MATCHAMAZING BENEFITS

 

WHAT IS MATCHA?

Matcha is to Japan as Champagne is to France.

The Matcha process begins in Japan while the green tea leaves are still growing. The plants are shaded for 3 weeks before harvesting to increase chlorophyll and amino acid content (particularly L-theanine) and to improve the appearance and flavour of the tea. This gives matcha its brilliant vibrant green colour.

Once the leaves are harvested, the stems and veins are then removed before steaming and grinding them into a fine Matcha powder.

Matcha is the only tea where you actually ingest the leaves as most teas are infused and then thrown away. This is what makes Matcha so special and unique, and also what leads to it's amazing health benefits. 

1 CUP OF COFFEE CAFFEINE = 2 CUPS OF MATCHA CAFFEINE

For many of us coffee is the energy boost we need to start the day more focused and productive.

Coffee, however, has several drawbacks such as inducing anxiety, poor sleep, and headaches. If you are one of those suffering from these side effects but don't want to quit your morning coffee, then we have good news.

There's a healthier and even tastier alternative to coffee: Matcha!

Matcha is a fantastic coffee alternative, since it provides 4 -6 hours of sustainable energy boost as compared to the rapid 30-minute spike, energy slump associated with coffee. Matcha helps enhance your mood and improve concentration, while at the same time relaxing you thanks to the L-theanine compound. You don’t get the same caffeine crash or jittery feeling that coffee can cause—you get just the opposite.

ALMIGHTY ANTIOXIDANTS

Matcha is an antioxidant powerhouse.

Antioxidants provide protection from the harmful activity of 'free radicals' in our bodies, which are molecules produced when the body breaks down food or is exposed to pollution, excessive sun or cigarette smoke.  It can cause aging, tissue damage, inflammation as well as cancer and heart disease.

Matcha is the Queen of antioxidants, rivaling other super foods, such as blueberries, pomegranate and dark chocolate.  Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) measures antioxidant levels in food and the antioxidant levels present in Matcha is 1384 per gram, which is 13 times the antioxidants of pomegranates!

INCREASES METABOLISM & IMMUNITY

Matcha is full of catechins, which is an antioxidant that helps fight bacteria and infections. One specific catechin in matcha is especially known to boost metabolism is called the EGCG catechin. 

The concentration of EGCG in matcha is 137 times greater than your average green tea. Caffeine is known to have a synergistic effect with the catechins in matcha to further increase metabolism. Matcha contains approximately 34mg of caffeine per 1 gram, which is less than a cup of coffee that can have 80 to 100mg of caffeine. So there isn't enough caffeine to promote production and excretion of cortisol, which is the body's stress and fat storage hormone.

Key studies have found that matcha rich in catechins increases thermogenesis that promotes fat oxidation and increases resting metabolic rate, helping the body burn more fat. Matcha has proven to help the body burn 25% more fat when consumed before a workout.