Tea Effects

Many of us are familiar with green tea. The popularity of green tea has produced a glut of products — everything from energy bottled teas to mega-green tea pills. However, you may not be as familiar with matcha tea. It is actually the most popular green tea on the market today.

Matcha’s extraordinary list of health benefits are partly due to the fact that you ingest the entire leaf, not just the brewed water as in some other teas. It is also grown in the shade, which gives it it’s high chlorophyll content. It is said that one glass of matcha tea equals 10 glasses of green tea in its nutritional and antioxidant levels.

The Zen monks first introduced matcha to Japan through the Japanese tea ceremony known as Chanoyu. Their influence can be seen through the emphasis on calmness, serenity and awareness of nature.

Matcha tea is an extremely nutritious beverage. it is sugar free, high in fiber, does not raise insulin levels and is rich in antioxidants.

According to some research, matcha is higher in antioxidants than even blueberries. It contains nearly 10 times the levels of other teas, 2 times the levels of a glass of red wine, 9 times the beta-carotene levels of spinach and 4 times the level of carrots. Great news for those who just can’t makes themselves eat their veggies!

If you’re still not convinced that you should be adding matcha tea to your daily regimen — read on…

Some of the many health benefits claimed by matcha tea are significant increases in energy without the jittery effects of caffeine, improved mental alertness and an increase in metabolism by 35-40%.
It has powerful anti-aging potential because of its high levels of antioxidants, it lowers blood pressure, decreases ldl levels (bad cholesterol) and even minimizes pms symptoms.

If that weren’t enough it also touts super cancer-fighting and cancer prevention abilities, again due to its high levels of polyphenols and catechins.)

Matcha tea is prepared differently than other teas you might be familiar with. It is an emerald colored, finely powdered tea and is whisked into a froth. You can buy different grades of tea — thick or thin being used in tea making and an ingredient grade suitable for mixing in smoothies or for cooking.

Thin tea is, as the name indicates, made with less tea and more water and offers a sweeter result. The thick grade can be used to make thin or thick tea and is the highest grade of matcha, allowing you the prepare your tea to your strength preferences.

If you’re really daring check out this amazing cupcake recipe using matcha. Or how about this great shake recipe:

Matcha Cocoa Mint Mojo
This is a healthier spin on a Mint Chocolate Chip milkshake, since it has far less sugar
and a hint of green tea flavor rounding out the cooling mint and chocolate notes.

â–ª 1 cup milk (reduced fat or whole works best)
â–ª 1 cup ice
â–ª 1 tsp. Mighty Leaf Matcha green tea
â–ª 1 tsp. premium unsweetened cocoa
â–ª 2 tbsp. sugar
â–ª 10 Frozen Junior Mints or small chocolate covered soft-centered mints

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend for two minutes. Then pour into large glass and enjoy. You could garnish with a junior mint that has been halfway sliced and then slipped onto the rim of the glass.

â–ª Serves one 16 oz. glass

Without a doubt, the health benefits of matcha tea make it an impressive beverage. If you haven’t tried it yet you’ll definitely want to consider adding it to your tea menu.

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