Food What are you drinking right now?

Water. From the tap. Glass after glass of it. It keeps me from snacking while writing annoying papers.

 

The free bottle of Ice Mountain that was put in my room. Fringe benefit of staying 100 nights a year in a hotel. I guess.

 

Coffee

 

Matcha

 

What is that?

 

Oh, my dear Borla! I'm glad you asked!

It's basically ground green tea stirred up in some hot water. The tea itself is different from regular green tea in that it's shaded for several weeks before it's harvested, which increases its theanine content, among other amino acids. The same tea sold whole-leaf is known as gyokuro, which is very tasty.

Theanine is a beautiful thing. It creates calmness/relaxation. With the help of other compounds in the tea, the caffeine in matcha is slowly released in the bloodstream, essentially sustaining it for hours, rather than the surge-and-crash you get with coffee. Overall, it creates what people call a "calm alertness." Matcha also has less caffeine than coffee to begin with.

A small bowl of matcha is my coffee substitute, and I follow it with a day filled with regularly brewed green and oolong tea. It takes just one teaspoon of powder, though sometimes I have a second in the afternoon if I want a pick-me-up.

 

Interesting, I'll have to keep an eye out. Though I'll drink it on occasion, I'm not a huge tea person, but my wife is.

 

A warning, then: It's an acquired taste. Since you are ingesting the whole leaf, it's rather potent compared to steeping the leaves and removing them from the water. Also, the traditional ways of preparing it use a teaspoon of powder to only a fraction of a cup of water: I use 2/3 cup. This requires whisking to ensure there are no lumps.

If you want to give it a try, I first suggest going to a proper tea place and have them make you one. Failing that, go to your local Starbucks and order a green tea latte. I like ordering an unsweetened version of it with soymilk. I suggest asking them to leave the sweetness out so that you get an idea of what the tea's flavour is like. You will get the same benefit (though studies have shown that dairy products block green tea's health protective properties).

Matcha is often used in flavouring for desserts and stuff too, like ice cream.

 

Cool, thanks for the tips.

 

Water

 

Debating on opening a Crossbarn Pinot from Sonoma. Might just have a beer and wait on the wife though.

 

Coconut water

 

I'm more of a vodka person than a gin person, but you are on a Borla approved roll this afternoon.