Matcha, Pear & Spinach Focus Smoothie

Why it works

Matcha is why this works differently than coffee. It carries caffeine alongside L-theanine, an amino acid found in almost nothing else, and the pair has been studied more than either one alone. Trials of caffeine plus L-theanine show improved attention on demanding tasks with less of the jitteriness and blood-pressure spike caffeine causes by itself. Matcha is the whole ground leaf rather than an infusion, so you get the full catechin content too, EGCG included. Pear brings gentle sweetness and soluble fiber, cashew gives it body and fat, and spinach adds folate and lutein, a carotenoid that concentrates in the brain and tracks with processing speed in older adults.

Ingredients

• 300 ml unsweetened cashew or oat milk
• 1 ripe pear, cored and chopped (about 170 g)
• 40 g fresh baby spinach (a large handful)
• 1 tsp (2 g) ceremonial-grade matcha powder
• 20 g cashews
• 1/2 frozen banana (about 55 g)

Method

1. Pour the liquid into the blender first, then add the soft ingredients, then anything frozen or hard on top. Blending in that order keeps the blades in liquid instead of spinning against a frozen block.
2. Sift the matcha or whisk it into a splash of the milk before it goes in. Dropped in dry it clumps, and the clumps are bitter.
3. Blend on low until it breaks up, then on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until no flecks remain and the texture is even.
4. Taste and adjust: a splash more liquid if it is too thick to pour, a squeeze of citrus if it tastes flat, a few more ice cubes if you want it colder.
5. Drink it soon after blending. The texture separates within about ten minutes, and the colour dulls as the cut surfaces oxidise.