What is Matcha Powdered Green Tea?
Matcha is premium green tea powder from Japan used for drinking as tea or as an ingredient in recipes. While other green teas are grown throughout the world, matcha is unique to Japan. It is the heart of the Japanese way of tea and has been celebrated in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony for hundreds of years. - MatchaSource.com
I am, as I’m typing these words, enjoying an amazing Iced Green Tea Latte. No, I haven’t been to Starbucks (not today, anyway). I made this beautiful and delicious green drink at home using Matcha Green Tea powder from Matcha Source. It’s the first time I’ve used Matcha, but it most certainly won’t be the last.
In preparing for this review, I actually brewed two hot Matcha Green Tea Lattes – one for myself and one for my daughter Emily – she LOVES hot tea but is proving to be a hard one to win over to green tea (don’t know where I went wrong with this girl). I also made an Chilled Matcha Green Tea Latte because I’m addicted to Starbucks Green Tea fraps and have always wanted a way to capture the magic at home.
Emily didn’t know what I was brewing (literally) in the kitchen, so she didn’t know what to expect when I walked up behind her and handed her a hot mug with a little cool whip on top. I’m forever making different types of hot chocolate, lattes, and teas in the kitchen – so her hopes were high. When she saw the green color, though, her smile sort of straightened out and she said, “Oh, Lord.” She knew her green tea loving mom was at it again. My family just never knows what sort of herbal or green teas I’m going to come at them with next!
She took a drink and said, “Wow! That’s actually delicious.” She then finished the entire cup before I could make it back into the kitchen to get back to mine! I sat down at the table, trying to decide if I liked the iced or hot best and she brought me her cup to show off – she pointed out that she’d even “cleaned” the bottom where a few specks had remained. And I hadn’t even sweetened the drinks at all!
One glass of matcha is the equivalent of 10 glasses of green tea in terms of its nutritional value and antioxidant content.
I believe I might like the chilled Matcha Green Tea Latte a little better than the hot, but it’s almost too close to call. Maybe it’s because it’s summer and ice cold drinks just seem so right. I do know that I intend to keep Matcha Green Tea powder on hand from now on.
Matcha Green Tea Health Benefits:
- Rich in Antioxidants: Antioxidants slow down the aging process and help the body to fend off diseases. Matcha tea is actually higher in antioxidants than blueberries and spinach. Somebody had better tell Popeye! A testing method known as ORAC – short for oxygen radical absorbance capacity, evaluates the antioxidant levels found in food. According to research done by Tufts University, the ORAC capacity of matcha green tea is exponentially higher than other foods known for their high antioxidants levels such as blueberries and spinach.The ORAC rating of matcha is 1300 units/g, compared to 105 units/g for pomegranates and 91 units/g for wild blueberries. If that’s not worth a WOW! – nothing is.
- Contains Catechins Only Found in Green Tea: Catechins are a class of antioxidants that are found only in green tea. What’s more, this class may be the most powerful of all antioxidants. And of the catechins, EGCg (epicgallocatechin gallate) is the catechin with broadest and most potent cancer-fighting properties. Sixty percent of the catechin content of matcha tea is EGCg. One gram of matcha contains 105 mg of total catechin content, or roughly 61% EGCg.
- Naturally Mood Enhancing: I’m not sure what the properties or explanations are, but Green Tea simply makes you feel good, and since Matcha Green Tea is green tea on hyper drive, it makes you feel all kinds of good.
- Zero on the Glycemic Index: Will not raise insulin levels
- Cleanses the Body of Toxins: Chlorophyll, the pigment which gives leaves their green color, helps to remove heavy metals and chemical toxins from the body. Because matcha powdered tea is fully ingested when consumed, unlike tea leaves which are infused then discarded, and because matcha is shade grown, a process which increases the chlorophyll content in the leaves, matcha tea is a chlorophyll rich food.
- Sugar-free and High in Fiber: It also gives you more energy – which leads to more activity. Green Tea is a dieter’s best friend!
- Helps you relax: Matcha contains L-theanine, an amino acid known to relax the mind.
I can promise you this: The Matcha Green Tea Latte and Chilled Matcha Green Tea Latte are fantastic. I can’t wait to try the Matcha Smoothie (below).
Matcha Green Tea Smoothie
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp honey or sugar
- 1 tsp ingredient grade matcha
- 1/2 cup ice cubes
Blend ingredients together in electric blender. Pour into a tall glass. Experiment with adding berries, bananas and fruit juice.
For more recipes and to place an order for your own Matcha Green Tea Powder, visit their website. Below are a few links that’ll serve you well!
Matcha Source – Green Tea Powder from Japan
Recipe for Matcha Green Tea Latte
New Tastes in Green Tea (book)
Recipe for Matcha Ginger Green Tea (Yum!)
More recipes featuring Matcha Green Tea Powder, the surprise ingredient of the summer! These recipes include Matcha Green Tea Ice cream, Matcha Buttercream Frosting (yes, please), Truffles, poached eggs, cookies and more. My family is in for so much green goodness they might just develop a Kermit-like complexion.
Be sure to visit MatchaSource’s shop for Matcha utensils, bowls, teas, etc.
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Thank you for the green tea recipe, that looks really good. However, some people are missing out on the benefits of green tea, simply because they don’t like the taste of it. Also, some people are just too pressed for time to enable them to prepare and enjoy a traditional cup of green tea.
One good way to still get the benefits of green tea you mentioned above, without the issues mentioned, is to take green tea extract.