What’s green tea

Did you know that all tea types, White, Black and Green are brewed from the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis bush. The level of oxidation of the leaves determines the type of tea. Lets take a look at different types of tea leaves available in Japan and where it comes from

Open Tea field (Rotenen)

The most common tea plantation in Japan to produce normal green tea like sencha and other varieties

The tea leaves undergo a lengthy process of repeated sorting, sifting, steaming, drying and cutting before they become tencha. Tencha is the raw ingredient of matcha, and blenders will then perform taste tests on the different batches of tencha to direct the ratios for each distinct matcha blend. At this stage, oxidation and shelf life is a concern. All reputable matcha processors will mark and seal the tencha up in large wooden boxes for refrigeration. These boxes are left untouched until it is time to produce a batch of matcha.

Closed Tea field (Oishitaen)

The tea plants shown here will be grown under the shade canopy for about 4 weeks before harvest. This process starves the plant of sunlight, and forces its roots to work overtime in drawing nutrients from the ground. The result is a more complex amino acid profile, giving finished its matcha is wonderfully complex flavors. Gyokuro snd Tencha (tea leaves to make Matcha) comes from these shaded plantations

Gyokuro (aromatic green tea)

Gyokuro is made from fresh tea buds grown in a shaded tea plantation that is shielded from sunlight for at least 20 days. Gyokuro has a unique rich aroma, mild sweetness and umami. Gyokuro is known to be one of the most premium teas in the world.

Genmaicha (brown rice tea)

Genmaicha is a popular tea made by mixing roasted rice with sencha (ordinary green tea) or bancha (low-grade green tea). The fragrance of roasted rice and the refreshing taste of sencha go together well, making the tea easy to drink for everyone.

Sencha (ordinary green tea)

Tea leaves grown under the sun in open-air tea plantations are rubbed into a needle shape to make sencha. The tea is characterized by a refreshing aroma and refined astringency. This is the most widely consumed tea in Japan, accounting for approximately 70% of all tea distribution.

Hojicha (roasted green tea)

Hojicha is made by roasting sencha (ordinary green tea), bancha (low-grade green tea), and kukicha (stem tea) with intense heat to bring out their distinctive aroma. Since a temperature close to 200°C is used for roasting, hojicha has a low caffeine content and is safe for consumption by babies and pregnant women. The light refreshing taste cleanses the palate after an oily meal.

Kukicha (stem tea)

This tea is made from a collection of stems of tea plants with a unique fresh aroma and a variety of flavors depending on the type. Kukicha that contains only the stems of gyokuro is gaining popularity because of its well-rounded flavor.

Matcha (Powdered green tea)

The shaded tea leaves Gyokuro is steamed, dried and rolled. To produce Matcha the same shaded tea leaves go through a refining process to remove the stems and veins, then dried to produce Tencha. Tencha is then ground into powder to create matcha.

Both Gyokuro and Matcha has good umami and low astringency. The shade grown process suppress the astringency and increases the L-theanine of the tea leaves.

Health Benefits of Matcha

Matcha can be consumed in various ways - lattes, matcha shots, desserts, Pan cakes, Smoothies etc.

When you consume matcha, you are getting an unparalleled amount of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and more. On average, one serving of matcha is the same as 10 cups of regular green tea. That means you get over 100x the number of antioxidants per cup.

As would be expected, the health benefits are vast. With its potent nutritional properties, matcha can boost your metabolism, detoxify your body, calm the mind, enhance your mood, and lower cholesterol. Matcha provides vitamin C, selenium, zinc, magnesium, EGCG, fiber, chromium, and more.

Matcha supports a healthier immune system too. Its antioxidant catechins work to boost the immune system against cancer, assist with weight loss through thermogenesis, and improve your concentration with L-theanine. Studies also remind us that matcha may help boost immunity against the common cold and flu virus, because the catechins protect our cells from infection by reducing their chance of attaching to pathogens. In short, matcha can help you feel better, think better, and live healthier.

Matcha is best source of natural EGCG. Particularly, polyphenols like the catechin EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) found in matcha are thought to confer anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and metabolic benefits.

These unique polyphenol antioxidants also range widely for our functional nutrition needs, working in tandem with the dense vitamin and mineral content of matcha.

Health Benefits of Matcha Catechins

There are many catechins in matcha, not just EGCG

Some aid nutrient absorption, and overall microbiome health.
Others are more established as potential anti-cancer agents.
Matcha also contains a group of polyphenols known as flavonoids, with an equally unique range of health boosting properties.

Catechins are present in many dietary products such as plants, fruits (such as apples, blueberries, gooseberries, grape seeds, kiwi, strawberries), green tea, red wine, beer, cacao liquor, and chocolate.

Still, matcha is nature’s strongest source of EGCG.

L-Theanine in matcha

Matcha also helps balance blood sugar and process caffeine calmly thanks to L- Theanine—a rare amino acid that is also a key player in promoting relaxation and soothing your nerves. It also modifies the effect of caffeine, giving you a feeling of relaxed alertness.

L-theanine allows you to drink matcha later in the day and not worry about having trouble falling asleep. Thus, matcha can positively impact quality of sleep and also be a great alternative to coffee if you suffer from caffeine sensitivity.

While a cup of espresso in the morning will wake you up, it also spikes your stress hormones. Coffee caffeine is absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream, but you may notice after an hour that you have less energy and are more grumpy than you were before. Unlike coffee, caffeine from matcha is absorbed very slowly into the body, giving you a long and sustained energy boost rather than a quick spike.