What is matcha?

Matcha is a kind of green tea, which has more than 800 years long tradition. Initially, it was used predominantly by Buddhist monks and Samurai, but it slowly found its way to wider public. Today, even Europeans can enjoy original Matcha Tea. Matcha Tea is 100 % pure green tea. The tea leaves are shaded from the sun just weeks before the harvest. Then they are dried and milled to a fine powder. The result is stunningly green beverage with great taste and exceptional aroma. Matcha contains unique catechins and amino acids.

How to recognize high quality matcha?

Just like wine, even matcha has wide spectrum of classes and qualities. When we focus on the quality of matcha, we should pay attention to these factors:
TASTE
High quality matcha is delicate, smooth, and lightly sweet in taste with only a hint of bitterness. The sweet taste is caused by plant fibres and L-theanine, a naturally occurring amino acid. Matcha of the highest quality should contain at least 19,5 mg L-theanine per 1 gram of tea.
COLOUR
High quality matcha has emerald colour. In case of bad quality matcha, the colour turns more yellow or brown. The taste changes dramatically with the colour.
CERTIFICATES
Always require tests from the matcha tea sellers. At least the certificate of origin. There is a huge amount of cheap substitutes from China on the market. Remember that matcha comes always and only from Japan.

Why don’t I like the taste of matcha?

The present grocery offer in many shops includes badly processed food that is full of sugars and artificial sweeteners. This food makes our taste buds used to artificial sweeteners and not to natural taste of pure products. Because of that, the beginning of tea drinking can be a little challenging. However, most of us find out soon enough that we like the unsweetened taste of matcha green tea. In case you still don’t like its taste, you can use natural sweeteners, such as honey. A very popular form of Matcha Tea is matcha with natural elderberry syrup or Matcha latte.

What is the difference between matcha tea and coffee? 

The main difference is nutrition that we can find in those beverages. Coffee contains strong stimulant. Matcha contains theophylline and theanines, but also minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and antioxidants. The most important difference is in the energy release. Caffeine in coffee reaches its peak around 30 minutes after ingestion and disappears completely within two or three hours and causes fatigue. The energy from matcha is released slower, gradually for 3-6 hours, with no side effects at all.

Can children drink matcha tea?

According to Canadian food industry inspection research conducted for children up to 12 years old, children can drink matcha but in limited amounts:
4–6 years: 45 mg = 1,5 g of matcha/day
7–9 years: 63 mg = 2,1 g of matcha/day
10–12 years: 85 mg = 3,2 g of matcha/day

Can pregnant and nursing drink matcha?

Pregnant and nursing can drink matcha in limited amounts. We recommend 2 g of matcha a day, which is roughly two cups of tea per day. Occasionally, you can try 4 g per day but that is the recommended maximum and we suggest you do not exceed it.

Are some health risks related to drinking matcha tea? 

The daily intake of matcha in an adult person should not exceed 6 cups (12 grams). So far, there have been no health risks or overdose observed with matcha tea.

Can I add matcha to food?

Absolutely. Matcha tea is a unique product with variety of usage. You can prepare many kinds of hot or cold drinks, cocktails, you can use matcha to make chocolate or ice cream. Matcha is often used by confectioners, bakers, chefs and others. You can find some recipes here on our web but feel free to create your own recipes. For food, we recommend using Bio Matcha Tea Chef or Bio Matcha Tea Gourmet.

How does matcha differ from other green teas?

Matcha is 100 % green tea milled to a fine powder (cca 5–10 microns) that is produced without fermentation, no colourants are added, no preservatives or additives. If you are drinking matcha, you are drinking the entire tea leaf. Because of that, matcha tea is ten times stronger than a cup of regular green tea. Recent scientific studies found out that matcha contains 137 times more EGCG than other green teas. EGCG is the most potent antioxidant and strong ally in fat burning. Consuming matcha tea means speeding your metabolism by 30–40 % so it is often used to help fight obesity.

Why drink matcha?

Just one cup of matcha daily raises the level of antioxidants in your blood. One cup of matcha can contain more nutrients than ten cups of regular green tea. Matcha contains 121 mg/1 g catechins and 66 mg of EGCG. Catechins play more and more important role in health industry and many studies concentrate on their benefits regarding human body. Matcha tea is simultaneously used as a tool in meditation that brings peace and harmony.

Matcha has a gorgeous green colour. Are some colourants added to matcha? 

Matcha is 100 % pure green tea. No colourants, additives, preservatives. The cause of the emerald green colour is the amount of chlorophyll in tea leaves that gets produced when the tea leaves are shaded. Four weeks before the harvest are the tea plantations completely covered with canvas. This special technique prevents up to 90 % of sunshine from reaching the leaves. The plants are kept in darkness and compensate for the missing sunshine by producing great amount of chlorophyll. It is this chlorophyll enriched with amino acids that causes the full green colour of matcha tea.

What is theophylline?

Theophylline is a stimulant that can be found only in teas but works on a different principle than caffeine. Caffeine is a very quick stimulant characteristic with its rapid kick-in but similarly quick crash. Caffeine finds its way to the blood immediately after ingestion and we can observe its effect within few minutes. The peak of this caffeine curve is around 30 or 45 minutes after ingestion and is often connected with nervousness, perspiration, and followed by weakness or apathy. Theophylline works differently. Matcha contains a great amount of nutrients that slow down the absorption of theophylline into blood, which results in theophylline being absorbed gradually for the period of 3–6 hours.
Amino acids and theanines in matcha tea help relax the mind, which is more beneficial for the body. Matcha tea’s pH is neutral, in contrast with coffee, which is acidic and its drinking often leads to digestive problems and lack of appetite.

Does matcha tea help lose weight?

According to the newest article from American Society of Clinical Nutrition, the consummation of high quality green tea helps even the distribution of energies in the body and thus speed up metabolism by 30–40 %. That means drinking matcha tea supports losing weight. Increased burning of calories, which results from drinking high quality green tea, has no negative effects on blood pressure – in contrast with weight reduction pills. The best result can be achieved by drinking matcha tea and doing physical activity regularly.

What is the shelf-life of matcha tea?

The tea can keep its freshness for about two years from the moment we pack it. If the container is opened and air has access to the tea, then for about 2 months.

How should I store matcha tea?

Protect the tea from direct sunlight. You can keep it in a fridge or in a dry and dark place.

Where can I buy matcha?

Our Bio Matcha Tea can be found in health food shops, pharmacies, and gastronomic facilities all around the Czech Republic, or in our e-shop www.matchatea.bio

Can I order Matcha Tea if I don’t live in the Czech Republic? 

Yes, we send our goods all around Europe.