MATCHA: A HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVE TO CONVENTIONAL TEA & COFFEE
Matcha is a form of green tea that’s been ground into a fine powder. Matcha powder is made from the plant Camellia sinensis, which is also the source of other kinds of teas.
However, matcha is grown and processed differently. Unlike C. sinensis plants grown for other types of tea, those grown to make matcha are covered for a couple of weeks in their growth cycle.
When tea leaves are grown in shade, the plants increase their production of chlorophyll. This overproduction of chlorophyll is linked to higher concentrations of biochemical compounds in matcha, particularly polyphenols.
Polyphenols from plants are potent and they offer protective properties.
Ingesting foods or beverages with these compounds offer several health benefits, such as:
- Lowering your blood sugar levels
- Lowering heart disease risk
- Helping protect against cancer
- Promoting healthy digestion
- Improving focus and memory
Regular tea is steeped with hot water and strained, but matcha is combined with water or milk. Matcha contains more nutrients and beneficial compounds because the growing process creates leaves with greater concentrations of the tea plants’ healthy and natural biochemical compounds.
Drinking matcha means you ingest the plant leaves themselves instead of an infusion like when you consume regular tea.
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