Matcha and juice combine for this new beverage.

The color may be ho-hum, muddy green in the glass, but the taste sure makes it a beauty.

Leave it to TeaPigs to come up with refreshing matcha energy drinks to take along anywhere.

If green tea is full of antioxidants, then matcha is even more so. That’s because you’re not just drinking liquid that the tea leaves have steeped in. Instead, you’re ingesting entire leaves, which have been ground to a very fine powder to make the fabled ingredient traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies.

Easy to take along wherever you go. But they are best tasting when chilled.

I had a chance to sample the new TeaPigs Matcha Super Power Green Tea Drinks made with tea grown in Nishio, Japan, blended with water, juice concentrate and citric acid.

They come in three flavors: Grapefruit, Elderflower, and Apple. All are intended to be enjoyed chilled.

All three are the same hue. The Grapefruit one is wake-me-up tart. The citrus is front and center with the tea flavor a little lost in the process. The Elderflower one is floral and fruity with a subtle grape flavor from the added grape juice. The Apple one is my favorite because the grassy, slightly bitter note from the matcha is still evident, while the apple juice adds a rounded sweetness without being over the top.

One 11.2-ounce carton has about 110 calories, no fat, no sodium, and 21 grams of sugar.

The shelf-stable cartons are $3.99 each and available at The Pasta Shop in Berkeley and at Market Hall Bakery and Market Hall Produce in Oakland’s Rockridge Market Hall.

Winner of Last Week’s Food Gal Contest

In last week’s contest, I asked you to tell me about your memorable canning experience or why you want to start canning for the first time. Winner will receive a coupon for a free  case of Ball canning jars, courtesy of Jarden Home Brands.

My first stab at real canning: Strawberry-Rosemary Preserves.

Congrats to:

Diana, who wrote, “I remember as a little girl picking blackberries with my grandmother, and making jam. Each jar was a tiny babyfood jar (yes she was recycling before there was a word for repurposing) filled 3/4 of the way with yummy jam, then filled with a thick layer of wax, and finally boiled until the lids stuck. Your blog sound soooo much easier, I look forward to giving it a try.”