/how-to-make-a-really-good-cup-of-coffee-at-home">coffee</a>—which you can also make jazzier by using coconut water—there’s many a way to keep coffee refreshing.

— <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/frappe-en">Frappe</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/espresso-tonic">Espresso tonic</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/cold-brew-latte-3-ways">Cold brew coffee</a>

6. Refresh your summery cocktail knowledge

We know summers have long-turned Aperol-spritz-tinted, but there are other cocktails worth your attention, too. This summer, we’ve become big fans of two different ways to enjoy Aperol. The first is an ultra zesty <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/aperol-betty">Aperol Betty</a> which adds grapefruit and orange juice to your regular Aperol Spritz. You can shake up the ingredients in a cocktail shaker <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/aperol-betty">as per our recipe</a>, or layer in your glass for an ombre-look starting with adding the Aperol, orange juice, grapefruit juice and prosecco.

The second is a recipe by our resident drinks expert, Head of Arts, Sebastian, who mixed up a new summery cocktail for us: An Aperol and elderflower cocktail that you’ll be sipping well into September.

Aperol and Elderflower cocktail

More refreshing summer cocktails: — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/pina-colada-en">Piña colada</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/spicy-mezcal-margaritas">Spicy mezcal margaritas</a> or a <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/frozen-margarita">frozen margarita</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/pimms-bowl">Pimms cup</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/michelada-en">Michelada</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/tequila-sunrise-en">Tequila sunrise</a>

You can, as I’ve written in this <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/every-way-to-spritz-this-summer">full-fledged guide</a>, make a spritz out of more than just Aperol and prosecco, so grab your favorite summer fruit and get muddling!

— <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/rose-spritzer-with-white-peaches-and-basil">Rose spritzer with white peaches and basil</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/sparkling-cucumber-with-ginger">Sparkling cucumber with ginger</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/americano">Americano</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/watermelon-ginger-spritzer">Non-alcoholic watermelon-ginger spritzer</a>

Did we miss any of your favorite summertime drinks? Let us know in the comments below!

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