Quality matcha is not just another type of green tea, it is the champagne of green tea. Matcha comes from the same plant as all tea, Camelia Sinesis but the way it is cultivated and processed is what makes matcha so special. Real matcha tea comes from Japan and is made from the finest shade-grown leaves stone-ground to a fine powder.

Translated from Japanese, matcha means “powdered tea”. With regular green tea, which is infused in hot water, 85-90% of the nutrients are discarded with the leaves. However, with matcha tea, you’re drinking the entire leaf just as in ancient times when tea was a medicine, not a beverage. Your body benefits from all the soluble and non-soluble elements of the tea first hand.

Matcha tea plant

Not only have the Zen Buddhist Monks used Matcha for over 800 years, Matcha was also the tea the samurai who turned to before battle, because of its long lasting energy boost and its ability to promote a state of relaxed awareness. Quality matcha tea gives a sense of well-being and provides a natural boost for hours, whilst also reducing the desire to snack and seek short term energy boosters like coffee.

Photo by Sarah Dorweiler, Aesence