Matcha, also known as matcha green tea, can be quite literally translated to ‘finely ground’ green tea. It is green tea that is finely ground that is specially grown and farmed under specific conditions. It is considered better than green tea because of its higher antioxidant levels, chlorophyll, and other amino acids. It’s also smoother and tastes softer because of the absence of stems and veins. Matcha benefits an individual in various ways, and because of these benefits, matcha green tea has been highly chosen over regular green tea.
Matcha Tea Benefits
Aids in weight loss
Matcha Tea is nearly calorie free. Along with your routine exercise routine and healthy diet, adding matcha will boost metabolism and help lose weight. At the same time, Matcha does not put any stress on the body. It doesn’t raise blood pressure or heart rate, making it a safe alternative to questionable quick fixes or pharmaceuticals ridden with side effects.
A study featured in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that consuming matcha green tea can increase thermogenesis (the body’s own rate of burning calories) from a normal 8%-10% of daily energy expenditure, to between 35% and 43% of daily energy expenditure.
Boosts immunity
The catechins in Matcha Green Tea have been shown to have antibiotic properties which promote overall health. Studies have even suggested that the nutrients in Matcha may have the ability to inhibit the attacks of HIV on human T-cells.
Aids in relaxation
The substance which helps in relaxation is L-Theanine, a rare amino acid which is found in most teas but is abundant in Matcha. It almost 5x more than what is found in common black and green teas.
Helps you focus
Matcha green tea came to Japan over a thousand years ago as an aid to their meditation practice. Monks, even to this day sip on matcha tea throughout their long hours of sitting for meditation to remain calm and alert.
L-Theanine that is found in matcha benefits us by improving memory and learning. Matcha does contain caffeine, but experts say that it is unlike the caffeine buzz found in regular coffee. You can substitute it for your morning or afternoon coffee without having any of the caffeine crash.
Dietary fiber rich
Matcha green tea leaves contain a high level of easily absorbable dietary fiber. The benefits of dietary fiber include its ability to ease constipation and stabilize blood sugar levels.
Super detox agent
Chlorophyll is a powerful detoxifier and is abundantly found in matcha giving it bright, green color. Matcha is grown carefully under shade, so the chlorophyll content is often higher than green tea. Due to this, it acts as a safe and powerful detox agent helping remove both chemicals and heavy metals from the body.
Why is Matcha better than regular Green tea?
Matcha is better than not just better than green tea, it’s in fact, better than many other teas. When you brew any loose leaf tea, the hot water is able to only extract a certain amount of nutrients. The remaining is in your tea leaves that go unused and in your compost bin. However, consuming tea leaves may not be the solution.
Matcha tea is great because it is essentially just made of leaves that are stoneground. It provides you with a powerful arsenal of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids in a way no other green tea can.
To give you an estimate between the difference between Matcha and Green tea, to match the potency found in a single serving of matcha, you would need to drink at least ten cups of brewed green tea.
How to make matcha tea?
- Unlike traditional green tea, Matcha green tea preparation involves covering the tea plants with shade cloths before they’re harvested.
- This triggers the growth of leaves with better flavor and texture, which are hand selected, steamed briefly to stop fermentation, then dried and aged in cold storage, which deepens the flavor.
- The dried leaves are then stone-ground into a fine powder.
Matcha Tea And Its Antioxidant Levels
Antioxidant-rich foods are the new it foods because they help prevent aging, inflammation, and chronic diseases. But every day there a new food which claims it has rich anti-oxidant levels. How can we differentiate? In fact, even Matcha tea is hailed to be extremely anti-oxidant rich. But here’s the evidence for Matcha tea.
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Antioxidant Level Comparison For Matcha
6.2 times that of Goji Berries
7 times that of Dark Chocolate
17 times that of Wild Blueberries
60.5 times that of Spinach
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Experts at Tufts University used the testing method known as ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) and discovered that Matcha possesses an amazing twenty times more oxygen than pomegranates or blueberries. Matcha’s ORAC rating is a mighty 1573 units per gram, compared to pomegranates 105 units per gram or blueberries 93 units.
Matcha fights cancer
Matcha green tea also contains a unique, potent class of antioxidant known as catechins, which aren’t found in other foods. In particular, the catechin EGCg (epigallocatechin gallate) provides potent cancer-fighting properties.
Most importantly, EGCg and other catechins counteract the effects of free radicals from the likes of pollution, UV rays, radiation, and chemicals, which can lead to cell and DNA damage. Since over 60% of the catechins in matcha are actually EGCg, a daily matcha regimen can help restore and preserve the body’s integral well-being and balance.
Things To Look Out For
Due to Matcha’s immense popularity, it’s being added to desserts, cakes, latte, ice cream and pretty much everything. Matcha original taste is almost grassy due to its high chlorophyll content. If you’re buying Matcha that is sweetened, it may not give the same benefits. High quality, fresh, pure matcha is expensive. A low price tag can be a red flag for a poor quality product.
