Why Matcha?
Whether you stumbled across this page, or set out to find out some more about Matcha and its benefits, stay a minute and take some time out of your busy day to read about why Matcha has a place in your life. After all, what do you have to lose??
Almost everyone has heard of the benefits of green tea, most of us have tried it at some stage in our lives. However, what Matcha brings as a tea is even more beneficial than what you've heard about green tea.
To give you some background on Matcha:
Matcha Green tea originated in China some time between the 8th and 10th Century, but today there is a misconception that Matcha hails from Japan. This is down to the fact that in recent times (the last 150-200 years), Japanese people have adopted Matcha and developed a culture around it, where not only is it a tea, it is a way of life. Japanese people associate preparing their bowl of Matcha with a few moments of mindfulness – that peculiar talent of taking a moment to be in the moment. You may have heard recently of adult colouring books, the aim of these is to keep a person in the present moment, the Japanese use the Matcha making process in the same way – includes the perk of not having to carry a pencil case of crayons around with them.
Matcha is the highest quality powdered green tea available right now. When you drink normal green tea, the water is infused with the green tea leaves, and can miss out on a lot of the nutrients. With Matcha the green tea leaves are stone ground into a very fine green powder, full of nutrients and anti-oxidants.
If you're still not convinced, read our top 8 reasons why you should introduce Matcha to your daily routine
Coming in at number 8....
Cancer Ass Kicking
Of all the anti-oxidants we hear about, EGCg (Catechins) is the best known for its cancer fighting properties. According to scientists, Matcha Green Tea contains over 100 times more catechins than any other tea out there
Just in at number 7
More antioxidants than blueberries and those goji berries people rave about....a lot more
I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard that blueberries are super-foods. I'm not denying that, because to be honest, I'm a big lover of the blueberries. However, when you compare the anti oxidants levels in Blueberries to those in Matcha, then Matcha could be classified as a super duper food.
Number 6 brings us......
A calmness......
You may never have heard of the amino acid L-Theanine, but the leaves Matcha is made from are full of it. This lovely L-Theanine is said to promote production of alpha waves in the brain which encourage relaxation, without bringing on drowsiness (phew, you can still operate heavy machinery). Matcha has been used by Japan's Zen Buddhist monks to keep them alert while they are in a relaxed meditative state.
Straight in at number 5
No more.....”where did I leave the keys?”
Ok, maybe we can't quite promise such a sweeping statement, but Japanese research scientists have said that this lovely L-Theanine also produces dopamine and serotonin. These two chemicals are known to enhance mood, improve memory, and promote better concentration – now who couldn't do with a little bit of that, eh??!
This week's number 4 is.......
Awaken the warrior in you......
It's true that all green tea contains some level of caffeine, but in the case of Matcha, the energy boost is attributed to the nutrients that make up its DNA. Due to the levels of L-Theanine, Matcha doesn't cause side-effects of other stimulants such as jittery nervousness. Matcha provides good clean energy. It is said the warriors of medieval and early-modern (Yes, the Samurai) Japan drank Match Green tea before going into battle due to the tea's natural energizing properties.
Now the big guns....in at number 3
Burn baby burn
Don't panic – the only thing we're burning here is calories, and I'm sure most of us would like a little help in that area. Matcha can help to speed up metabolism and help the body burn fat approximately four times faster than average green teas. The even better news – there are no side effects to this added bonus
Just missed out on the top spot...
Detox, Detox, Detox
It's so important, we had to call it out three times. Matcha contains higher than normal levels of chlorophyll – this adds to the lovely green colour. It can also act as a detoxifying agent, which removes heavy metals and chemical toxins from the body. Detox is a bit of a popular buzz word at the moment, but why not try this option, it's certainly more appealing than 3 weeks of eating only green juices
And in at number one -
The Fighting Irish
The best defence is a good offence. And a good offence in our wellbeing is to build up our immune system as best we can, to prepare for whatever life throws at us. Matcha has antibiotic properties which promote overall health, this is down to all the lovely catechins in the tea.