The Different Uses Of Green Tea
If you thought that green tea was only used as a drink, then you are wrong. Instead, this particular ingredient can actually be used in a wide range of products meaning you do get some variety when it comes to getting the goodness from it without being fed up of drinking the same liquid time and time again. It is widely known just how amazing this is and the following uses of green tea may prove to be rather surprising. Look at it this way, it is not just a drink as long as you are creative with the products and ingredients that it can be used with.
Desserts and drinks made of green tea
First of all we should take a look at green tea drinks and desserts, but this is not us going against what we said at the outset regarding there being more to it than just adding it to water. Instead, you can use it to add flavor in other ways and for this section we are going to look at just two ideas which are green tea ice cream and a green tea latte.
The green tea ice cream is a wonderful invention and it is something that is extremely popular in Japan where it is also known as Matcha ice. Even though it has been around since the 1970s it is only now that it is working its way outside of the Japanese market. It has been produced in various ways using either the liquid or a powder to create the flavor and some Japanese restaurants will also serve it over shavings of ice. It is certainly something that has become a more popular dessert over the last decade or so and with more people becoming aware of the health benefits of green tea it makes sense that this type of ice cream will also become popular as people get their ice cream fix along with that goodness.
A green tea latte is also another interesting invention and it is a drink that you can get from some coffee chains including Starbucks[1]. Again it has Japanese influences where it is known as a Matcha green tea latte and it is made by steaming milk before adding a shot of syrup for flavor with vanilla also being another option. Some people have been known to take the healthy side even further by making it with soya milk rather than full fat, but you do of course still get your caffeine hit from the green tea even though it is going to do your health more good than you realize.
There are large variety of foods made of green tea
There are also several different green tea foods[2] out there that you may be willing to try, but for the sake of this particular post we are just going to look at four in particular. These four are a green tea smoothie, green tea cookies, green tea cupcakes, and a green tea cheesecake.
The beauty of the green tea smoothie is that it does give you a number of different options that you may wish to try out. You can still use the normal yogurt along with all kinds of berries or different fruit, but the main thing is that you always include a shot of green tea for extra flavor. It is of course an antioxidant, so it is going to do you a whole lot of good mixed in with healthy bacteria as well as various vitamins and nutrients. The only limitations that you have here are the other ingredients as it works well with pretty much everything.
Green tea cookies are certainly a bit different and people often wonder how it is possible for them to even be made. You do need to get past the fact that they tend to be green in color and that does put some people off, but it is just another Japanese dessert that is starting to make waves in the Western world and outside of Japanese restaurants. It is easier if you can buy it in powder form for it to be mixed in with the mixture and the rest of the cookie is just baked in the exact same way although you do have that green tea flavor and of course the color.
The same kind of thing goes for green tea cupcakes which is also another Japanese invention, but you do have a few more options available to you. As with the cookies, it is easier to use the powder in order to mix it with the other ingredients, but if you want to be slightly different how about adding it to the icing that goes on top? It does then turn it green but from both a decorative and taste point of view.
The green tea cheesecake is certainly an interesting creation and you do have the opportunity to mix it with a wide range of flavors just as you do with the green tea smoothie. The green tea is added to the mixture rather than the base and does consider mixing it with the likes of mint or raspberries. You do need to explain the green color, but the flavors of the other ingredients will be more powerful, so even if you are not a big fan of green tea this should not put you off.
Other uses of green tea
So you have seen a number of ways in which green tea can be used, but it is entirely possible for it to be used in a range of other applications. The list is rather extensive, so we will focus on just three which includes green tea extract pills, a green tea bath, and a green tea face mask.
Take it as a pill
Green tea extract pills provide you with all of the goodness of green tea, but in capsule or pill form. This is a brilliant way of getting all of those antioxidant ingredients in the one go and it is certainly a supplement that should be incorporated into your daily routine. This is available from your local health food store and you can only benefit from taking it on a daily basis.
Take a warm bath
A green tea bath means that you have to use green tea bath salts and this has been proven to have a positive impact on the health of your skin. It firms the skin, it is anti-aging, and detoxifies, so a regular soak will result in your skin undoubtedly feeling better as well as looking better. Do make sure that you only ever purchase from a reputable source in order to make sure that you are receiving the correct balance of minerals in the salts.
Make a natural face mask
Finally, a green tea face mask is well known as being a wonderful beauty treatment that is going to have a wonderful effect on your face and skin. As with the bath salts, it is going to be anti-aging and firm the skin leading to a reduction in wrinkles and who would not want to look younger? Face masks are easy to apply and using it on a semi-regular basis will lead to some impressive results.
Conclusion
What should be clear is that there are more uses of green tea than you imagined and this is just a small number of the ideas that you could potentially try. Green tea is such a wonderful ingredient that you really need to incorporate it in your life just as countless others have done for centuries.
It the topic excites you please read more about green tea here!
