Pour Me a Cup of That Green Tea Yogurt

I remember the first time I tasted yogurt. I was about 15 years years old, sitting on my parent's bed, watching TV (most likely Gumby or Punky Brewster, and yes, I was far too old to be watching either).

My mom, the only thing close to an experimental eater in the house, had brought home a lemon yogurt for me. I was probably faking a sore throat for attention; I certainly would never have requested that a cup of that foreign, viscous substance. I had to keep up the act, though, so I tilted my nose back as far as possible and pulled off the lid. I dipped a spoon in as timidly as I would a toe in the Atlantic Ocean on the first swimmable day in June, and touched just the very tip of my tongue to that trembling yellow drop.


And I liked it. I had to get my mind over the gelatinous mouth-feel, and it took me about 45 minutes to get through the container (I was probably on to The Cosby Show at that point), but I was hooked.

So when I found green tea yogurt ($.99) while waiting in a serpentine line at Manhattan's only and perpetually crowded Trader Joe's, I elbowed the smelly NYU students out of my way and pounced on it.

It's worth getting in a fight for: it's smooth, creamy and the natural tartness of the yogurt blends delightfully with the clean flavor of the matcha.

The only problem is that it's a measly 5.3 ounces. And it only comes in lowfat. Come on, Joe.

But paired with a hot bowl of straight-up matcha for breakfast, it may render you unstoppable in the morning.