I’ve been on a coffee kick lately as you probably could tell from THIS and THIS.  I’ve said many times before I experience stomach issues and am on a constant health journey in hopes to reverse my issues or at the very least, keep them at bay.  So, I decided it was time to delve into matcha.  I’ve been intrigued with Matcha for a long time.   Seeing recipes like Green Matcha Ice Cream, Matcha Muffins and Chocolate Matcha Buttercups has got me inspired to experience matcha for myself, finally.

What is Matcha?

According to Natural Living Ideas, “Matcha Green Tea is the highest quality powdered green tea available. Made from the nutrient-rich young leaves picked from the tips of shade-grown Camellia sinensis plants, Matcha Green Tea is steamed, stemmed, and de-vined before being stone-ground into very fine powder. Matcha Green Tea powder is then stored away from light and oxygen in order to preserve its brilliant green color and antioxidant properties. This miracle elixir has been consumed for over a millennium in the Far East, and is now considered to be one of the most powerful super foods on the market today.”

To start off, I’ve attempted a very simple Matcha Latte.  So as I open my new (and first) jar of Matcha my heart sinks at the smell.  I don’t know what I expected but it smells like green tea.  Duh.  I go ahead and heat my milk, throw in a splash of vanilla and a tsp. of raw honey plus a teaspoon of grass fed butter and mix it in my magic bullet.  To my complete surprise, my Matcha latte tasted good!  It was creamy and comforting and the herbal taste of green tea was very pleasant.  Such a nice departure to green tea.  And for the record, I don’t like green tea but drink it for it’s benefits.

After my yummy Matcha latte, I decided I needed to find other ways to incorporate matcha because matcha actually has 137 times more antioxidants than brewed green tea!  Dang!  So I attempted Matcha Ice Cream using only coconut, coconut sugar, matcha and vanilla.  Another recipe that came out surprisingly well.  So, I’ll post those 2 recipes soon but first, let’s get into why you will want to incorporate matcha into your diet.

Matcha Benefits:

• It takes 10 cups of green tea to get as many antioxidants that are in 1 cup of matcha tea.
• Matcha has been known to “torch body fat”.  Enough said.
• Detoxifies thanks to chlorophyl which helps to detox chemicals and heavy metals from the body.
• Rich in vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium
• Rich in fiber, chlorophyll and vitamins
• Enhances concentration due to a hardy does of the amino acid L-Theanine
• Lowers blood sugar
• Anti-cancer powers due to the antioxidant catechin (EGCg) Matcha has 100x more EGCg then any other herbal teas.
• Natural and gentle energy booster
• Encourages the production of serotonin and dopamine (the “feel good” chemicals)
• Increases endurance
• Boosts immune system function
• Anti-aging thanks to the immense amount of free radical fighting, antioxidants!

Another easy way to incorporate matcha is by adding it to a smoothie or smoothie bowl!  I’ll be exploring that later today!

Where to Find Quality Matcha Powder:

There are different grades of quality when it comes to Matcha Powder-Kitchen Grade, Cafe Grade, Classic Grade and Ceremonial Grade.  I bought my matcha at Mountain Rose Herbs.  Their matcha is ceremonial grade (which is the highest quality) and is strictly harvested from certified organic plantations.  A tsp. is all you need in your daily cup and with all my experimenting, I haven’t made a dent in my 3.5 oz jar.  It is important to buy quality matcha from Japan.  Basically, you get what you pay for.  Pesticides are prominent in tea harvesting so I would highly recommend sticking with Mountain Rose Herbs.   One jar is going to last a long time.

Find high quality matcha HERE.

Have you experienced matcha?  If so, how do you incorporate it?!  How about skin care-anyone try it in a DIY recipe? Please share!!

xx, Jenni