Organic Japanese Matcha Tea

Matcha is the most talked about tea around, and for good reason. It is healthy, delicious, and can be meditative to prepare. It can be used as a quiet morning meditation, or a late-morning boost of motivation. Matcha is quite versatile and can also be made into lattes, cocktails, and used in cooking and baking.

Matcha History
Grinding tea was popular in China during the Song Dynasty and was widely consumed this way before it became popular in Japan. Powdered green tea was brought over to Japan in the 12th century by Buddhist monks. The tea was revered for its meditative yet invigorating properties. Samurai warriors started drinking matcha before battle for focus and energy. The ceremony of carefully preparing matcha was developed in Japan in the 13th century and is referred to as Chanoyu. It is a precise, meditative art of preparing the tea, and tea masters study chanoyu their entire lives. It is a method of preparing tea, but also a way of life. Powdered tea eventually grew out of fashion in China but Japan has kept the tradition alive.

Matcha and Health
If you’re looking for a tea that will wake you up but also give you a focused, relaxed energy, matcha is the perfect choice. L-Theanine, a chemical compound in tea is super-concentrated in matcha, and it helps bring you calm focus, while the caffeine keeps you alert. Even though matcha packs a caffeine punch, note that it has about half the caffeine of a similarly sized cup of coffee. Matcha wakes you up but doesn’t give you those coffee jitters.

Because matcha is shade grown, the plants produce more chlorophyl and antioxidants. These antioxidants may help with overall wellness and may fight certain illnesses. When you drink matcha you are drinking the entire whole tea leaves ground into powder, so you are getting all the nutrients of the leaf, not just what was steeped into the water.

Matcha Taste
If the correct amount of tea and the right water temperature are used, matcha should be velvety, sweet, and vegetal with a little bit of bitterness. Whether you are drinking matcha for the health benefits or just because you love the taste, experiment with different ways of preparation to see what you like best. You may find that some days you’ll crave a latte, while other days you’ll want a bowl of beautifully whisked, frothy pure matcha to sip.