Matcha green tea has recently become a new staple in my pantry!  I’ve always known the health benefits of green tea, but matcha takes it to a whole new level!

What Is It?

Known as super green tea, matcha is unfermented green tea from the Camellia sinensis plant species. The tea leaves are grown in the shade, which gives matcha a dark green pigment. As with many foods, the darker the colour, the higher the antioxidant properties.  The tea leaves are then ground up into a green matcha powder.  Because the matcha is consumed in powder form, instead of steeped like regular tea, it is a super powerful little green powder!

Why Use It?

1) Antioxidant Properties:

Matcha contains 137 times more of the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) than other types of green tea. It has been proven that EGCG is effective in preventing many forms of cancer and heart disease, just to name a couple! One study has shown that green tea polyphenols acted to prevent ongoing UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis and the growth of tumors.

2) Energy Boost, Without the Crash

For all you coffee addicts out there, are you ready for a life-changing moment? Another benefit of matcha green tea is that it provides a high-energy boost while providing less caffeine per cup than coffee. A main amino acid in matcha, L-Theanine, is present at about 5x that of regular green tea. L-Theanine promotes relaxation and brain alertness. This means you get the mental clarity that caffeine can give you, without the energy crash afterwards.

Where Can You Buy It?

You can find matcha in lots of health food stores and places like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. Many Japanese supermarkets have matcha as well. I prefer organic matcha, and love the “Kiss Me Organics” brand. It’s available on Amazon.

How To Use It

There are a number of ways to use Matcha Powder, and although it’s a green tea powder, I don’t think it’s best used simply as green tea. I like it in a smoothie, or even as a Matcha tea latte.  Here’s my Matcha Green Tea Latte Recipe!

In Mandy’s Pantry Matcha Green Tea
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 10 mins
Recipe type: Latte
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp matcha powder
  • ⅓ cup hot water (just boiled)
  • 1 cup non dairy milk (coconut milk is extra delicious for this)
  • 1-2 tsp raw honey or maple syrup to sweeten
Instructions
  1. Boil water
  2. Heat milk, without boiling it
  3. Stir in matcha powder with water until well mixed
  4. Place all ingredients in blender and place on high speed so you get some froth

Mandy King is a Holistic Nutritionist and Gluten Free Guru who shares her expertise with She Does The City. For recipes and nutrition tips, visit her website, HEAL. Follow Mandy on Twitter@mandyking_HEAL. Like Healthy Eating and Living on Facebook here. You can also find Mandy on Pinterest and Instagram.