Japanese green tea culture
Japanese green tea, or matcha 抹茶 is specifically grown and picked tea leaves ground to a fine powder. These are then processed to flavor wagashi, ice cream, noodles, mochi and a other varieties of food. (look at my wagashi post to get an idea of Japanese sweets flavored with matcha) Just name a dish and there's a huge possibility there's a matcha version of it. That is how popular matcha is in Japan.
What made matcha so popular is the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. This is a widely practiced ceremony which focuses on the preparation and presentation of matcha. These ceremonies can vary from a highly formal tea event to less formal tea gathering. Not only for me, but for many people around the world matcha helps them to relax and calm their mind. It is said that many monks drank matcha to remain calm during their meditation sessions.
Benefits of green tea
according to matchasource.com powdered matcha has 137 times more antioxidants than regular brewed green tea this is because when you consume matcha, you ingest the whole leaf and receive 100% of nutrients from the leaf. One cup of matcha equals to 10 cups of regular green tea!
Not only does it contain antioxidants called polyphenols which aid in protection against cancer and heart disease, it also has many more health benefits such as;
✿ It boosts your metabolism and burns calories
✿ It detoxifies your body in a natural way
✿ It's rich in vitamins, fiber and chlorophyll (a green pigment which you find in all kinds of veggies)
✿ It lowers cholesterol and blood sugar
✿ It has anti-aging properties
this is only a small collection of all the benefits matcha has. If you want to know more about the benefits, I suggest looking at the matcha source website which gives you a lot of information and also comparisons between matcha and regular green tea.
Easy matcha recipe
If all the benefits made you excited to start consuming matcha please try out this easy recipe. Matcha is very easy to include in your daily recipes as it can be combined with both sweet and savory dishes. If you are just tried matcha and aren't really accustomed to the flavour, try adding it gradually in some of your dishes. You can add it to your yoghurt, breakfast bowl, mix it in with your smoothies, add it to some milk and more endless options. You may want to invest in a traditional matcha whisk which is called a chasen (shown on the picture below). This enhances the flavor of the matcha and makes sure it's perfectly mixed. Also don't add your matcha to any boiling liquid, wait a couple of minutes after the liquid has boiled and then add your matcha to prevent it from getting a little bitter.
This recipe is perfect for those of you who love the matcha taste or want to try something different. Matcha goes perfectly with the sweet coconut flavor!
Matcha coconut latte
This recipe requires only two ingredients; powdered matcha and coconut milk.
1. Heat up the coconut milk until it comes just two a boil.
2.Transfer it to a bowl and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
3. Add a little bit of hot water and 2 tablespoons of matcha.
4. Whisk it with your chasen (or a small kitchen whisk) until it becomes frothy.
5. Serve in a tall glass and add toppings if you like. I like to add just a little bit of honey and desiccated coconut on top.
Please try out this recipe and include some matcha in your healthy lifestyle!
I hope you enjoyed reading.
~ mei mei
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