Starbucks Green Tea Latte: What’s In It And Is It Healthy?

Hearing the words “Starbucks Green Tea Latte” is enough to make any tea lover drool. After all, who doesn’t love a creamy and fragrant latte packed with the goodness of green tea? But what’s actually in a Starbucks Green Tea Latte, and is it as healthy as we might think?

The Starbucks Green Tea Latte contains matcha green tea powder, steamed milk, and water. Starbucks uses a sweetened matcha blend, adding a subtle sweetness to the latte. If you choose a low-calorie milk and request no added sugar, you can keep the calorie count of your latte relatively low.

As you can see, the Starbucks Green Tea Latte isn’t your run-of-the-mill green tea drink. Let’s take a closer look at what’s in this tasty treat and the health benefits it offers.

What’s in a Starbucks Green Tea Latte?

Starbucks

The Starbucks Green Tea Latte is made with three ingredients: steamed milk, hot water, and matcha green tea powder. Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder that is whisked in hot water and blended with steamed milk to make a creamy and smooth latte.

Starbucks’ standard green tea latte doesn’t contain sweeteners because they use a pre-sweetened matcha blend. That means you can’t order a sugar-free green tea latte from them.

You can, however, customize your green tea latte and ask for a shot of flavored syrup or other toppings. You can also order an iced version if you prefer a cold latte.

Green Tea vs. Matcha: What’s the Difference?

Both green tea and matcha come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The difference lies in how the leaves are grown and prepared.

For green tea, the leaves are plucked from a mature tea plant and then quickly heated to halt oxidation. This method preserves the green color of the leaves while also releasing natural flavors and aromas.

Matcha, on the other hand, is specifically sourced from plants that are shaded for several weeks before harvest. The shading triggers a surge in chlorophyll production, giving matcha its characteristic bright green color. The leaves are also immediately steamed and dried to keep the color.

Green tea leaves are only slightly withered or rolled, so you just steep them in hot water and then discard them. On the other hand, matcha leaves are ground into a fine powder that’s whisked with hot water, so the whole leaf is consumed.

Since you’re drinking the leaf, matcha has up to 3 times more caffeine and antioxidants than regular green tea. The taste and texture profile of matcha is also different from green tea. Matcha has a more grassy, earthy, and bitter flavor with a creamy texture, while green tea has a more subtle and sweet taste with a very light body.

What Are the Health Benefits of Green Tea?

Teas are usually packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that benefit our health — and green tea is no exception. Here’s a brief rundown of some of the health benefits that green tea has to offer:

Improved Brain Activity

Green tea and matcha contain varying levels of caffeine, a stimulant with potential health benefits. Caffeine has been linked to improved focus, alertness, energy levels, and enhanced workout performance.

Mood Booster

Green tea is rich in amino acids like L-theanine, which boosts serotonin and dopamine, the hormones responsible for improving mood and motivation. Studies suggest these compounds reduce stress, promote concentration, and can keep you calm and focused throughout the day.

Weight Loss

The combination of caffeine and L-theanine in green tea can boost metabolism and help you burn more fat. It also helps regulate blood sugar levels, suppressing hunger and reducing cravings.

Anti-Aging Properties

Green tea has anti-aging properties thanks to the presence of antioxidants. These antioxidants fight free radicals and help reduce cell damage caused by pollution, UV rays, and other harmful agents.

Green tea doesn’t only reduce skin aging, but it also protects brain activity and decreases the chances of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Overall Wellbeing

The polyphenols present in green tea — like catechins and EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) — have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and antibacterial properties. When combined, the compounds provide various health benefits, including lower cholesterol, improved digestion, and reduced inflammation.

Other benefits of green tea include improved cardiovascular health, lower risk of cancer, better oral health, and an improved immune system.

How Much Caffeine Is in a Green Tea Latte?

Matcha green tea latte

The amount of caffeine in a green tea latte depends on how much matcha powder is used.

Starbucks adds one scoop of matcha powder for a small latte, two scoops for a tall one, three scoops for a grande, and four scoops for a venti. Each scoop contains 30 mg of caffeine.

So, that means you’ll get the following in each drink:

  • A small latte has 30 mg of caffeine
  • A tall latte has 60 mg of caffeine
  • A grande latte has 90 mg of caffeine
  • A venti latte has 120 mg of caffeine

The amount of caffeine in the Starbucks Green Tea Latte is on the higher side compared to other teas. As we explain above, this is mainly because matcha powder is more concentrated than regular steeped green tea leaves.

How to Make a Green Tea Latte at Home

If you like the Starbucks Green Tea Latte but don’t want to pay for an expensive trip to Starbucks or wait in long lines, why not make one yourself? It’s actually pretty easy to whip up a deliciously creamy green tea latte at home.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of matcha powder (on Amazon)
  • 1/4 cup of hot (not boiling) water
  • 1 cup of milk of your choice
  • Optional: Sweetener of your choice (sugar, honey, agave)

Instructions:

  1. Put the matcha powder in a bowl or cup and add the hot water.
  2. Whisk it with a bamboo whisk (on Amazon) or electric frother until a thick and foamy consistency is achieved. Regular matcha powder takes some effort to make smooth, so you may need to whisk for about a minute or two with a traditional whisk.
  3. Add the milk of your choice (dairy/non-dairy) to a pan and heat it until it’s hot. You can also steam it if you have a milk steamer (on Amazon).
  4. Pour the hot milk and matcha mixture into a cup and stir until everything is well combined.
  5. Add sweetener to taste and enjoy.

Note: If you want an iced green tea latte, pour the matcha mixture into a glass filled with ice. Then pour cold milk over it and stir. Your iced green tea latte is ready!

Making your green tea latte at home not only saves you money; it’s also a healthier alternative since you have more control over the ingredients. Plus, you can customize it to your liking by adding different flavors and sweeteners. Give it a try and see what you think. You won’t regret it!

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