By Pham Tran
Waking up early for school is hard, but the thought that I will get to drink my matcha immediately gets me out of bed. Every morning, a cup of this concentrated green tea powder brewed with almond milk becomes my reason to wake up and is just enough to charge up my energy for the long day ahead.
Origin of matcha
Without Myoan Eisa, a Japanese Zen Buddhist Monk, we wouldn’t know about this addicting green tea powder today. After discovering matcha and its wonderful alerting effects in China, he brought it back to his country to share with others in 1191.
The Zen Buddhist monks adopted this green tea, which led to the creation of the Japanese tea ceremony of “The Way of Tea” based on what was founded on the Tea Specialty Store Het Kleinste Huis’s website. This delightful practice focuses on preparing matcha by carefully whisking the powder with hot water and also emphasizes the values of harmony, tranquility and purity in Zen Buddhism. Modern matcha preparation techniques were born from this polished tea ceremony.
Social status was seen through the ceremony as the aristocrats’ attention was caught by the monks’ preparation ritual according to Breakaway Matcha. The upper classes took matcha as an art, not just something to drink for leisure. Making a bowl of matcha involves beautiful movements and a delightful manner which set them apart from the lower classes, who enjoy their tea in a less mannered way.
Health supporter
Matcha said “hello” to the world as a magical hero that Mother Nature provides to fight our sicknesses. We drink matcha simply because it tastes good, but don’t realize how great it is as a health supporter. Let’s look at some amazing health benefits that matcha has to offer based on the information found on Healthline!
This green tea carries a generous amount of antioxidants, which fight off the harmful free radicals that can harm our cells and foster chronic diseases.
Your brain functions more effectively through matcha intake. It contains more caffeine from 19-44 mg/g compared to regular green tea, which has a smaller concentration of only 11-25 mg/g. According to Healthline, on a typical day, individuals who consumed matcha had more alertness, better memorization and a quicker reaction time than those who drink regular green tea. Everyone can get benefits from matcha, including older people, as it could also help improve their brain function.
The wonderful effects of matcha keep on expanding. Your liver could be grateful for your matcha addiction as it could prevent the risk of getting liver disease later on. The bottom of your heart is filled with joyfulness as matcha protects you from cardiovascular disease and lowers the risk of high blood pressure. Matcha also contains anti-cancer compounds that alter the growth of cancer cells.
Rise in the modern world
Taking its origin in traditional tea ceremonies, matcha eventually became the drink that people have to hunt for in modern times. Matcha cafe shops emerged rapidly as the powder can now be combined with many other ingredients to create new items on expanding menus. Not only does matcha have amazing health benefits, but its versatility is what drives baristas to keep experimenting and discovering new recipes to attract customers. Matcha today is available in many different beverages and desserts, not to mention the currently viral matcha latte.
With the current trends of living healthier lifestyles and superfoods, matcha has become a healthy choice. Social media fosters the growth of matcha to consumers even more as celebrities influence their followers through their aesthetic posts of matcha lattes at local coffee shops. The earthy green color attracts the eyes and makes people want to taste this healthy yet delicious drink.
