Matcha
We have all heard about the superfoods and the fashion they brought in the diet of millions. In recent decades, the world went crazy over chia seeds, maca and cocoa beans, but some nutritionists argue that this fashion is the result of a marketing trick. While scientists debate whether goji berry is more useful than ordinary hip that grows through our lands, believers and skeptics in the beneficial properties of the “superfoods” agree on one thing – matcha tea contains over a hundred times more antioxidants than those contained in other types of green tea and can safely be called one of the most healthy drinks in the world.
Origin
Considered elixir that prolongs life, match tea was imported from China to Japan by a Buddhist monk in 1191 who planted the tencha tea tree in the holy lands in Kyoto and so marked the beginning of matcha tea cultivation in Japan and its use in the tea ceremony which later became one of the most vivid images of Japanese culture known to the outside world.
Like no other
Matcha is made from the best, but also the rarest type of green tea in Japan – tencha. In Japanese “ma” means powder and “cha” means tea and literally the name of the tea translates as “tea powder.” It is prepared from powdered green tea leaves of the tencha tea trees and is drunk without filtering. The tea is prepared with warm, but not hot water (70-85 degrees) and unlike any other type of green tea, where the dried leaves are brewed with hot water and then removed, while drinking matcha the leaves of green tea are taken in themselves.
Elixir of Life
The main health benefit of match tea is that mega doses of antioxidants are delivered to the body with every single sip. Antioxidants contained in a cup of matcha are equal to those contained in ten cups of any other brewed green tea. Antioxidants are compounds that slow the aging of cells and protect the body against diseases. Simply put, the more you have, the better equipped your body is to fight infections and diseases.
Matcha tea contains high levels of the catechin EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). These natural polyphenols are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents, they strengthen the walls of capillaries and promote the release of the body’s toxic compounds. Many scientists believe that EGCG plays positive role in the body’s fight against cancer.
According to nutritionists EGCG is a mandatory component of any diet. It stimulates the production of the hormone noradrenaline, which increases metabolism and fat burning.
