Matcha – Green Tea Leveled Up
Once again, a food that is naturally green, as it turns out, is good for you. Finely grind the unoxidized leaves of the green tea plant Camellia sinensis and you have matcha. Matcha powder may be enjoyed when brewed as a tea or added as an ingredient to bring its unique flavor to a variety of recipes. Matcha has a more delicate taste and is sweeter than other green teas, so you will find it in sweets and baked goods. But if you think you can sneak it into the diets of your loved ones who are averse to healthy greens, think again, as its vibrant color will expose its presence. Native to China, Camellia sinensis is the same plant that, when its leaves are allowed to oxidize, produces the tea variety oolong.
Britannica describes the origins and process of creating matcha: “Matcha was introduced to Japan in the 1100s by a Zen Buddhist monk who, returning from study in China, brought tea seeds with him and established a practice called ‘the way of tea,’ by which the perfect preparation of tea became an exercise of devotion that honoured the beauty found among the otherwise flawed world. The tea grown for the ceremony was powdered, in the custom of the time, and then whisked with a bamboo brush into boiling water, the tea leaves suspended in the frothy water being drunk rather than strained out as they are in steeped tea.
“Combining the Japanese words matsu, ‘to rub, to daub, to paint’ and cha, ‘tea,’ matcha is grown according to strict rules. Matcha must be taken from shade-grown tea plants, which have heightened levels of chlorophyll and have a bright green colour. Only the buds and top three layers of the young tea plant, Camellia sinensis, are harvested. The tea leaves are steamed to halt the oxidation process, then deveined and ground in stone mills. Because of such laborious and exacting production standards, matcha is among the most expensive kinds of teas on the market.”
Health benefits
A review published in PubMed Central states, “Tea is rich in healthcare ingredients and pharmacologically active ingredients. From the beginning of the 19th century to the present, it has been reported that more than 500 chemical components have been isolated from tea, including more than 400 organic compounds and more than 40 inorganic compounds. Green tea, as a non-fermented tea, retains the original chemical components of tea completely.”
Matcha is naturally rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals.
Cleveland Clinic’s encouraging article Here’s What You Need To Know About L-Theanine talks about the many health benefits of L-Theanine, including improved sleep, reduced stress, and boosted mental clarity. L-theanine is an amino acid found in tea leaves, particularly green and loose-leaf tea.
Tea polyphenols, mainly composed of catechins, flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acids, are highest in green versus other tea and concentrated in matcha. Catechins in green tea may improve blood pressure and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, also known as “bad cholesterol.” One benefit of polyphenols is their anti-inflammatory effects.
With it’s smooth, subtly sweet taste and many health benefits, it’s no wonder that matcha is having a moment in the spotlight right now!
Contributing writer Denise Lum is a Health and Fitness Coach raising her family in Alameda. Contact her via [email protected] or FitnessByDsign.com. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Denise-Lum.
