Matcha!!!

Matcha!!!!!! What's all the fuss? So it's green powder that happens to be tea....what about it???

What is it exactly? Well, simply put, it's green tea. But it's more than just steeping a few green tea leaves. Matcha is made from grinding the leave of shade-grown tea plants into a fine powder. This powder is what is called Matcha. It is brewed a bit different than other teas. Rather than steeping and straining off, the fine powder is blended with the water with a whisk and taken whole. It has a very earthy, grassy flavor and produces a bright green liquor. This is where all the wonderful benefits come in. Of course there's a lot of history behind Matcha and it's production is much more involved than we've described here, but we're just going to discuss the wonderful health benefits and a few of the ways we serve it at The Soap & Coffee Hut/The Tea Hut.

Matcha is said to have so many great health benefits. And considering when you drink Matcha you are consuming the whole leaf meaning you are now receiving ALL of the benefits/nutrients of the tea leaf. One of the biggest benefits of Matcha is that it is packed with antioxidants. It is said to contain more antioxidants than 10 cups of regular green tea. A few other health benefits said to be contained in this delicious leaf is the fiber and vitamin content. It is said to help boost metabolism and to help burn calories. It helps to naturally detoxify the body. And many claim it to also have calming effects on the mind & body. It helps to enhance mood and helps with concentration (have an exam coming up?). It is also said to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. There are just so many great health benefits to drinking this tea and we have not even listed them all here. All this on top of being an absolutely delicious beverage.

What about caffeine you ask? The amount of caffeine in Matcha may vary and since you're consuming the entire leaf rather than just an infusion of the leaf, the caffeine content in Matcha will be slightly higher than in regular cup of steeped and strained green tea. But in general, there is approximately 68 mg of caffeine in 1 tsp of powdered Matcha. So your cup of Matcha is going to have roughly half the caffeine as the same cup of coffee would have. HOWEVER, the caffeine in Matcha effects the body much differently than that of coffee. Where with coffee you have a steep energy spike and then a steep crash. With Matcha the caffeine is released more slowly and gradually which actually creates a more sustained level of energy over a period of time (6-8 hours). This is where the aid in concentration comes in. This is also the reason there is no sudden energy spike and sudden energy crash as with coffee. This is, of course, the very simplified explanation. There is a lot of science behind the difference in the way the body assimilates the caffeine in tea vs coffee. But this is the basics.

So how do we serve Matcha in our store? You can order it hot or iced, hot latte or iced latte, and soon we will be adding Matcha Protein Smoothies for that post-workout or morning get-going beverage. We also offer it as a loose tea that you can purchase to brew at home.

Have you never tried Matcha? Or maybe you've tried it somewhere and didn't like it? As I've mentioned before, I have always been a coffee drinker and not much into teas. But when I started with teas I decided to also try Matcha and I had regular hot Matcha (non-latte) as well as Matcha Latte in many different coffee shops. I was convinced that I did NOT care for it at all. It was either way too sweet or way too grassy or it was just so watered down that it was a weak brew. And then we had someone come into the store and actually train us to make it properly. Well, I had to force myself to try it because I was sure that I wouldn't like it....again. To my surprise, I LOVED it. The way it is made makes such a huge difference. I can now say that Matcha is one of my favorite drinks. Of course, I prefer it as a latte but the point is I now love it where I didn't like it before. So give it another try if you didn't like it before. Perhaps it just wasn't prepared properly????

Matcha

Matcha is said to be one of the best and healthiest teas rich in antioxidants and flavorful. Matcha is a fine ground green tea powder. It has a sweet, strong, earthy and "green" flavor. It is traditionally served with a "frothy" top not unlike the crema atop a freshly pulled shot of espresso. It is prepared by whisking in with water to blend the finely ground powder as well as to form this frothy top. Unlike other teas, the infusion is not strained off the tea leaves.....it is the actual tea leaves ground and blended with the water.

My first experience with Matcha was at a very popular coffee shop. I can't say that it was a very favorable experience. And it left me really not liking Matcha at all. I opted for a Matcha Latte. Now, I should have known by the way their other beverages are prepared that it would be way too sweet for my liking. Well, it was. They prepare their Matcha Latte by adding a couple pumps of Vanilla syrup as well as a sweetener (according to the barista) and then steam the milk right along with the tea. I'm unclear as to how the tea was prepared prior to the addition of the milk. But it was sickening sweet and I could not even drink the entire drink. The earthiness and "green" flavor was way too strong for my liking as well. I was pretty much turned off from ever wanting to try Matcha again.

Now with the upcoming opening of the Tea & Coffee bar in the store I knew I would have to eventually try Matcha again. And I'd have to make it for customers. So one of the companies that we have been sampling (The Tea Spot) sent a sample of their Matcha. I finally decided to give it a try for myself. What a HUGE difference. This time I prepared it as I had seen on many youtube videos (yes, I youtubed it LOL) and as it had been described to me by other Matcha drinkers. The difference is that I did not have an actual Matcha bowl and whisk so I had to improvise. I prepared it as follows: I added 3/4 tsp of the Matcha to the cup and wet it just enough to make a paste. Then added 8 ounces of hot water and whisked it to blend and create the frothy top. I tasted this mixture without any added sweetener so I'd have an idea of what it truly tastes like. To my surprise, I liked it. So I decided to take it a little further and make a Latte out of it. So I steamed up about 4 ounces of milk with the steaming wand on the espresso machine. Poured that frothed and steamed milk into the cup of Matcha. Tasted once again without sweetener. Very smooth. Very nice flavor. I then added a touch of local honey for a little added sweetness. Liked it even more. So the last step was I added a spot of whipped cream and drizzled with caramel. REALLY loved it then. Yes, I know, I just took this wonderfully healthy beverage and added sugar to it. LOL But it didn't ruin it. It is a delightfully, gently sweetened Matcha Latte.