What is Matcha?
What is Matcha Tea?
Matcha is a highly nutritious, energy-boosting superfood made of 100% pure, organic green tea leaves. The leaves are hand picked by Japanese artisans, steamed, then stone ground into a fine emerald green powder called Matcha.
When you drink Matcha, you ingest the entire leaf and receive all of the nutrients, vitamins, fibre and antioxidants from it.
Our Green Tea plants are specially cultivated using traditional Japanese methods in the mountains of Nishio, Japan, on the same fertile land that was used to grow them for 800 years. Matcha is incredibly nutritious and contains 10x the nutrients and benefits of standard Green Tea.
Our organic Matcha is the purest on Earth, which is why it's called: Earth Matcha.
Health Benefits
Energy Boosting
Earth Matcha is a natural, clean, green energy booster. It contains a unique amino acid called L-theanine, found almost exclusively in tea plants. When it is consumed, it brings on a calm, alert, relaxed mental clarity by increasing alpha frequencies. The green tea leaves naturally contain approx. 35mg of caffeine per 1g serving, which is less than half of the caffeine in a standard cup of coffee (90g). The difference is in how the Matcha is absorbed and utilized by the body. The synergy of the natural caffeine and L-Theanine in Earth Matcha allows for a slow, steady absorption into the blood stream, allowing for steady natural energy, without the jitters, anxiety, or caffeine crash of coffee! This is a critical difference which makes the energy from Matcha significantly healthier and more useful, for a more productive day!
Metabolism Boosting
Earth Matcha is loaded with an antioxidant called ECCG (Epigallocathechin Gallate). This is the most abundant antioxidant found in Earth Matcha, and is known for its ability to boost metabolism and help the body break down large molecules (like fat) to be utilized by the body as energy. Matcha is also a source of dietary fibre, which helps to stabilize glucose and cholesterol levels and keep the digestive system healthy.
Fat Burning
With the metabolism boosted from the ECCG antioxidants, the body can break down more fat molecules and use them for energy. This process is known as fat oxidization. The amount of ECCG in Earth Matcha is up to 137x more than standard Green tea.
Calms the mind and relaxes the body
Preparation of matcha tea is the focus of the Japanese tea ceremony and has a long association with Zen. Preparing Matcha in the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony method is both enjoyable and meditative. The matcha itself also contains properties to calm the mind and relax the body. The L-Theanine amino acid works to regulate the natural plant-based caffeine to allow for calm, alert mental focus without the jitters and caffeine crash of coffee. This is why monks have been drinking Matcha tea for hundreds of years.
Free-radical Fighting
The catechins found in Green Tea help to increase oxygen flow in the body. The antioxidants in Matcha neutralize free radicals, this preventing them from causing damage to other cells. High concentrations of free radicals in the body cause damage to cells and may play a role in the development of cancer and other health conditions
“By using metabolic phenotyping, we found that the tea is suppressing oxidative mitochondrial metabolism – in other words it is preventing the cells from ‘re-fuelling’ and therefore they become inactive and die. The effects on human breast cancer cells were very striking; the active ingredients in Matcha having a surgical effect in knocking out certain signalling pathways."
- Michael Lisanti, Professor of Translational medicine at the Biomedical Research Centre at the University of Salford, UK.
Aids in Memory/Concentration
Matcha has been shown to not only boost mental alertness and clarity, but also productivity and concentration. In recent tests, those who drank Matcha were found to have improved short-term memory and higher brain function in the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain. The frontal lobe is responsible for the majority of advanced thinking, while the parietal lobe in the back of the brain handles the cognitive understanding of speech. This means information recall and the processing speed of information is boosted. These benefits are attributed to the natural plant-based caffeine in combination with the L-Theanine amino acids in Matcha.
Immune System Strengthening
The cathechin compounds aid in the resistance of the body to many toxins. The naturally high antioxidant content, particularly Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) assists in the body’s production of T-Cells which reduce inflammation and fight pathogens. The flavonoids and antioxidants both form a powerful anti-bacterial defence force! They help to eliminate bacteria from viruses/infections while the flavonoids are great for soothing a sore throat!
Naturally Detoxifying
During cultivation, Earth Matcha is shaded for a long period of time for the plants to naturally boost chlorophyll levels. Chlorophyll is commonly sold as a supplement, and is similar to hemoglobin in structure. Hemoglobin is the molecule responsible for carrying oxygen around the body. It is known as a natural detoxifier, as it helps the body to regenerate cells. The Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) antioxidants help to reduce inflammation in the body.
Cholesterol and Blood Sugar Lowering
The dietary fibre and catechins compounds in matcha help to stabilize glucose and cholesterol levels to keep the digestive system healthy. It also contains practically no calories.
Vitamin Enriched
Matcha naturally contains many trace minerals and vitamins, including A, B-complex, C, E, and K for the maintenance of good health and micronutrient needs.
REFERENCES:
1. Juneja, L (1999), L-theanine--a unique amino acid of green tea and its relaxation effect in humans. Trends in Food Science & Technology 10 (6-7): 199.
2. Boschmann, M, Thielecke, F (2007), The effects of epigallocathechin-3-gallate on the thermogenesis and fat oxidation in obese men: a pilot study. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 26(4): 389-395.
3. Cardoso, G., Salgado, J., Cesar, M. and Donado-Pestana, C. (2013). The effects of green tea consumption and resistance training on bod compisition and resting metabolic rate in overweight or obese women. Jordanal of medicinal food, 16(2):120-127
4. Weiss, David J.; Anderton, Christopher R. (2003). Determination of Cathechins in matcha green tea by micellar electrokinetic chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A 1011 (1-2): 173-80.
5. Haskell, C., Kennedy, D., Milne, A., Wesnes, K. and Scholey, A. (2008). The effects of L-theanine, caffeine and their combination on cognition and mood. Biological psychology, 77(2): 113--122.
6. Brennan, CS (2005). Dietary fibre, glycemic response, and diabetes. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, 49(6):560-70.
7. Translational Medicine, School of Environment and Life Sciences, Biomedical Research Centre, University of Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
How is Matcha Made?
Earth Matcha is made from 100% pure, natural, organic green tea leaves. The traditional Japanese cultivation methods keep the matcha as pure and natural as possible. The process is long and difficult, which is why our Matcha is such a premium product. It is a labour of love that is considered an art. The process is as follows:
Why Earth Matcha?
Not all matcha is made equally. Many matcha brands have fillers, artificial flavors, and other additives. Earth Matcha is the purest Matcha in the world, and we stand by that. We have one ingredient in our Matcha: Certified Organic Green Tea Leaves. Nothing more, nothing less.
Next comes the grade of Matcha. There are several different grades of Matcha, from culinary grade (bitter, yellowish in colour, less antioxidants) all the way up to Ceremonial grade (deepest and darkest green, sweetest flavour, exploding with antioxidants and nutrients).
Finally, there is the quality of the leaves themselves. Our Matcha leaves are certified USDA and JAS organic under the strictest regulations, grown on farms that have been growing Matcha for hundreds of years, and cultivated in the traditional Japanese manner. The regulations on our Matcha are the strictest in the world. It is as pure and natural as Matcha gets. No chemicals, no pesticides, no GMO, heavy metal tested, no colors, no flavors, no additives. Just 1 simple ingredient that comes straight from the Earth to your cup: Earth Matcha.