What is matcha? So hot right now.
Matcha has been around for hundreds of years, yet has come into the spotlight as of recently. You hear about it from your favorite health influencers, matcha shops are popping up in major cities, and trendy matcha lattes flood your Instagram feed.
It has spread beyond the wellness world at this point and is finding its way into more and more items, beyond the classic but delicious matcha latte.
Matcha cookies, face masks, and green tea ice cream - oh my!
Matcha is endowed with an incredible array of health benefits. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "drink your greens."
Check out our Vegan and Organic Pre-workout Powder in Ceremonial Matcha flavor, which will provide you with a jitter-free energy boost & a sustained focus.
What is Matcha?
If you're not familiar with matcha per se, you most definitely have heard about green tea.
Matcha, or matcha tea, is ground up green tea leaves.
In fact, the word matcha literally means ground tea. "Matsu" means to rub and "cha" is ‘tea’. Put the two together and voilà: matcha!
The History of Matcha
Matcha has a long, rich history. So, here is the short version.
The history of matcha begins with green tea, which originated in China. The matcha as we know it today, however, originates from Japan.
The Japanese Zen Monks discovered the powdered form of green tea and embraced its consumption into their spiritual practice and ceremonies.1
The Zen Monks found that drinking matcha tea stimulated mental alertness and simultaneously calmed the mind.
The monks typically drank matcha tea to enable them to sit for hours in a meditative state (and still do to this day).
Top Health Benefits of Matcha
Matcha is so packed with health-promoting nutrients its matcha-bilities are endless!
We guarantee that by the time you’ve finished reading this list, you’ll be incorporating matcha into just about anything.
1. Enhances Concentration and Focus
Matcha is packed full of amino acids. The amino acid L-Theanine stimulates alpha wave activity in the brain.2
Alpha waves create a highly sought after duality of benefits – promoting reduced anxiety and relaxation, while simultaneously promoting alertness, focus, and concentration.3
2. Boost Metabolism
Epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, is a catechin found in matcha that has been shown to boost the metabolism and halt the growth of fat cells.
In a study of EGCG in the Journal of Endocrinology, it was found that daily injections of EGCG into lab rats caused a 21% loss in body weight within one week.4
Similarly, a 2005 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that participants who drank green tea extract daily over the course of 12 weeks dropped almost twice as much weight as participants who didn't.5
This makes matcha an ideal alternative to coffee which can impact blood sugar levels leading to weight gain.
3. Supports the Immune System
A recent study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that drinking matcha every day enhanced the overall response of the immune system.6
4. Natural Detoxification
In case you thought it couldn’t get better, matcha assists in detoxification because it contains chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll assists the body in the excretion of toxins by binding to heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, as well as pesticides and drug deposits.7 These heavy metals are then swept from the body during elimination.
Take that, six-day juice cleanse!
How to Use Matcha
So now that we’ve convinced you of matcha’s superpowers, wondering how you can get more of it into your day-to-day?
You can incorporate matcha into pretty much anything!
Matcha Lattes
Place a spoonful of matcha into a bowl with some water and simply whisk it...whisk it real good. Add your favorite organic, plant-based milk (coconut milk works a treat), and proceed to devour. Or just visit your local café.
Baking with Matcha
There are thousands upon thousands of recipes that incorporate matcha, the most common being raw, matcha vegan cakes. Delicious!
Pre-Workout Fuel
Check out our organic pre-workout supplement, which harnesses matcha’s superpowers to provide you with a jitter-free energy boost prior to hitting the gym, your favorite spin class or simply as a delicious pick-me-up whenever you're in need of one! It goes well in smoothies or is delicious on its own mixed with water.
Eat the matcha, be the matcha, you are the matcha.