Matcha tea is a rich source of antioxidants.
It is packed with antioxidants: This special green tea is an easy and simple way to add powerful health benefits to your everyday diet.
One of the major benefits is that it’s packed with antioxidants, more so than other “superfoods” like goji berries, pomegranates, blueberries, açaí berries, broccoli, or spinach.
Just one serving of matcha tea has 137 times more antioxidants than 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea, according to matchasource.com.
The antioxidants are so potent, that they’re in a class of their own, called “catechins,” which aren’t found in other foods.
Matcha, the Japanese powdered green tea, is a valuable resource with rich content of biologically active substances with antioxidant properties.
It is characterized by a particularly high content of rutin, but also polyphenols and vitamin C.
Additionally, its infusions have a high antioxidant potential, the highest out of all tea types.
However, factors such as the time of harvest and the temperature of brewing have an influence on its properties.
Infusions made from Matcha tea, particularly from the second and third harvests, can be a valuable source of antioxidants and can be used in the prophylaxis of illnesses on a free-radical basis.
As mentioned, this tea comes chock full of antioxidants and holds ten times the amount of normal green tea.
Yep, matcha tea is the winner of all superfoods as it comes out on top as having the highest antioxidant rating of all consumables out there.
Antioxidants sourced through natural dietary choices can help offset disease risk and help to limit inflammation across the board, Fischer says.
And a good dose of matcha is "one of the richest antioxidant sources naturally available," according to a 2021 scholarly study review.
Matcha powder contains a high amount of antioxidants known as catechins and another group referred to as polyphenols, both of which play a key role in a balanced diet.
Antioxidants are substances in foods that can help protect your cells from damage. Some studies show that because of the way it’s made, matcha may have more of those than loose-leaf green tea.
But researchers don’t know yet if that means it has any more health benefits. Matcha Green Tea has the highest antioxidant rating of all major superfoods, and there’s even a test to prove it.
According to The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) test, which measures the antioxidant levels in foods, Matcha Green Tea measures 1384 units per gram* (2).
That’s 13x the antioxidants of pomegranates, 15x the antioxidants of blueberries, and 125x that of spinach. Say hello to feeling invincible!
Matcha tea is good for your mood and mental well-being.
Along with giving your body the dose of caffeine it needs to get going, drinking matcha can also aid in reducing depression and anxiety. Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Matcha tea has high levels of l-theanine, an amino acid that contains many health benefits, one of which is combatting depression.
L-theanine has been shown to alter the amounts of dopamine and serotonin that the brain emits.
By increasing the amount of dopamine and serotonin in one’s brain, matcha can help improve your mood and drown out any negative thoughts.
Mood improvements have also been shown to improve cognitive and learning abilities, so you could almost say that match makes you smarter.
At the same time, it’s also been shown that l-theanine, found in matcha, can improve your memory.
Matcha green tea is an excellent tool to help put health back in your hands and help empower you to live your best life possible.
Drinking matcha every day results in a noticeable mood boost, optimized all-day energy, and potential benefits like weight loss, heart health, lower blood pressure, metabolism balance, and even totes cancer-fighting properties.
Matcha tea is a living storybook. It is the star of the show in Japanese tea ceremonies dating back over 800 years.
It was commonly used by monks before meditation and also by samurai warriors before and after the battle.
This tea brings alertness and stillness, it brings peace and meditation, and it brings endless health benefits to all who enjoy it.
Matcha is rich in L-theanine, a rare amino acid that actually promotes a state of relaxation and well-being within your brain's functionality.
While stress can induce beta waves (which lead to an excited and agitated state), L-theanine creates alpha waves (which lead to a state of relaxed alertness).
And while L-theanine is common in all tea, matcha may contain up to five times more of this amino acid than your regular ol' black and green varieties.
Matcha can help make you happy: Another positive side-effect of L-Theanine in matcha is the production of dopamine and serotonin.
These two chemicals are known to enhance mood, improve memory and promote better concentration.
