The Power of Matcha
What is matcha and what are the health benefits?
Matcha means “powdered tea.” Finely ground green tea leaves to be exact.
What makes matcha so unique is that you are not just getting health benefits from the steeped green tea leaves; you are drinking the entire leaves because they have been ground into a very fine powder.
The traditional method of consuming Matcha tea is to place a small amount scooped from a small bamboo scoop and placed in a small bowl. Hot water is then poured over, and it is whisked together with a bamboo brush.
It is used most commonly in meditation practices. Combining the health benefits derived from meditation and matcha makes this a double win.
Matcha is prepared differently than regular green tea; it is also grown and harvested differently.
The tea plants are covered with shade cloths before they are harvested. This provides improved flavor and texture. The leaves are then hand selected, steamed briefly to halt fermentation, then dried and aged in a cold environment which deepens the flavor even more. Then the dried leaves are stone-ground into a fine powder.
This whole process means more potent amounts of antioxidants called polyphenols. There is a lot of science behind polyphenols and the many health benefits, including…
