What is Matcha Tea?
Apart from hot or cold tea, matcha is also used to flavour and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream, matcha lattes, and in baking.
Like green tea, matcha comes from the same plant (called Camellia Sinensis) but it is grown differently.
The tea plants are covered for 3 to 4 weeks before harvest to avoid direct sunlight. This process increases chlorophyll production, boosts the amino acid content, hence this gives the plant a darker green colour.
During harvesting, the stems and veins are removed. The leaves are ground up into a fine powder known as “matcha”.
Fun Facts:
- Matcha powdered green tea has 137 times more antioxidants than regularly brewed green tea, 17 times more than blueberries and 6 times more than goji berries!
- It contains the nutrients from the entire tea leaf, which results in a greater amount of caffeine and antioxidants than typically found in normal green tea.
- One serving of matcha tea is the nutritional equivalent of 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea!
Matcha Grades
Matcha green tea powders are produced widely across the globe – Japan, China being the most common places.
The grades that are recognised in modern days are ceremonial and culinary.
Ceremonial Matcha, are great quality, vibrant and rich in colour. They form tiny uniform bubbles and are more antioxidants rich, producing a creamy flavour.
These are used in Japanese Tea Ceremony when tea is prepared with a bamboo whisk and results in a creamy frothy finish
Culinary Matcha, are average quality, and is dull in colour. They form large irregular bubbles, less antioxidants, producing bitter or grassy flavour.
These are suitable for everyday use – to drink on its own, mix in baking, smoothies, milk etc.
What are the Health Benefits of Matcha Tea?
1. High in Antioxidants
Matcha contains a high amount of antioxidants, which may reduce cell damage and prevent chronic disease.
2. Detoxifies
Matcha contains a high level of chlorophyll which helps enhance the liver’s natural ability to remove toxins and waste from the body.
3. Boosts Brain Function
L-theanine, an amino acid found in matcha helps calm the mind. L-theanine also boost concentration, improve attention, memory, and reaction time.
4. Lowers Cholesterol
Regular consumption of matcha green tea can lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and helps to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
5. Protects Against Cancer
Matcha is high in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) – this is a type of catechin which is believed to have cancer-fighting effects on the body.
6. Promotes Natural Weight Loss
Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) also helps increase metabolism and fat burning, both of which may aid weight loss.
Coffee lover? Here is a quick recipe for Matcha Latte!
Ingredients
- 1 tsp matcha green tea powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp warm water
- 250ml cold milk or 300ml hot milk
Preparation
- Scoop the matcha green tea powder and the sugar into a mug or cup.
- Add the warm water and mix with a spoon or a whisk until it becomes a smooth dark green paste, this ensures no lumps are formed.
- Warm the milk in a small saucepan and pour into the mug until nearly full. (Use cold milk for an iced latte :))
- Using a whisk, mix the paste and milk together until smooth – note the colour will become light green.
Extra
You can add a few sprinkles of matcha green tea powder on the top to make it fancy. Or add some ice for an extra cold iced latte!
Would you like to see more Matcha recipes here? Let us know and we will publish them for you to try!
Matcha Recommendation on Amazon:
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It is perfect for health-conscious individuals or people with specific dietary requirements.
Buy Clearspring Organic Japanese Matcha Green Tea Powder Ceremonial Grade 30 g
Buy Clearspring Organic Japanese Matcha Green Tea Powder Premium Grade, 40g
