If you’ve been to a coffee shop in the last couple of months, you’ve probably seen the barista mixing up some sort of bright green super latte with powder as its base. The last time a lot of us drank something that green was probably when we were all shooting back wheatgrass shots or drinking a cup of Surge soda in the 90’s. But, unlike wheatgrass, matcha tea actually tastes good, and unlike Surge soda (which didn’t stay on the market long), matcha tea is packed with health benefits.
It’s making its rounds everywhere from your local pioneering coffee shop to the big Starbucks or Coffee Bean chains on every other block. So what’s its big appeal?
Here’s what you need to know about the new “superfood” drink that’s starting to steal the light form coffee.
What exactly is it?
It’s steamed and air-dried green tea leaves that are stone-ground into super-fine powder. Green tea contains a compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which has been linked to many benefits like cancer preventing properties, weight-loss, heart health, and improved cognitive functionality.
So why not just drink regular Green Tea? By straining the tea leaves you lose a lot of the benefits that come with them. When you consume the entire leaf in powder form you are getting 137 times the antioxidants.
It’s not really that new…
Matcha Tea has been used in Zen Buddhist rituals for over 900 years. They held tea ceremonies as a meditative practice. Matcha also contains L-theanine which helps reduce psychological stress factors and lets the mind settle, focus, and relax.
It started popping up in a few alternative health stores in the US, and as soon as Starbucks picked it up, so did a large majority of coffee shops.
Matcha as a replacement for coffee…
For those who thrive off a couple shots of espresso a day, matcha might not cut it for you. It contains more caffeine than a cup of green tea, but only about half the caffeine as a cup of black coffee.
Though, for those who just want a little pick-me-up along with a plethora of health benefits, Matcha is only about $1 per cup for the powder so a bit nicer on your wallet as well.
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