Let’s Talk About MATCHA
WHAT IS MATCHA?
Matcha is a high-grade green tea ground into powdered form. Matcha is made from the tea plant Camellia Sinensis.
Camellia Sinensis is used to make most traditional caffeinated teas, including black tea, white tea, oolong tea, and green tea.
The matcha process is different compared to these other teas. With traditional green tea, you’re only drinking the dissolvable elements that the leaves infuse into the water, but with matcha you are drinking the entire tea leaf. When the plants are ready for harvest, the leaves are hand-picked, steamed, dried, destemmed, and deveined. The pure leaves, known as “tencha” at this stage, are then ground into a fine powder.
The practice of preparing and drinking powdered tea was first popularized over 900 years ago by Chinese Zen Buddhist monks. Matcha is primarily grown in two Japanese regions: Uji in Kyoto Prefecture & Nishio in Aichi Prefecture.
Studies of matcha and its components have discovered a variety of benefits. Below is what I have found through research and what I noticed personally when I started drinking matcha.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Packed with Antioxidants
A cup of matcha has about three times the antioxidants & contains more caffeine than a regular green tea.
Matcha is rich in catechins, a class of plant compounds in tea that act as natural antioxidants.
Boosts metabolism and burns calories
One small study showed that taking green tea extract during moderate exercise increased fat burning by 17%.
Another study in 14 people found that taking a supplement containing green tea extract significantly boosted 24-hour energy expenditure, compared to a placebo.
11 studies also showed that green tea reduced body weight and helped maintain weight loss.
Detoxifies naturally
Rich in fiber, chlorophyll, vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium
Enhances mood and aids in concentration/ Calms the mind and relaxes the body
Matcha contains a more concentrated amount of caffeine than green tea, packing in 35 mg of caffeine per half teaspoon (about 1 gram) of matcha powder.
The shade growing of matcha elevates the L-theanine content, an amino acid that induces alpha frequency brain waves, resulting in mental calmness, improved concentration & memory, and relaxed alertness.
Some research shows that several of the components in matcha could help enhance brain function.
One study of 23 people, looked at how people performed on a series of tasks designed to measure brain performance. Some participants consumed either matcha tea or a bar containing 4 grams of matcha, while the control group consumed a placebo tea or bar. The researchers found that matcha caused improvements in attention, reaction time and memory, compared to the placebo.
Prevents diseases
Matcha is especially high in epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a type of catechin that has been shown to have powerful anti-cancer properties.
One test-tube study found that the EGCG in matcha helped kill off prostate cancer cells.
Other test-tube studies have shown that EGCG is effective against skin, lung and liver cancer.
Protects your heart / Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for an estimated one-third of all deaths in people over the age of 35. Some studies have shown that drinking green tea, which has a similar nutrient profile to matcha, may help protect against heart disease.
Green tea has been shown to reduce levels of total and “bad” LDL cholesterol, as well as triglycerides.
TYPES OF MATCHA & MATCHA QUALITY
Judge your matcha beverage by the color! You should see a pretty bright and vibrant green. If your matcha is on the yellow side, that means it’s of a lesser quality.
There are several different “grades” of matcha green tea powder, these can be determined by the quality of the appearance, processing method and ingredients used:
The fineness of the powder
The color of the tea
The texture, quality and density
The quality of the product – is it stem or is it leaves?
Whether there has been any prolonged exposure to oxygen
How it was ground up
Treatment prior to processing
All these qualities help determine the grade of the green tea powder, which can be separated into two main categories: ceremonial grade and culinary grade. The main difference from one grade to the next is harvest time.
Ceremonial grade: Ceremonial grade is the highest quality matcha from the most carefully cultivated buds and leaves. Ceremonial grade is given the most attention to detail during processing to yield the freshest, most delicate tasting, and smoothest ground matcha. Ceremonial grade is meant to be enjoyed on its own, with no other sweeteners or additives, to really enjoy and appreciate the intended flavor.
Culinary grade: Culinary grade matcha has a more robust, astringent flavor that can stand up to other ingredients its paired with. It may include ground leaves that still had some stems and veins attached, it may be a slightly duller green than ceremonial grade, and it may often include a mix of matcha powder from several sources. Culinary grade can still be whisked into tea and sipped; in fact, it’s a great matcha to mix with milk for lattes or spirits for cocktails. It’s also a bit less expensive so it’s more affordable to stock as a cooking ingredient.
MATCHA RECIPES TO TRY
Gluten-Free Matcha Pancakes
Ingredients
2 eggs
2/3 cup vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup almond flour
1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
1 TBSP baking powder
2 TBSP matcha green tea powder
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix or whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Once mixed well, add in the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, and salt and continue to stir until a smooth batter forms.
Spray a saute pan with oil spray or coconut oil and heat to medium heat.
Measure small amounts of pancake batter onto pan and flip once bubbles start to pop up through the batte
Matcha Banana "Ice Cream"
Ingredients
3 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons matcha
Instructions
Cut bananas into little small pieces and freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Using a food processor, blend frozen bananas until it looks like mashed potatoes.
Add matcha and sweetened condensed milk and blend until it looks like soft serve ice cream.
Can be eaten as is, or can be transferred to a container and frozen again for at least an hour and a half for a harder consistency.
Matcha Latte
Ingredients
1 cup water (hot or cold)
1 teaspoon matcha powder
2 dates , pitted
1 teaspoon almond butter or cashew butter
Instructions
For a warm drink, use boiled water, and for an iced drink use cold or room temperature water.
In a blender, combine the water, dates, almond butter and matcha. Blend until the dates have totally broken down and the mixture looks creamy.
Taste and adjust the ingredients as needed to your taste. I typically use 1/2 teaspoon of matcha to keep the caffeine lower, but 1 teaspoon will have more and a stronger matcha flavor.
If you don't have a high-speed blender, pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any bits of date that didn't get blended, directly into your cup. Serve right away, and over ice for a chilled drink.
RECAP
Matcha in its pure form is a concentrated + potent version of green tea.
It's rich in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins and studies have even shown it to boost metabolism and lower inflammation in the body.
Matcha also contains 3X as more caffeine than green tea so that's always a plus.
Including matcha in your diet could increase your antioxidant intake, which may help prevent cell damage and even lower your risk of several chronic diseases.
Studies of matcha and its components have discovered a variety of benefits, from promoting heart health, protecting the liver, improvement in attention, and even aid in weight loss.
Easy preparation.
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Hi! I’m Malynda!
I like to learn new things and share it with others, hopefully you can learn something new here on my blog and share it with others in your life!