What is Matcha Green Tea?

Have you ever heard about the health benefits of green tea? Green tea contains a lot of polyphenols, which are naturally-occurring chemicals that act as powerful antioxidants. They are so powerful, in fact, that they are being investigated for their role in cancer prevention and potential treatment. There have been many studies on the healing powers of green tea, but of course more need to be done. Isn’t that always the case?

There aren’t really many downsides to drinking green tea. It does contain caffeine, so you should consume it in moderation, but the benefits are much greater than most other caffeinated beverages (such as coffee). Now, wouldn’t it be great if you could get all the great antioxidizing benefits of drinking about 10 cups of green tea without all that caffeine? And, even better, by drinking just one cup? Enter matcha green tea.

Matcha is a specially-grown type of green tea leaf that is ground down into a powder. That powder is then added to lukewarm water to make a tea. Can you see the difference? With matcha, you’re actually consuming the leaf instead of just infusing some of its properties into your water. Matcha is believed to have about 10 times the antioxidant power of your standard green tea without the comparable amount of caffeine. Just to clarify: Matcha does contain caffeine, and more than standard green tea, but not nearly as much as if you were to drink 10 cups of standard green tea.

With matcha, you’re getting super-sized benefits with less of a caffeine jolt. Actually, matcha doesn’t give you a jolt per se, but it does awaken your senses. It makes you feel alert without feeling jittery, as coffee can make you feel.

A friend actually turned me on to matcha after I told her about my super-jittery experience from having too much coffee before a job interview. Needless to say, I was a awake and alert for my next one without actually sitting there and shaking in my chair. It can work for you too; just give it a shot. Whether you’re looking for a teaching career or a career in social services, a first impression really means a lot. With too much coffee in your system, you can appear overly anxious, which may send red flags to a potential employer.