“I Love You So Matcha!”

That is the saying on a mug I got from one of my dearest friend’s last year in my birthday basket. I am a self-proclaimed connoisseur of Matcha. I have been drinking green tea for about 30 years now. I first discovered it when I worked with a tea company called Tea & Company in San Francisco (Jill & Gary if you’re out there somewhere, this is a shout out to you!). They were later sold and are now known as The Mighty Tea Leaf ☺

In the past 10 years or so, the popularity of Matcha has grown exponentially, now there are Pinterest boards dedicated to numerous Matcha recipes, and food items have become very popular (matcha cheesecake, matcha Kit Kats, fried matcha ice cream, etc). But, did you know there are so many health benefits to drinking Matcha? In fact, there are too many to mention in one post so I will be breaking this up over the next few weeks to give you the 411 on Matcha.

Today…Just some basic facts. Matcha comes from the camelia sinensis plant like other green tea but it is grown differently and has a unique nutrient profile. Before harvesting the plant, farmer’s cover their tea plants for 20-30 days, increasing chlorophyll production and boosting amino acid content. Once the leaves are harvested, the veins and stems are removed and the leaves are ground into the powder known as matcha powder. 

One health benefit from drinking matcha regularly is it’s incredibly rich in catechins. Catechins are a class of plant compounds that act as antioxidants. 

I know you’ve heard that word before…antioxidants…they help stabilize free radicals which are known to damage cells and cause various chronic diseases. So simply stated…matcha (a dietary antioxidant) may help protect cells and tissue from damage.

When people ask me what my secret is to staying youthful I usually tell them, eye cream, a great outlook on life, and a cup of matcha! ☺ 

And that’s all for today folks! Please check back as I’ll continue to write about other health benefits to drinking matcha, as well as some of my favorite ways to prepare it…on Matcha Mondays!

With Love…XOXO S.T.Y.L.E Nation!