While the health benefits of coffee are frequently debated, another pick-me-up’s nutritional value seems undisputed. Matcha, a Japanese tea, has been found to be good for heart health and brain function. Furthermore, as well as providing a daytime boost it also acts as a de-stresser and aids sleep.
Drinks containing the bright green, finely powdered leaf are becoming increasingly prevalent on the menus of high street food and drink franchises. You can order matcha-based drinks at Starbucks, Leon, Gail’s and Pret, where a matcha latte costs about £4.25. There may even be a dedicated matcha bar near where you live.
Matcha is essentially a green tea from the plant Camellia sinensis, but the way it’s cultivated and processed makes it distinct in taste and nutrition. Its leaves are grown in shade, which experts say is what boosts the nutritional value of the tea, by forcing the leaves to work harder.
“The leaves were initially covered to protect them from frost but then the farmers realised that this produced tea with a different and delicious taste,” says Tim Bond from the Tea Advisory Panel. “Once picked, the leaves are dried and stone-ground into a very fine, talc-like powder — which is what is known as matcha.” • Ultra-processed foods: 9 things you should never buy again True aficionados, like coffee buffs, like to make theirs at home; matcha-making kits are available online for about £20-£50 and there’s a section devoted to matcha teas and accessories in Selfridges. The price of the matcha itself varies tremendously, but as examples, a 30g packet of matcha costs £10.50 from Ocado (for PerfectTed Organic Matcha Powder), while a kilo of No 58 matcha from the Tea Makers of London is £230 (theteamakers.co.uk).Advertisement
To prepare it, sieve 1-2g of matcha into a bowl and add a splash of hot water (about 80C). Then you whisk it until it’s smooth and frothy, and use it as if it were a shot of espresso, usually by topping it up with water or by adding steamed milk. You can even enjoy it cold as an iced latte.
Compared with other teas, where we drink just an infusion of the leaves, with matcha we consume the leaves themselves, hence its higher fibre content and concentration of beneficial compounds. Among these is EGCG, a type of polyphenol that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, protecting cells from damage and guarding against disease.
One study found that Japanese men who drank green tea regularly had a lower risk of prostate cancer, but further research is required. “In a lab environment you can see it has anti-cancer properties but cancer is such an emotive topic I think brands need to be careful with making any huge claims,” Bond says.
A decreased stroke risk was found in another study. The polyphenols in matcha have also been shown to be good for cardio-metabolic health, helpful in promoting weight loss and in improving brain function.
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Matcha contains L-theanine. This amino acid, which isn’t present in coffee, has an effect on our neurotransmitters, promoting what’s called “non-drowsy relaxation”, helping to lower stress. “We know that two cups of matcha green tea a day can significantly lower anxiety, and we also know that five cups of matcha a day can actually help improve your sleep,” Bond says.
This sounds counterintuitive; after all matcha, like most teas, contains caffeine. “The presence of L-theanine downregulates the impact of caffeine,” he says. It’s this plus the relaxation effect that helps us to get off to sleep. “The less stressed and anxious you are the better you’ll sleep, and the better you sleep the less stressed and anxious you’ll be.”
The Jenki matcha bar owners Claudia and Otto Boyer
TANIA RICHARDSON
Claudia and Otto Boyer, who opened their first dedicated matcha bar, Jenki, in London in 2021 and now have four branches, are at the forefront of a trend that Otto says initially took off among Gen Z and millennials but has since expanded.
“We’re seeing a lot of middle-aged professionals who were previously set in their ways switch to matcha because it means they can work for longer,” he says. “One of our branches is underneath a huge law firm and we get so many lawyers coming in who now realise how matcha can benefit their working lives.”
Although still a coffee drinker himself, Otto believes it’s matcha’s gentler caffeine hit that appeals so much. “Coffee will give you a big spike of energy and then a sharp crash, which will leave you wanting another one,” he says. “With matcha you’ll get a more gradual pick-me-up that’s sustained for longer. It’s a much more calm and focused energy.”
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The most popular order at Jenki is a matcha latte, but Mel Suprabha, the owner of Moicha Matcha, which sells premium matcha online, is a purist who prefers to take hers with water. Like coffee, not all matchas are made equal, she says. “Good-quality matcha shouldn’t be bitter. It should have a sweet, fresh and nutty taste. If you add a lot of matcha to your cup it might become bitter, the same as if you brewed black tea for too long, but otherwise bitter can be a sign of bad matcha.” Matcha should be green but not fluorescent and “it definitely shouldn’t be yellow or smell fishy!”
Another sign of quality is that the matcha produces a good froth when you whisk the powder with water. “If it doesn’t, it’s probably not real matcha,” Suprabha says.
There is, however, no standardised categorisation to denote quality. While you may come across terms like “ceremonial grade”, be aware they’re not official and anyone can call their product that. According to Suprabha, the best matcha comes from Uji in Japan, but she concedes: “There’s no point buying the most expensive matcha and only being able to drink it once a year. We want matcha to be for everyday consumption.”
She believes in the Japanese philosophy of kaizen, which means incorporating a small, positive change into our everyday lives. “It’s about consistency,” she says. “That’s how you get the benefits.”