How I discovered Matcha

“Is Matcha Powder the new Coffee?” people ask. Well, maybe. Matcha Powder is the latest trend after going viral due to the power of blogging and reblogging as well as being featured on news sources, even though the form of tea has literally been ingested, traditionally in Japan, for hundreds of years.

About 2 years ago, I ordered some from a Starbucks, but didn’t know it at the time. I just ordered a green tea latte, upon recommendation from a friend. Later, I found out that it’s full of Matcha powder, and now that I know the amount of benefits linked to it, it is a mystery to me how Starbucks has carried this for so long with minimal hype. And for those of you wondering how it tastes, it reminds me of green tea but stronger. For those of you who already like and drink green tea, this will be your new cup of tea, literally.

Fast forward to this year– I read on a blog about this amazing new form of green tea and wound up getting intel that I could actually order the Matcha powder from Starbucks, by itself, in a cup of cold or hot water for only $0.86, and I was more than thrilled!! Soon the price jumped to a more Starbucks-norm $3.00, but do I still buy it occasionally? Yes. Sigh. Supply and demand, people. Long story short, this stuff is gold, and I still order it!

Where to Get It
The fabulous thing to know now is that you can get a bag of it yourself from a reputable online seller (I use “Kiss Me Organics” Matcha) or from places like Whole Foods or a Teavana store. Search Pinterest, and there are also lots of fun new recipes coming out where you can integrate this into your current regimen.

Now, let’s examine what the hubbub is all about.
Matcha powder is a concentrated green tea leaf powder. Instead of seeping the nutrients from a green tea bag in hot water, one would consume the actual ground-up green tea leaf itself, which provides you with approximately 10X the benefits. More antioxidants =more protection for your SKIN and cells.

Health Benefits:
For about 4700 years, green tea leaves have long been used in Asia for its long-held belief toward health. What scientific backing do we have on the health benefits of green and black teas? Plenty.

Matcha Powder and Green Tea alike has been associated with thermogenic foods, aka foods that have an effect of the body’s metabolism.
It is full of plentiful antioxidants and vitamins, more so than many other Superfoods out there. (For a skin and hair-loving grocery guide, see our article “Eating #thesuperfoodway”)

One of the elements examined in the green tea are called polyphenols, which have been found to promote multiple health benefits. Specific types of antioxidants known as a catechin have been studied extensively for their possible role in health. One of the catechins, abbreviated EGCg for “epigallocatechin gallate,” has shaken the science world with its findings of properties that fight cancer. And guess what is found in Matcha Powder? You know it. Apparently, the EGCg makes up approximately 60% of all the catechins in Matcha Green Tea. Woo hoo! Also, the EGCg levels are about a hundred-fold to that of other teas out there. That’s no mystery, as Matcha Powder tea is composed of the actual tea leaves themselves, not just the nutrients that were extracted from the leaves in a tea bag for example. And as if I had to keep on going, this EGCg antioxidant has also been associated with promoting number of other health benefits as well! For crying out loud, just sprinkle this stuff on top of everything!

Matcha Green Tea has long been used by Buddhist monks for the purpose of alert meditation. We have learned that the “relaxing” properties produced from ingesting Matcha powder is due to the amino acid it contains, called L-Theanine, also a polyphenol. L-Theanine has been found to promote the production of alpha waves in the brain which is associated with the feeling of “relaxation.” L-Theanine is also responsible for encouraging the production of both dopamine and serotonin, two feel-good hormones that increase cortical activity and serve to generally improve people’s mood.
All of these amazing benefits are the fantastic result of the inherent chemical make-up of the green tea leaves themselves.

I urge you all you to test the waters and order the following from your local Starbucks or trying making one at home:
• a green tea latte, unsweetened or sweetened
• “One large hot/cold water with 2 scoops of Matcha powder in it!”
The way I make it at home:
• Put two scoops of Matcha Powder in boiling water
• Throw it in the blender with some almond milk, so it’s more of a latte.

You know I already started putting a scoop of that in my morning smoothies!

It tastes especially good with:
• unsweetened Almond milk (plain or vanilla)
• a banana
• unsweetened apple sauce, or apple slices
• ice
• plain yogurt
• Chia seeds
• Handful of spinach (optional)
• Almond butter (optional)
• 1/2 – 1tsp Matcha Powder
Yum! Check the blog soon for new recipes that contain Matcha Powder!

While you soak in the benefits from your new Matcha tea latte on your way to work, don’t forget about the plentiful benefits of topical peptides and antioxidants to work with a tube of RapidLash or RapidBrow, and you are on your way to healthy skin, hair, body, and mind. Check our testimonials for real reviews from real people! www.rapidlash.com/testimonials/

Let me know how you like our products OR the Matcha recipes above on twitter @RealRapidLash, or show me on Instagram, @RealRapidLash with a beautiful picture of your new daily dose of vitamins, antioxidants, and skin-loving amino acids. BOTH Matcha and our products contain them. 😉

Enjoy!
Catherine@rocasuba.com
C.C.

References:
Cooper, Raymond. “Green Tea And Theanine: Health Benefits.” International Journal Of Food Sciences & Nutrition 63.(2012): 90-97. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 June 2015.