If you couple this with matcha’s ability to provide long-lasting energy — as it enters the bloodstream gradually — this may be the perfect coffee replacement.
Kari Deandra, owner of Pureblend Tea at Lancaster Central Market, who has been selling matcha tea and blends at her stand for about five years now, wholeheartedly agrees.
She says, “Matcha is a great alternative for people who are looking to stop drinking coffee.
I’m a former coffee addict, and when I quit coffee, I was looking for a denser, more flavorful cup of something in the morning.
As I get older, I’m having more trouble with caffeine.
And I’ve found this in a lot of women who stop by the shop. You’re getting more of a slow increase of energy through the caffeine in matcha.
Matcha is full of clean energy: Matcha is rich in L-Theanine, which is a rare amino acid that promotes a state of relaxation and well-being without feeling sedated.
And, while L-Theanine is common in all tea, matcha may contain up to five times more of this amino acid than common black and green teas.
Matcha is a popular type of tea that uses camellia Sinensis leaves.
What is matcha made from?
The most common answer is ground-up green tea leaves, so if you guessed this, you’d be half right. If you guessed camellia Sinensis, you'd also be correct.
Camellia sinensis, or tea plant, is the mother of all true teas. Black tea, white tea, green tea, oolong tea, and pu-erh; all teas are grown from the same type of plant.
Because it’s derived from camellia, matcha is technically a tea but its unique preparation methods also set it apart from the rest. At 3 Leaf Tea, matcha holds a special place in our hearts but the differences between different types of teas are important and should be appreciated.
Whatever kind of tea is in your cup is personal; for your tea journey, and your wellbeing.
Of these, matcha is the only type of tea that is made with powdered tea leaves, which doesn't need to be steeped like the others.
The green tea leaves destined to become matcha are called tencha, which are grown carefully in the shade to avoid overexposure to the sun, which can turn the tea leaves bitter. Matcha is made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis tea plant.
The manner in which the green tea leaves are treated determines the quality of the tea. There is only a small number of elite Japanese tea farmers who are capable of producing superior-quality teas.
Matcha plantations look very different compared to other tea fields.
The tea fields are covered with dark tarpaulins 4 weeks before harvest. This reduces the sunlight exposure of tea plants by 90%.
To compensate for this, the tea plants start making chlorophyll very intensively and the leaves produce huge amounts of amino acids.
The result is a soft sweet taste and brightly colored green leaves.
Like other forms of green tea, all grades of matcha have the potential health benefits and risks associated with the Camellia sinensis plant (the human clinical evidence is still limited), while the nutrient content varies depending on climate, season, horticultural practices, plant variety, manufacturing methods and the age of the leaf, i.e., the position of the leaf on the harvested shoot.
Catechin concentration is highly dependent on leaf age (the leaf bud and the first leaf are richest in epigallocatechin gallate), but catechin levels also vary greatly between plant varieties and whether the plants are grown in shade. Matcha tea is prepared by mixing ground tea with hot water, which is then strained and served.
Follow our quick and easy steps to prepare matcha as a hot cup of tea below. Matcha is a green powder, traditionally made from ground Japanese green tea leaves.
As matcha comes in a powder form it needs to be whisked with water, or milk, in order to drink it. Matcha powder and hot water should be whisked together.
It’s recommended that you use a tea strainer to sift the matcha into a bowl to avoid clumps.
Then, add warm water and whisk it. (Traditionally this is done with a called a bamboo whisk called a chasen.) The whisking creates a foamy tea that can be poured into your cup.
Some people add powder to other hot liquids, like milk, to make a bright green latte. Here’s a video of how to make traditional matcha tea.
Traditionally, matcha is put in a bowl with hot water and frothed with a bamboo whisk - none of which is necessary when making other kinds of loose teas.
Matcha can also be made by adding the powder into a blender, shaking it in a shaker cup, or even mixing it into your favorite yogurt! Since matcha doesn't have to be steeped, it's easy to incorporate into many drinks and treats.
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