Matcha: a supercharged green tea

I am not a big coffee drinker, I love coffee, but I usually have no more than one cup in the morning, after my ritualistic water with lemon. Too much of it and I get all jittery and wired up. So when I am out running errands, I usually stop at my favorite coffee place, and treat myself to a cup of warm matcha latte. It’s creamy and delicious and it’s a treat because I don’t have it every day. Although you can. In fact, some people have completely switched their morning routine from coffee to matcha and swear by it.

What is matcha and what are its benefits?

As you may have guessed from its bright green color matcha is derived from the same plant that gives us green tea, namely camelia sinensis. What distinguishes it from the latter is the way it is grown, which gives matcha a different range of nutrients. In fact, throughout its growth matcha plants are covered with bamboo, which boosts its chlorophyll levels, making its leaves extra green.

Matcha leaves are steamed and dried so we actually consume the whole leaf.

The youngest leaves are then harvested, steamed, which helps them retain their characteristic bright color, dried and finally made into a powder, which means that we actually consume the whole leaf (veins and stem excluded), unlike green tea, where we actually steep the leaf and drink the infused water.

Although equally great, matcha has a higher concentration of amino acids, L-theanine, antioxidants, like vitamin C, and polyphenols than green tea.

Polyphenols in matcha help protect the skin from the sun, but also help our body control blood pressure, inflammation and blood sugar levels among many other things. 

Thanks to its higher than green tea caffeine content it stimulates alertness, but it also has a stress relieving effect. In fact , the L-Theanine in matcha increases the levels of a neurotransmitter responsible to make us feel more relaxed, known as GABA, while keeping us focused. 

So yes, green tea is great, but Matcha has that extra kick which makes it even more nutrient rich.

Traditionally matcha powder is made mixing with hot water using a special brush.

As there are a lot of similar looking products in the market, always make sure you are actually using the real thing such as powdered matcha tea and not powdered green tea which has a different range of nutrients and less caffeine. It requires you to look closely at the label.

Lastly, when preparing it make sure you are using hot not boiling water: add 2 teaspoons of matcha powder and mix it in a zigzag motion. The result is a frothy and creamy drink you can enjoy hot or cold with whichever milk you prefer.

Try it and let us know what you think!