Starbucks Green Tea Latte: How Much Caffeine Does it Have?

Matcha drinks have completely taken over the menus of many coffee shops in the country; for many, the best iced matcha green tea latte comes from Starbucks, and for good reason. But if you don’t feel like paying so much money for a Starbucks matcha tea blend and would rather make one from the comfort of your own home for a fraction of the price, then you’ve come to the right place. Here, we share one of the best green tea latte recipes that tastes exactly like the Starbucks green tea latte! 

What Exactly is Matcha?

Matcha is popularly known as a delicious drink in many coffee shops and is well-known by tea enthusiasts — this green drink is known for its earthy flavor and low caffeine content. Matcha can be made by grinding green tea leaves into a fine powder; they’re made from the same type of green tea that’s used inside tea bags. However, the tea leaves used for matcha are cultivated in a specific way to maintain nutrients and maximum flavor. 

Grades of Matcha

Throughout the United States, there are three qualities or grades of matcha. Below is a breakdown of these grades. 

• Culinary Grade Matcha: Low-quality matcha that’s more affordable and has a more bitter taste. 
• Latte Grade Matcha: Tastes better than culinary grade matcha and is more expensive but doesn’t have the same sublime taste as ceremony grade matcha. 
• Ceremonial Grade Matcha: Is a high quality matcha powder that’s known for its vibrant green color and depending on its brand, it can have a delectably sweet flavor.

Organic green tea powder is also available and is considered to be the perfect choice for people looking for a stronger matcha flavor or a coffee aficionado looking for a new source of caffeine for their morning runs. 

Health Benefits of Matcha 

Matcha comes with a high level of Epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC); this type of antioxidant stops the damage to our cells as a result of free radicals. It contains more antioxidants for every serving of food compared to regular green tea; this is because it gives us the entire leaf rather than steeping and then throwing away the leaves. Studies have shown that matcha may be able to reduce high blood pressure; it also has an amino acid that can encourage alpha wave activity inside the brain which will keep you awake but calm. 

Iced Matcha Latte Recipe

While Starbucks drinks continue to be a popular choice for green tea drinkers thanks to their many customization options, you’ll be happy to know that this iced matcha tea latte recipe is just as versatile and tasty! Fortunately, this recipe only requires a few simple ingredients to make at home.

Ingredients

• 1 to 2 tsp of matcha powder; always work with a high-quality matcha powder
• 1 to 2 tsp of sugar; while Starbucks uses sugar to sweeten matcha, you can use alternative sweeteners such as simple syrup or maple syrup. However, if you’re not a sweet tooth, you don’t need to use much sugar
• 4 tbsp of water; you can use cold water or hot water
• ¾ cup of whole milk; some people prefer non-dairy milk for their matcha, but you can also use oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and soy milk. 
• ¼ cream; for a creamy green tea latte, you can add cold foam or cream 
• Ice cubes; aim to get around ¾ to 1 cup of ice cubes

How you make your matcha latte is up to your personal preference, but the ingredients above and the instructions provided below are designed to give you results similar to how Starbucks makes them.  

Instructions 

1. Put 1 teaspoon of your matcha inside a bowl. 
2. Add in your sugar or your preferred sweetener.
3. Pour water into the bowl.
4. Whisk using a bamboo matcha whisk until the mixture is smooth.

Assembling Your Drink

1. To get started, place your ice cubes inside a 16 oz. glass; you can use a beer can glass or a pint-sized jar which is perfect for these kinds of drinks.
2. Now pour your preferred milk into the glass and put some cream over the top of your ice cubes. 
3. Pour your matcha mixture over the top of your ice cubes and milk inside the glass.
4. Finally, it’s time to enjoy your newest and most delicious drink! 

FAQs

Below are just a few questions that you might have if you’re new to matcha or if you’re wondering about what goes into one of these delightful drinks.  

What’s Inside a Starbucks Iced Matcha Latte? 

A Starbucks matcha latte contains ice, milk, sugar, and matcha that’s blended together. Their full ingredients list is as follows:

• Ice 
• Milk
• Ground Japanese green tea
• Sugar

This is a simple ingredient list but you can’t deny just how tasty and refreshing this beverage is! 

How Much Caffeine Does a Starbucks Iced Matcha Latte Have?

One Starbucks iced matcha tea latte in Grande has 80 mg of caffeine. But compared to Starbucks’ iced latte in Grande which has 150 mg, it contains much less caffeine. This is around half the quantity compared to coffee but will provide the same feeling of being awake and alert while also giving us a feeling of calm. 

A single teaspoon of matcha comes with around 60 to 70 mg. So using 1 teaspoon in this homemade recipe will help you get similar results to that of Starbucks, but using 2 teaspoons will be the equivalent of a coffee Grande drink. 

Conclusion

When you want to have less caffeine in your system but need to stay awake, making a matcha latte mix is the perfect way to tickle your taste buds if you’re not in the mood for black tea or iced coffee. Now that you have this recipe, you’ll be able to control the amount of caffeine you consume the next time you’re in need of a coffee boost. If you’re trying to keep off coffee, a green tea latte can be the ideal choice when you need a balance between perfect zen and awareness.

Sources 

• Butteredsideupblog.com
• Lifeboostcoffee.com
• Butteredsideupblog.com