Matcha - A Health Boosting Powerhouse
This week we will be diving into the topic of matcha - a special type of green tea - which has been steadily rising in popularity in modern cafes and culinary uses even thought its origins date back several thousand years.
We will be taking a look into what makes matcha so special and highly valued compared to other green teas, what types of matcha exist nowadays, which properties and common compounds can you expect to find in matcha and of course the health impacts that matcha can deliver to us through its consumption.
I hope you enjoy this one, and if you are a strong green tea drinker like me, you might want to also checkout a previous blog post that I wrote about general green teas and their benefits, you can find it here.
Grab a cup of your favorite tea, and enjoy.
A SHORT BACKGROUND ON MATCHA
What is matcha?
Matcha is essentially a type of green tea, more specifically from the Camellia sinensis plant. The key difference between matcha and other types of green tea is the way the plant is grown (which I discuss below) and the fact that the matcha leaves are ground up and then consumed whole as a drink, instead of just seeping the leaves in hot water.
A brief history
Matcha is said to actually have originated in China but then around the year 1190, a monk introduced the tea plant to Japan where the plant started thriving, which now make China and Japan the top two producers of matcha green tea.
It is said that Japanese matcha is considered to be of higher quality due to its production processes and quality checking, although China also has ample tea production. So if you are interested in trying a higher quality of matcha, I would stick to Japanese varieties which also have a richer nutrient profile.
What matcha matcha special and how is it grown?
The key difference in the way that matcha is produced is that about 20-30 days before the leaves are harvested, the farmers cover the leaves to avoid direct sunlight. The reason for this is that it stimulates the tea leaves to produce more chlorophyll (in order to maximize photosynthesize due to poor sunlight), while also enriching the leaves in amino acids such as L-Theanine and unique plant compounds known as catechins.
The L-Theanine amino acid gives high quality matcha is sweeter taste and catechins are responsible for matcha’s slight bitter and earthy flavor.
After the leaves are harvested, the stems and veins are removed after which they are ground up into a powder which is then sold.
This grounding of tea leaves and consuming them as whole is why matcha is considered to be so beneficial because you are consuming whole leaves which due to the growing process, are high in powerful plant chemicals and nutrients that boost health.
Grade qualities of matcha
Matcha comes in many different grades or classes, which are classified based on their quality and thus also their prices. bellow you can find some information on the different types, and which ones are most suitable for a specific type of matcha use.
Ceremonial grade types:
In general, ceremonial grade matcha’s are considered to be of highest quality and are thus only meant for drinking purposes. This grade quality was traditionally used during Japanese tea ceremonies but of course you can drink it on normal occasions too.
It is considered ceremonial because it is made from the youngest tea laves which is why this type of matcha also has the brightest green color, the finest texture and naturally sweeter taste. Due tot he purity of this tea, it is usually drank plain (with no milk or sweetener) and due to its higher quality, these grades are most expensive.
Below are the most common types of ceremonial grade matcha’s:
Premium Ceremonial: Made of the youngest and most tender green matcha leaves
Ceremonial: Leaves are harvested in early spring and ground fresh.
Ceremonial Blend: This is a combination of ceremonial grade matcha and the highest culinary (premium) matcha.
Culinary grade types:
Culinary grade matcha is still good quality matcha but due to the slight difference in the way it is produced and its less pure taste, it is more intended for baking and cooking purposes, as well as sweeter beverages.
This grade of matcha tastes more bitter and stronger which is why it is intended to be mixed with other ingredients to improve the overall taste.
Below are the most common types of culinary grade matcha:
Premium: Premium grade is considered as an everyday use matcha that pairs well with blended drinks.
Café: This type has a slightly more robust flavor which makes it useful for cooking and baking.
Ingredient: The ingredient grade type is mixed with older tea leaves which give a stronger flavor and a thicker constancy making it more useful for being used in recipes with diary products.
Classic: This is perhaps the most commonly available of all the grades as it is most versatile and can be used in food and beverage recipes.
How to prepare matcha
Matcha as a drink is quite simple to prepare where in a cup you place about a teaspoon or 2g of matcha powder over which you pour a slight bit of warm water. At this point you want mix the powder well into the hot water to make sure that all of the powder dissolves within the small amount of water and no clumps of powder remain. After mixing you then add the rest of the hot water (not fully boiling) and add milk or sweetener if desired.
WHAT DOES MATCHA CONTAIN?
L-Theanine:
This is an amino acid which is found almost exclusively within the matcha plant and in considerably quantitates too. The shading of the tea plants which I have mentioned before, allows the leaves to make more of this amino acid which gives high quality matcha its distinct subtly sweet taste.
Additionally, studies done with the amino acid have shown that it can stimulate the production of alpha waves in the brain which are otherwise commonly achieved through mindfulness practices such as meditation. Alpha waves are responsible for a calm and relaxed mental state while still being appropriately aware of your surroundings.
