Japanese powdered green tea has a pleasant taste and, as nutritionists say, a range of valuable properties. But there is some magic in this green powder, which is why the entire world is crazy about it. Maybe it’s the intriguing Japanese pedigree or the beautiful brewing ritual. Or perhaps it’s the culinary properties — in the kitchen. Matcha powder is valuable because it can colour anything green, from pancakes to sauces. Be that as it may, matcha has become a trend and an everyday habit for many. Ippuku Tea tells about the health benefits of this tea.
What is Matcha
Not every green tea, if ground, becomes matcha. To get this tea, first, special growing conditions for the tea leaf are needed: about 20 days before harvesting, the tea bushes are shaded, creating a barrier to direct sunlight. The growth slows down, and the tea leaves actively gain juice, flavour, and chlorophyll — there is about five times more of it in matcha than in regular green tea, hence its bright emerald colour.
The second task is to keep the carefully grown tea leaves as alive as possible. Only the very top, most tender leaves are suitable for matcha. Here, there are many technological nuances. They are never twisted, like most teas (if the leaves are twisted, you will get a completely different tea, gyokuro, of lower quality). Before drying, all the veins are removed from the leaves. These small pieces of leaves are not even dried but rather withered most naturally: necessarily in the shade, in the air, without resorting to any methods that accelerate fermentation. In the end, they are ground.
The most expensive varieties of matcha are ground only by hand on special granite millstones. This is a complex process that takes into account the speed of grinding, the pressure, and the heating of the powder. You get no more than 50 grams of ready matcha in an hour of such work.
Health Benefits
Firstly, it is beautiful — a bright emerald drink that can be obtained in a coffee cup, and people are attracted to everything unusual. Secondly, the passion for matches fits nicely into the topic of healthy eating, which is now perhaps the most important trend. Many now want to give up coffee, and the same matcha latte, which is massively prepared in coffee shops, gives coffee lovers the best alternative.
The careful process of growing and producing tea preserves the special biochemical composition in the tea leaf and gives matcha many useful properties: it contains chlorophyll, strong antioxidants — polyphenols and flavonoids that regulate nervous activity—almost all important groups of vitamins.
Matcha is valued for its powerful anti-aging effect — it has been proven that green tea cleanses blood vessels from cholesterol plaques and improves brain cognitive functions. And besides, unlike coffee, matcha can be drunk at any age: the effect of the theines in such “live” tea, although quite powerful, is smoothed out; unlike matcha coffee, it does not immediately hit you in the head and make your heart pound, but acts gradually, delicately, allowing you to simultaneously relieve stress and maintain composure and energy for the whole day.
Conclusion
Nowadays, matcha can be bought anywhere in the world in tea shops. However, it is better to choose trusted suppliers. Ippuku Tea matcha will please you with its taste and excellent quality. At the same time, each cup will improve your body and health.