What’s that green drink? It’s Matcha!
Matcha, often known for its spiritual and health benefits, has a long history dating back to 9th century Japan. Once only accessible by elite, Zen practitioners and samurai warrior classes, now you can enjoy this revered drink at all of our café locations.
MATCHA AS A TEA OR INFUSED
Matcha is a very pleasant and soothing drink that offers complex distinctively sweet flavor, combined with earthy and rich umami notes. It can be drank as a traditional tea or added to a variety of beverages. Our Roast Master Seth shared, “A hand-crafted matcha latte is a great source of clean, healthy energy.” Since we’ve added matcha to our menu, we love it so much, we’ve come up with a variety of matcha-infused concoctions available at our café locations.
WHAT IS MATCHA?
A traditional Japanese green tea powder, matcha is made by stone milling Tencha leaves into a fine powder. Harvested just once a year between May and June, Tencha is grown almost exclusively to make matcha. For 3-5 weeks prior to harvest, the tea bushes are shaded using a traditional frame-and-hatch technique. This shading inhibits photosynthesis, boosting chlorophyll levels and creating a deep green leaf color. In its struggle to gather more light, the tea bush pulls nutrients from its roots and grows wide, thin, tender tea leaves. This results in boosted levels of natural plant sugars, amino acids and caffeine.
THE MANY BENEFITS OF MATCHA
Matcha is often touted for its health benefits, along with its ability to enhance mood and aid in concentration. Unlike other green teas, with matcha the whole leaf is consumed, giving it a much higher concentration of caffeine. A rare amino acid found in the leaves, L-theanine, counteracts many of the negative side effects of the caffeine, typically inhibiting the jitters or crash you may experience. Many have even shared that matcha has a relaxing and calming effect on them.
Matcha tea is packed with antioxidants, which may help to fortify the immune system and prevent disease. The leaf provides a variety of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium. Matcha has also been known to improve skin complexion and detoxify the body, along with a myriad of other health benefits.
