I absolutely LOVE coffee. I mean I certifiably, undeniably love the stuff. Its rich, nutty flavor blended with a taste of chocolate and bitterness. The instant pep it gives your step every morning as it welcomes you with open arms and hugs you with its warm embrace. I could honestly bet that at least 1/4 of my student loan money was spent buying pumpkin spice lattes or mocha java chip ice blended frappuccinos in college.

I knew I should be weaning myself off the 4-5 cups (a 2 shot espresso latte equates to at least 2 cups of standard brew in my book) of joe I enjoyed every day for the past few years given the fact that I have acid reflux and needed to give my body a little break. Earlier this year, though, living out of the country, I was lonely and trying to reasonably stay fit and focused and away from all the amazing cuisine I encountered, so I basically spent my days in coffee shops.  I mean what do you do when you’re traveling abroad and have seen every museum, park, and point of interest?

So you can understand my horror when I found out that I had developed two ulcers (who knows if it was from the food poisoning in January or if I had had them from years of my SAD diet-standard American diet) and I’d have to give up the #1 source of acid I consumed…coffee.  Now for everyone that knows me, and if you do please hold your comments on this fact, I am an extremist. I can’t just enjoy one of something…I like excess! If I can’t have it all, I just don’t want it. So I quit joe, cold turkey.

Enter matcha! Matcha green tea is richly alkaline from its chlorophyll and other nutrients but still has plenty of caffeine (about half the content of standard cup of coffee)!  Now because matcha powder is whisked into water and not steeped, the caffeine gets absorbed in your blood stream over a longer period of time so you don’t get the jitter-crash effect. It tastes great too! It has a similar bitter, yet earthy character that mixes well with my vanilla stevia or any type of milk (coconut being my favorite).

Be aware though, this cup of green goodness will cost you! At your natural food stores, it’ll run roughly $15 to $20 per 1 oz. container, and in Delhi, India, I could only find a 2lb bag which they were trying to hawk for $150 (I would’ve bought it, as this meant savings in the long run, but they couldn’t prove its authenticity to me so I opted against). Not to fret my little penny pinchers. I stumbled upon a quaint little cafe/tea shop in Pasadena called Bird Pick that sells its standard matcha for $2.75/oz. and organic matcha for $7/oz. I bought 4 oz. of both, and I have to admit the organic is much better and smoother.

The other two brands, in the tin cans, are the costly ones, but are excellent quality. If any of you have a source you’d like to share, let us know!

Here is a picture of my morning breakfast this past April in India… my matcha and stevia should have their own passports!