Matcha has been around for centuries, but it has never been more popular. Matcha cafés keep opening, lattes fill social feeds, and the bright green powder now turns up in cookies, smoothies and even ice cream. It brings a whole new meaning to "drink your greens." Here's what matcha is, what the research says about its benefits, and how to use it.
What is matcha?
Matcha is finely ground green tea. It comes from the same plant as all green tea, Camellia sinensis, but it's grown and processed differently. For several weeks before harvest the tea plants are shaded, which increases the leaves' levels of theanine, caffeine, chlorophyll and catechins. The leaves are then dried and stone-ground into powder.
The biggest difference is how you drink it. With regular green tea you steep the leaves and throw them away. With matcha you whisk the powder into water and consume the whole leaf, which is why reviewers describe matcha as delivering more of the plant's beneficial compounds than steeped tea.
The name is simple: "ma" means ground or rubbed, and "cha" means tea.
Where does matcha come from?
Tea itself has a long history: the tea plant was first cultivated in China thousands of years ago. Powdered tea traveled from China to Japan, and it was in Japan that matcha as we know it today developed. Zen Buddhist monks adopted it as part of their practice and ceremonies, valuing the way it kept them alert yet calm through long hours of meditation. Japan remains the home of traditional matcha, and the tea ceremony built around it is still practiced today.
What are the health benefits of matcha?
Calm, focused energy
Matcha contains caffeine, but also L-theanine, an amino acid found almost only in tea. In a placebo-controlled study, 50 mg of L-theanine increased alpha brain wave activity, a pattern linked with relaxed alertness. In another trial, L-theanine combined with caffeine improved speed and accuracy on a demanding attention task more than caffeine alone. That pairing may explain why many people find matcha's lift smoother than coffee's.
Antioxidants
Green tea's main antioxidants are catechins, and the most abundant and active is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). Matcha is described as the most concentrated source of these catechins among teas. To learn how antioxidants work, read what antioxidants are and what they do.
Metabolism and weight
You'll often read that matcha "melts fat." The evidence is far more modest. A Cochrane review of green tea preparations found a small weight loss that was unlikely to be clinically important, and the NIH notes that green tea's catechins and caffeine may have only a modest effect on body weight. Enjoy matcha for its taste and gentle energy, not as a weight-loss tool.
What about detox and immunity claims?
Claims that matcha "detoxes" heavy metals or supercharges the immune system come mostly from lab and animal research. They haven't been shown in people, so we'd treat them with caution.
Is matcha safe to drink every day?
For most adults, yes. The NIH reports no safety concerns for green tea consumed as a beverage, though rare cases of liver injury have been linked to concentrated green tea extracts in pills and capsules. Matcha does contain caffeine, so count it toward your daily total; the FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults. If you're pregnant or sensitive to caffeine, check with your doctor about how much is right for you.
Because you eat the whole leaf, quality matters. Look for organic matcha from a supplier that tests its tea.
How do you use matcha?
Matcha works in almost anything. A few favorites:
- Matcha latte. Whisk a teaspoon of matcha into a little hot (not boiling) water until frothy, then top with your favorite plant milk. Coconut milk works a treat.
- Baking. Matcha adds color and an earthy flavor to cookies, cakes and energy bites. Browse our recipes for ideas.
- Smoothies. Add half a teaspoon to a green smoothie for a gentle caffeine lift.
- Before a workout. Matcha's caffeine can give you a lift before exercise. If you want a measured dose, Renewable Energy includes organic matcha green tea, with organic green coffee bean and yerba mate, for 90mg of caffeine in total, plus an adaptogen blend of ashwagandha, rhodiola, ginseng and maca. It comes in Raspberry Lemonade and Beet Pomegranate and mixes into water or a smoothie.
Curious about other plant sources of caffeine? Compare yerba mate and green coffee bean.
