10 Incredible Matcha Tea Benefits

Green is one of the greatest colors. It’s the color of nature and the color of the most nutritious foods. Today we can find many supplements and superfoods that have become popular lately for their bright green color and the amazing properties these can have.

We talked about spirulina in our previous article and today we prepared an article about the many Matcha tea benefits and what kinds of tea you should get.

History of Matcha Tea

If you are new to Matcha it is simple to understand its recent popularity. It is basically the ground form of green tea. Its use gained worldwide attention over the last few years for its many nutrients and health benefits. It is actually just one of the many varieties of green tea in Japan.

Originally, it came from China in the times of the Song dynasty over one thousand years ago. Legend says that in the year 1191, the Buddhist monk Eisai took the ground tea to Japan, and with the introduction of Buddhism it gained popularity.

Over time, Matcha tea disappeared in China. While in Japan, its use became a regular practice mainly due to the customs of the Buddhist monasteries.

The upper classes of Japanese society gradually adopted its use between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is still used today for traditional tea ceremonies.

One of the most interesting characteristics of Matcha Tea is its presentation as a ground tea. This is unlike most others that we know. It is sold and consumed in the form of a green powder.

This allows it to maintain a great part of its numerous nutrients when dissolved in water and mixed with other ingredients.

This is very curious, not only for how the tea beverage itself is made but for its uses in the kitchen as well. You can find it in Japanese desserts, ice cream, and biscuits, among other things.

The elaboration of Matcha begins weeks before its harvest when the tea plant is covered in order to hide it from the sun. This creates in its leaves a darker green tone that also manages to delay both its development and its growth.

This cultivation habit is what gives Matcha green tea the possibility not only to acquire that characteristic green color but also to have a sweet taste due to its increased content of amino acids. After harvest, the leaves are dried on a flat surface. Veins and stems are removed and milled several times in order to achieve a finer texture.

While in Japan Matcha tea has been popular for centuries. In the rest of the world, it is quite new but it rapidly gained popularity. There are cafes and tea shops specialized in Matcha in cities all over the world.

You also can’t open Instagram without realizing how popular it is among famous people. It is not just a fashion or trend as the matcha tea benefits are substantial.

The 10 Matcha Tea Benefits:

• A good source of antioxidants
• Boosts energy
• Helps reduce stress (More info about reducing stress, please visit http://www.betterhelp.com/advice/stress/
• Stimulates defenses
• Reduces cholesterol
• Prevents cancer
• Great source of Vitamin C
• Helps improve intestinal health
• Increases metabolism
• Lowers blood sugar levels

Matcha tea is a great ally for weight loss. When combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, it can do wonders if you are trying to lose weight.

What type of Matcha should I get?

There are so many options that it is very confusing to know exactly what type of Matcha tea powder should be bought. The prices vary a lot too.

However, the types of Matcha tea can be reduced to two categories to make it easier. Ceremonial Grade Matcha and Culinary Grade Matcha. The type of Matcha you should get depends entirely on how you want to use it.

Ceremonial Grade Matcha is the highest quality you can find. It comes from the most tender and young parts of the tea leaves. You can recognize it because it usually comes in small 1oz cans and its color is bright green.

In Japan, Ceremonial Grade Matcha is used only to make the beverage for the traditional tea ceremony. Mixed only with hot water and whisked with a special bamboo whisk, it produces a foamy beverage with a light sweet flavor.

If you want do drink Matcha in its more traditional form, this is definitely the one you should get. You can’t find it in stores frequently, which is why online shopping is the best. You can find good Matcha at specialty stores like Teavana, but with a high price tag (45 dollars for a small can).

We think the best place to buy it is Amazon as there are many options with great reviews that will help you decide better. We did our own research and found these great options:

KENKO Matcha Green Tea Powder [USDA Organic] Ceremonial Grade – Japanese 30g [1.06oz]

Matcha Green Tea Powder – Organic Ceremonial Grade – Japanese (1oz)

Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder – Premium Ceremonial Grade – Japanese 30g [1.06oz] by Kyoto Dew Matcha

You can even get the entire set to prepare your Matcha buying scoops and bamboo whisks here:

BambooMN Brand – 1 Set – Golden Chasen (Tea Whisk) + Chashaku (Hooked Bamboo Scoop) for preparing Matcha + Tea Spoon

And the bowl, or Matcha Chawan here:

1 X [Matcha Bowl] Matcha Chawan [Japan Import] by Yamakiikai

Culinary Grade Matcha is what could be considered a more “popular” type of Matcha. By popular, we mean not related to the tea ceremony of the elites. The main difference to Ceremonial Matcha is that it is not as green and it has a little bitterness because it is made using the most mature parts of the tea leaves.

Its nutritional properties are exactly the same but its flavor is a little strong. It is perfect to mix with other ingredients instead of just water. This is the type of Matcha that can be used for desserts, ice cream or to be mixed with milk to make smoothies, lattes, and other beverages.

Be careful because there are a lot of knock-off companies that justify their bad quality by labeling their Matcha as “Culinary Grade”. A real Culinary Grade Matcha is not bad quality, it just comes from a different part of the tea leaf. There is a simple way to differentiate a good quality Matcha from knockoffs.

You have to look where they come from.

Matcha that does not come from Japan is usually not a good Matcha. The only exception is some brands produced in China. These are made following the traditional Japanese method to cover, dry, and ground the leaves. These are very few and still expensive.

If you want to buy a Matcha from Thailand or Mexico, you are better to drink regular green tea. It is mixed with other ingredients so it does not keep the nutrients from traditional Matcha.

Amazon will again be your ally, and the same brands that we mentioned above for the Ceremonial Grade Matcha have their own Culinary Grades.

Kenko Tea Premium Matcha Green Tea Powder, Culinary Grade 100g

Matcha Green Tea Powder All Natural Weight Loss Metabolism Booster and Diet Smoothie Shake Mix and Fat Burning Supplement 113 Grams USDA Organic Culinary

These are just some accessible options, but there are many more that you can get without breaking the bank. We recommend this because they are certified and actually have good taste.

However, there are many options if you want to try other brands. We believe in making an informed decision by seeing how your body responds when testing different options.

Thanks for reading,

Nick Hazleton CNC

Founder of NaturalNutritionCompany.com