Matcha caffeine
Matcha actually contains a lot of caffeine as well, up to 19-40 mg of caffeine per gram of matcha where coffee for reference contains 10-12 mg of caffeine per gram. The stimulative effects of drinking matcha are usually noticed within 30 minutes of drinking and can last up to 6 hours, so it is not advised to drink matcha in later afternoons or before going to sleep.
Because of this, many people actually replace their morning coffee with matcha as they find that it brings them a steadier stream of energy instead of the typically unwanted caffeine effects of coffee such as crashes and shaking of the hands. L-Theanine is able to act well with the stimulative effects of the caffeine, ensuring a steadier release of caffeine on the body.
Anti-oxidants
One of the main reasons why matcha is promoted as such a health boosting drink in the first place is because of its high antioxidant content, which is due to the high concentration of plant compounds such as polyphenols and catechins.
Chlorophyll:
Another key feature of matcha which gives its distinct bright green color is the natural pigment chlorophyll, which is produced in higher qualities thanks to the shade growing time. Chlorophyll has been shown to be a very powerful detoxifier of our blood and supports healthy blood alkalinity levels.
Adaptogenic's:
Adaptogenic's are substances that are substances which have been shown to have a positive impact on the way our body reacts and deals with stress. Green tea in general has been shown to be a powerful adaptogen, by supporting our adrenal glands and lowering cortisol (main stress hormone) levels.
Cholesterol Lowering agents:
Additionally, green teas such as matcha have been shown to have a positive effect on decreasing levels of LDL cholesterol (the unwanted type of cholesterol), while having no major effect on HDL cholesterol levels.
Blood Sugar Stabilizers:
Green tea also contains certain sugars which can stabilize our blood sugar levels and work to prevent insulin spikes.
Anti-microbials:
Among the many properties of green tea, an additional property is its antibiotic and anti viral effects which makes it useful for the treatment of illnesses such as the flu, common cold and food poisoning.
WHAT IS MATCHA GOOD FOR?
Contributes To A Healthier Liver
The livers main role in our body is the filtration and “cleaning” of our blood by flushing out toxins and metabolizing any drugs we intake.
A study from 2009 had found that matcha may help with protecting the health of our liver by preventing damage to the kidneys and liver after diabetic rats (the test subjects) were administered matcha for 16 weeks.
Within human subjects, a different study gave green tea extract for 90 days to 80 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The results of this study was that the green tea extract was able to reduce liver enzyme levels, where elevated levels of these enzymes are an indication of some form of liver damage.
Improves Skin health
Green tea consumption has for a long time been known to both benefit the internal state of our body as well as the external in terms of skin. Green tea and related extracts can be beneficial for the skin when applied topically (on to skin) by promoting skin regeneration, wound healing and even treatment of skin conditions such as psoriasis and rosacea among others.
These health effects may be due to matcha’s impressive antioxidant content which neutralizes harmful free radicals within our body and in this way prevents cellular damage and premature skin aging.
Enhancing Brain Function
Several different studies have indicated a link between regular matcha consumption and enhanced brain function and processing.
A study which gave participants either matcha tea, a matcha tea bar or remained as the placebo group shower that the participants which consumed matcha in either from improved with their attention, reaction time and memory when compared with the placebo group.
A different smaller study had shown that among older people, consumption of 2 grams of green tea powder per day for 2 months had improved brain function too.
We also have to acknowledge the fact that matcha powder contains more caffeine than coffee, where a multitude of studies have demonstrated that a moderate consumption of caffeine leads to improvements in brain function, improved reaction times, longer attention spans and enhanced memory abilities.
May Contain Properties Against Cancer
Some studies have shown that green tea consumption can genuinely reduce the growth of cancer cells where one study had shown that consuming green tea extract has the ability of decreasing tumor size and slowing down the growth of breast cancer cells. Although this study found these results based on rats, there could also be positive health impacts within humans too.
Matcha is known to hold high concentrations of a catechin compound known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) which has been shown to have powerful anticancer properties such as being able to kill of cancer cells within the prostate region in males as well as within skin, lung and liver regions.
Boosting Heart Health
Green teas such as matcha have been shown to steadily decreases levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol (the type of cholesterol we want to minimize). Additionally, due to green teas high antioxidant profile, it can prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol which may additionally protect against heart disease.
Additionally, the previously mentioned EGCG compound that is found in matcha has also been shown to have a positive impact on ur heart health, where it can produce many therapeutic health effects such as being anti atherosclerotic, anti cardiac hypertrophic, anti diabetic and anti inflammatory.
Overall, when green tea is drank next to a balanced and varied diet, it may play a role in keeping your cardiovascular system healthy and strong.
Overall I hope that with this blog post you were able to learn some new information about matcha as a health powerhouse and that it encourages you to try implementing more green tea into your diet, in a form which you enjoy.
If you find that matcha is too out of your budget, simply drinking regular green teas will also with boosting wellbeing, but perhaps not to the same extent as matcha, as with matcha you re literally consuming the ground up tea leaves.
Thank you for reading <3
