As soon as the young leaves found on the top of the plant are harvested, they are steamed, dried and then further processed to remove the veins, stems and impurities. After this, only about 10% of the original harvest remains, and this is very carefully hand-ground to a fine powder that we drink as matcha tea. 

Matcha vs Green Tea

Because it consists of powdered purified green tea leaves, when it is taken as a tea or in food, the entire leaf is ingested. Green tea on the other hand consists of dried leaves steeped in hot water. This releases only some of the constituents while others remain trapped in the leaves. As such, ingesting matcha can provide you with the complete benefits of the nutritional and medicinal properties of green tea that simple steeping may miss.

Advantages of Matcha Tea

Matcha tea is packed full of antioxidants. Green tea has been receiving accolades for several years now for its intense antioxidant abilities that have been successful in preventing and treating many conditions including arthritis, infections, age-related diseases, and cardiovascular disease, as well as aiding in weight loss. Matcha takes that to the next level with antioxidant levels that are between 10 and 200 times higher than regular green tea (depending on the quality of the green tea used for comparison). Strong antioxidant powers mean that matcha can help to prevent, and maybe even treat age-related disorders. In addition, one cup of relatively weak matcha tea (2 teaspoons of powder) will contain nearly 10 times the catechins found in one cup of regular green tea. So, in antioxidant and catechin content, one cup of matcha tea is almost the equivalent of 10 cups of regular green tea!

Key Health Benefits of Matcha

Before harvesting the tea leaves that will be used in matcha, the plants are shaded for two weeks to promote increased chlorophyll production, which is what gives matcha its bright green colour. The resulting high levels of chlorophyll act tohelp detoxify the body by drawing out and binding to chemicals and heavy metals in the body tissues.

Because it consists of the whole leaf, matcha also has a relatively high content of amino acids by weight. Much like other green tea, it also contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes relaxed brain waves in humans. It also contains some caffeine and nutrients that help to boost mental alertness. Combined, they improve the presence of mind that you'd get from coffee, while still having the calming effect of tea.

Shopping For Quality Matcha Tea

Matcha flavour is a rich, fresh "green" taste that tends to blend well with dairy, and thus can be found in many food and drink options such as sweets, ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate, hot chocolate, lattes, and even cream cheese. To those who have read the green tea article, I would like to note that although that article recommends avoiding mixing green tea with dairy, the levels of antioxidants in matcha are much higher, and their reduction is no longer a significant concern.

In addition to being eaten in foods, matcha can be made into tea. To make matcha tea, simply dissolve matcha powder in hot (not boiling) water and stir vigorously (you can buy a traditional bamboo whisk to help you mix it fully and create froth if desired). The amount of matcha and water depends on your taste preference with anywhere from 1 to 6 teaspoons per 3/4 cup of water. Generally, there is approximately 3.5g of matcha in a teaspoon, and the traditional serving size of matcha is 1/2-3/4 cup.