Personally, I’m not a matcha drinker. To me, it’s a bit of an acquired taste. But when a friend asked me about matcha I looked into it and it’s hard not to argue it’s benefits. I mean, Japanese monks and samurai know what they’re doing, right?

So what exactly is it?

Matcha is the simply gold standard of green teas that is currently enjoying a surge of popularity with western health and wellness enthusiasts. You know it at first glance. It’s frothy and beautiful and the ritual of preparation is part of its charm. It’s brilliant green colour comes from the unique harvesting method of being picked and ground while the tea leaves are still growing. While traditional tea preparation only infuses water with the dissolvable elements of the leaf, with matcha you’re actually drinking the entire leaf. This unique process is what contributes to matcha being filled with more antioxidants, vitamin C and L-theanine than traditional green tea.

Matcha contains roughly three times the caffeine of green tea (about the equivalent of a cup of coffee). It is high in amino acids (L-theanine) that promote a calm, relaxed, meditative state. If you’ve ever noticed you don’t get the same caffeine jitters from tea as from coffee, it’s because of the L-theanine. It acts as a compliment to caffeine balancing any of those jitters while still providing calm energy.

Long touted a health food, matcha boasts many benefits. It supports brain health by improving cognitive function, memory and attention. It increases metabolism to burn fat, a significant benefit if weight loss is a goal. It contains antioxidants that remove cell damaging free radicals boosting the immune system as well as having anti-aging implications. And the chlorophyll in matcha is a proven aid in detoxification helping to flush away heavy metals, toxins and chemicals from the body.

Matcha is Matcha, right?

Not exactly.

There are two primary grades of matcha tea powder, ceremonial grade and culinary grade. The taste and benefits can vary greatly depending on the grade.

Ceremonial grade matcha is the highest quality you can get and ultimately the most expensive. You know it is of good quality if it is brilliant green in colour with a strong umami flavour (umami is the savoury flavour of chicken broth, parmesan cheese, miso and soy sauce).

Culinary grade matcha green tea is split into 5 categories: Premium, Cafe, Ingredient, Classic, and Kitchen but there are no clear guidelines or regulations as to what belongs in which grade. Bottom line: buy ceremonial grade.

Higher quality matcha tea is grown with less fertilizers and pesticides, even if it is not organic. It also just tastes better, less bitter and grassy (that characteristic taste of dirt). High quality matcha is a premium product, harvested only once a year and can be expensive. So if you find matcha tea for cheap, it’s probably because the leaves are of a lesser quality and weren’t properly processed – which means far fewer health benefits.

How to Prepare Matcha

I love the ritual of beverage preparation. Taking care to properly prepare a hot drink not only infuses love but adds a positive vibe to the whole process. Since mindset and health and wellness are so intrinsically linked, take the time to enjoy the process. Yes, there are some good instant varieties on the market, great if you’re in a pinch, but take the time to take pleasure in its making if you can. Not to mention the accessories are stunning. The whisk, the gorgeous porcelain or clay cups. Have fun with it. Appreciate the ceremony.

The standard way of drinking matcha is to sift the matcha tea powder into a bowl to avoid clumping. Place 1 teaspoon of sifted matcha tea into your bowl then pour 70ml of water ( you eyeball this but not too watery) on top. Use water that is hot, but not yet boiling (around 170F).

Using a bamboo whisk, slowly run the whisk along the bottom of the bowl to pick up the powder. Then quickly whisk only the upper half of the bowl, never touching the bottom. In order to achieve the ideal matcha green tea foam, you don’t want to whisk in a circular motion. Instead, move the whisk around the bowl in a “W” motion using the tip of the whisk bristles until you’ve created a nice frothy lather.

For the best flavor, you want to enjoy your bowl of matcha green tea within about 3 minutes. Any longer than that and the froth will disappear and the matcha tea powder will start to collect at the bottom of the bowl.

If you enjoy your matcha as a latte, foamed milk of your choice can be added as well as a little sweetener.