Matcha tea, a newcomer to the beverage bunch, has recently stolen the show and topped the health craze charts. This green drink is in everybody’s clear Starbucks cups, but what even is it?
Matcha tea is from Japan, so that’s cool. But what actually makes it unique, and unlike the other teas out there, is the process in which it is made. It is a powder ground from the entire matcha leaf. This is different than regular tea which is just leaves infused and then discarded. This whole process does make sense considering matcha actually means “powdered tea” so I mean there’s that.
Matcha has been used as an ingredient in recipes as well as for traditional tea usage. Japan has been using matcha in ceremonies for a long time, but we have only recently started tasting its magnificence here. So why have we begun to drink this green concoction? It’s because of the insane health benefits it has, because without these attached, it probably wouldn’t be a real winner over the holy grail that is water, in my books.
When I first heard of matcha the health benefit that really stood out was the fact that drinking one cup of matcha has the same antioxidants as ten cups of green tea. That’s actually insane; ten is a double-digit number. How the scientists came up with this statistic is beyond my comprehension, but this fact alone sold me. Though, no need to fear, because there are plenty more! Matcha provides you with vitamin C and zinc and additional goodies, but what do we all really care about, oh right, the physical benefits. Matcha is great at giving your metabolism the boost it needs, thus helping you burn calories, thus helping you loose weight. Though, in my case I find it to be quite filling, so I drink it instead of a meal, so I guess it still all works out to kind of the same outcome. If you’re looking to really clear out your body and the whole just drinking lemon water for a week isn’t really your thing, than matcha is the beverage for you. It cleans out your body, which would probably be most effective if you’ve have been eating rather unhealthily lately (everyday). Besides the whole detoxifying of the body I feel that this cleanse would most benefit the skin. I find that when I am drinking juices or tea and especially a matcha thrown in there my skin best shows theses efforts. When sipping on your matcha tea you can feel good about yourself because not only are you keeping hydrated, you are also helping lower your cholesterol and blood sugar. Sure, matcha has many perks, but the best part is how trendy it is. I mean your walking around with a pretty green color inside a cup, and its healthy, so bonus.
I recently went to two different Starbucks and ordered a matcha tea and had a nice little chat with the baristas about matcha. When I inquired about matcha the first Barista replied, “Oh that Dr. Oz, it was on Dr. Oz and now everyone wants it. If you ask me it tastes like your drinking grass.” Disheartened by this response I did not buy the drink, instead I went for the oh so healthy Frappuccino. My next trip to Starbucks I decided to ask again, “What is this matcha thing?” This time the Barista pulled a 360 on me and said, “Best thing for you, it has so many antioxidants, you’ll live forever!” Needless to say, I got the tea. Probably my favorite part of matcha tea is the sheer uniqueness that it has. You can drink it hot or you can drink it cold, and you can take it with you wherever you go because it’s in a powder form. If you want to make this tea yourself checkout the correct way to make it, or just go buy it, either works really.
Stay calm, have energy, burn fat, look hipster, improve your life:
drink matcha.
