The health benefits of Matcha are extensive. Matcha is disproportionately healthier than all teas, including regular green teas, simply by the virtue of how it is consumed. Unlike steeped teas, where the nutrients are infused into the water and the leaves tossed out, matcha tea requires that one consumes the entire tealeaves whole. This means that compared to steeped teas, which carry only somewhere between 5% and 15% of its original dry weight in nutrients, matcha tea allows one to consume 100% of it.
So to put things into perspective, matcha green tea contains between 10 to 15 times the nutrients found in regular green tea. Matcha also contains approximately 70 times the antioxidants found in orange juice and 9 times the beta carotene of spinach. It also contains iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and a host of other minerals. As for vitamins, the tea contains Vitamin A, B, C, E, K, U, and P as well as others like thiamine and folate. Matcha tea is like the uber-green tea. It carries over all the health benefits sited in modern medicine but at a completely new level. Most peer reviewed medical journals that tout green teas' ability to impact cancer, cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes etc… all assume a consumption amount of between 5 to 10 cups of fresh (therefore not stale, bagged) green tea a day. For most North Americans, this amount is impossible to achieve. However, with one cup of matcha, equating to between 10 to 15 cups of regular green tea, the minimum is satisfied in one gulp.
Is the caffeine the same for a cup of Matcha vs an Espresso?
Matcha tea, and teas in general for that matter, function very differently from coffee. Unlike coffee caffeine, which goes directly into one's blood stream and gives the consumer the famed caffeine “jitters and sweats”, tea caffeine releases very differently. Tea caffeine, or theaphylline, is a lighter cousin to coffee caffeine and is simply milder in comparison and releases in small dosages over a longer period of time. Coupled with the L-theanines, a unique set of amino acids distinct to teas, the theaphylline releases small dosages over a period of 3 to 6 hours. There is just enough tea caffeine released to keep the body and mind physically awake without going overboard like coffee. As well as this, the L-theanines allow the mind to relax and focus clearer, making quick and decisive thinking easier to do. Thus, matcha tea provides a 3 to 6 energy kick without the negative consequences often associated with coffee caffeine. Rather that disrupting concentration, the tea will help to improve it.
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