Why switching to matcha in 2019 is a good idea

Why switching to matcha in 2019 is a good idea and what is best matcha tea UK?

At the beginning of each year, we make a conscious choice to improve our health and introduce a new trend into our life. Somehow January is always the best time to start even though, I believe any day or a month is a good time to improve your health.  Matcha is on my list this time and I wanted to share the benefits of including matcha into your lifestyle and how to conveniently make it at home.

What is Matcha?

Despite many believing that Matcha originated in Japan, it actually came from China 900 years ago as a drinking ritual amongst Chinese Buddhist monks. They later introduced it to the Japanese where it remained a prominent part of the Japanese tea drinking culture. I had a great opportunity to learn all about how Japanese prepare matcha at home at the Pure Leaf event last week.

In a nutshell, matcha is made from green tea leaves that come from a plant called Camellia sinensis. This type of green tea is grown in two regions in Japan; Uji (Kyoto) and Nishio (Aichi). The plant is usually shielded against the direct sunlight over the course of 3 weeks in order to stimulate the production of chlorophyll which contributes to the beautiful shade of green that distinguishes matcha from any other drink. This process also helps the plant to increases amino acid theanine which is responsible for its flavour.

Once this process comes to an end and plants are ready for harvesting, the leaves are then handpicked, steamed, dried and cleaned. The pure leaf is then ground into a fine powder and traditionally at home with a mortar and pestle ready for serving fresh in front of you. Japanese serve it a part of a ritual that focuses on intention and mindfulness.

Health benefits of Matcha

This beautiful green and potent drink made out of an entire green tea leaf are packed with antioxidants and nutrients to help with reducing cancerous cells growth and improve metabolic rates. Matcha is more concentrated in nutrients than other tea, also rich in polyphenols that in addition to cancer-fighting benefits, it also has anti-ageing benefits and helps to reduce heart failure risks.
The amino acid L-theanine which is found in matcha in rich contents helps with anti-anxiety and relaxation. It’s also high in caffeine which increases the awareness. It inspires mindfulness due to its preparation process making it a perfect reason to slow down and do something that’s good for your mind.

Matcha vs Coffee

As a massive coffee lover, thanks to my Serbian roots, I had to transition into matcha. Luckily Pure Leaf offers different flavours making it transition that much smoother. My favourite is ginger flavoured matcha as it really makes me feel that I’m being so much kinder to myself.

Apart from coffee being more vastly available to us at a lower cost, Matcha contains the amino acid L-theanine which basically gives you a caffeine kick without a jittery feeling. This is a perfect replacement for everyone who suffers from anxiety associated with caffeine as our body process the amino acid L-theanine in a different way. Matcha gives a more sustained boost and it improves focus and concentration for a longer period of time.

Matcha provides a higher amount of antioxidants boosting your metabolism more than the coffee can, therefore, making a perfect post or pre-gym drink.

Lastly, you can say goodbye to the annoying coffee breath.

Making Matcha conveniently at home

Pure Leaf made enjoying matcha at home super easy and convenient by coming up with a pre-portioned sachet serving suggestion. They have 3 flavours available, classic, ginger and mint and each sachet is made our of shade-grown Japanese tea leaves grown in the gardens in Kagoshima. The leaves are finely ground, suspended in liquid to form a tea and then ingested instead of brewed and discarded.

Perfectly pre-portioned sachets can help you avoid the wasted making it easy to make your at-home matcha drink within minutes. You can also pack the sachets with you an enjoy them on the go as all you need to add is hot water with a little whisk. It’s actually recommended to whisk in a W in order to achieve better foaming.

Pure leaf is available at the UK retailers Amazon, Ocado, Asda and Morrisons at £8.99.

This post is in collaboration with Pure Leaf.

I hope you increase your matcha consumption in 2019 as it really contains amazing health benefits especially good for people that lead a busy lifestyle in big cities such as London.

Tania xxx

This post is in collaboration with Pure Leaf.