10 Fascinating Facts About Matcha Green Tea
Perfumed and bright green in colour, this distinguished tea of delicate fragrance and unmistakable taste is a perfect combination of cream sweetness and slightly bitter notes. Called the “beauty tea” for its powerful antioxidants, it helps boost energy and metabolism.
Did you know?
1. The green tea goddess
Matcha is a fine ground powder made from green tea leaves. It has been a popular drink in East Asia for over 900 years, where the powder is whisked into warm water to form a tea and drunk for its health benefits.
2. The sensitive tea
In order to be classed as high grade, green teas need to stay as close to their pre-picked state as possible. Matcha is particularly sensitive to oxidation, which turns the tea brown. It should always be stored in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. This makes our Matcha pods the perfect way to enjoy high grade Matcha green tea.
3. Vibrant green by accident
During one particular harsh winter, tea farmers in the East covered their tea plants with straw to protect them from frost damage. They soon realised that shading the plants led to them producing more chlorophyll within the new buds to aid photosynthesis. It was these young buds that were eventually harvested to provide the distinct taste and vibrant green.
4. Meditation in a cup
When it comes to expert meditation, look no further than Zen Buddhist monks who refer to Matcha as the calming tea. Matcha has only around a third of the caffeine of coffee and is said to deliver a sense of mental deep relaxation from the L-Theanine. L-Theanine is a rare amino acid that promotes a state of relaxation and well-being without feeling sedated. Sounds good enough to me!
5. If it’s good enough for a Samurai...
The Samurai discovered Matcha from the Zen Buddhist monks. They used it to help them prepare mentally for battle. As the Samurai have a strict code of conduct, they developed an elaborate way to brew Matcha that led to the birth of the Japanese tea ceremony, we know today.
6. The greener the better
Chlorophyll is present in Matcha in abundance. This gives green tea and plants their signature green colour. It is also a powerful detoxifier, helping eliminate both chemicals and heavy metals from the body. The greener it is the more powerful it is as a detoxifier.
7. A metabolism booster
Another core component in Matcha Green Tea is EGCG, which may help boost metabolism during moderate-intensity exercise. Regular green tea also contains EGCG, but matcha contains three times as much.
8. Not just a tea
Matcha powder is known in the health world for its versatility. It can be used to make delicious Matcha cakes, Matcha smoothies, Matcha muffins and all kinds of Matcha perfect accompaniments. If you search #matcharecipes hashtag on Instagram, you will be opened up to a whole new world of green goddess delights.
9. What a Matcha Mess!
Matcha offers many benefits but there is one that we can do without. It can be very messy to create a tea and can lead to all kinds of green calamities across pure white marble worktops. This is because the powder naturally sinks to the bottom of the warm water and so it has to be consistently whisked to produce the creamy green drink. It was what actually gave us the idea to start our Rokitpods business because by adding high quality Matcha powder to a Nespresso compatible coffee pod we can enjoy our Matcha without the mess.
10. A complex taste, perfectly balanced
We’d be remiss not to mention the Matcha taste, because as teas go, it is so unmistakable. Teaologists say it is an exquisitely balanced drink, offering a rich, creamy, aromatic flavour that perfectly balances sweet and bitter elements. The first taste is vegetal, the aftertaste sweet.