Treat yourself to a tasty and nutritious superfood-enriched sip (or bite!) with brilliant matcha powder, made from premium, responsibly-sourced green tea leaves. This delightful wonder food is an excellent source of vitamin A and supplies potent antioxidants and amino acids to help you conquer your day.

Thanks to its balanced composition and L-theanine content, matcha can leave you with a feeling of calm focus, even while offering a small boost of energy.^1,2 For centuries, Japanese Zen Monks and Chinese Daoists have valued these qualities to stay focused during their daily rites and meditation—and today you can turn to this healthy coffee alternative for your very own morning or afternoon boost.  

Prized in Japanese culture as a ceremonial tea, matcha is traditionally made from stone-ground green tea leaves that, when stirred with hot water and a bamboo whisk, create a stunning green-hued beverage. 

It’s Easy Being Green!

Behind water, tea is the most consumed beverage on the planet. And in many parts of the world green tea is preferred, not only for its pleasant flavor but also for its ability to support a healthy body and spirit.

The good news is that matcha takes the already amazing health benefits of green tea to the next level! Unlike a traditional cup of brewed tea where the tea leaves are removed after you steep them, matcha includes the entire nutrient-rich leaf so you can enjoy all the green goodness.

Additionally, matcha delivers beneficial phytonutrients, including chlorophyll, that help to uplift and support overall well-being. When enjoyed as a part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, matcha green tea can help you to unlock your inner zen and move through your days with grace, energy, and tranquility.

How to Enjoy Matcha

Traditionally, matcha is enjoyed as a tea beverage, whether in a thin mixture called “usucha” or a thicker blend, often known as “koicha.” If you’ve enjoyed matcha in a cafe setting, you’re probably more familiar with the usucha preparation, but both are quite satisfying and simple to prepare at home.

To prepare a matcha latte, add a teaspoon of matcha to a small amount of boiling water in the bottom of your favorite mug and whisk well. Then add steamed oat milk, or another milk substitute of your choice, to fill the mug. If you prefer, you can also add a dash of your favorite natural sweetener and sprinkle some sifted matcha onto the top for a little extra pizazz on a slow weekend morning.

You can also savor your matcha in an iced latte or blended into a smoothie, as its bold green tint adds a fun color and a delicate vegetal flavor to your favorite blended beverage.

Want to try something different? How about a stress-busting cookie!³ Bake matcha powder into cookies or muffins to add a calming vibe and extra nutrient punch (not to mention fun color!) to your children’s special treats. Or go gourmet with a bold green vegan cheesecake—kudos to added matcha—at your next family celebration.

Choose Traditional, Sustainably Harvested Matcha

As you may have guessed, nourishing matcha doesn’t come from just any green tea leaves. The process of growing and harvesting tea leaves for matcha is unique from other green tea production—and that makes all the difference when it comes to what’s in your cup.

In keeping with the Japanese tradition of superior matcha, Sari Foods sources our Organic Matcha Powder from Camellia sinensis tea bushes located on misty Japanese hillsides where farmers take the utmost care to choose only the highest quality green tea leaves for production. They’re also maintained under the strictest USDA organic regulations to ensure that only the highest quality matcha makes it to you.

Before the leaves are harvested at the peak of their nutritional goodness, growers cover the bushes to shade them from the sun for 20 days leading up to the harvest. Then, the best leaves are picked from the bushes and are steamed, stemmed, and stone ground to produce vibrant, delicious matcha. This practice also allows the leaves to develop the deep green hue that makes our matcha truly unforgettable.

Add some Sari Foods Organic Matcha Powder to your daily lineup, either as a coffee replacement or confectionary treat, and see how this superfood can help you unlock your inner vibrancy!

References:

1. Unno, K., Furushima, D., Hamamoto, S., Iguchi, K., Yamada, H., Morita, A., … Nakamura, Y. (2018). Stress-Reducing Function of Matcha Green Tea in Animal Experiments and Clinical Trials. Nutrients, 10(10), 1468. doi:10.3390/nu10101468

2. Dietz, C., Dekker, M., & Piqueras-Fiszman, B. (2017). An intervention study on the effect of matcha tea, in drink and snack bar formats, on mood and cognitive performance. Food Research International,99, 72-83. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2017.05.002

3. Unno, K., Furushima, D., Hamamoto, S., Iguchi, K., Yamada, H., Morita, A., . . . Nakamura, Y. (2019). Stress-reducing effect of cookies containing matcha green tea: Essential ratio among theanine, arginine, caffeine and epigallocatechin gallate. Heliyon,5(5). doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01653