Is Matcha Tea All It's Cracked Up To Be?

When it comes to healthy eating and drinking, we’re constantly being bombarded with tips on what we should and shouldn’t consume. There is always a new superfood or ingredient being touted as a cure-all, which can make it difficult to know what really offers benefits.

One thing you’ve probably seen the hype about is matcha tea, but this isn’t a new fad that will come and go. Matcha has been used for centuries in Japanese tea ceremonies and has been praised for its health benefits for just as long.

Matcha is a type of green tea that comes in powdered form rather than tea bags, with only a small amount of the powder being needed to mix up a drink as it is so powerful – which means a small pot can go a very long way!

It has started becoming a more popular beverage in the UK over the last few years, with more and more people swapping their morning coffee for a matcha shot or latte. But exactly why has it started to become the go-to choice over a typical cup of coffee?

There are a number of benefits that are associated with green tea, but more when it comes to matcha in particular, due to its concentrated nature. Some studies have found that matcha could help to boost brain power, staving off illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease and improving your memory in the short term – meaning you could find your car keys much easier.

Other people turn to matcha in a bid to support weight loss or weight management, along with a healthy diet and exercise. No, this isn’t because it’s a miracle cure that will have you waking up skinny, it has been found to help boost the metabolism, which could help you lose weight faster.

Probably the biggest advertised reason for drinking matcha is that it is full of antioxidants, which work as anti-inflammatories and support anti-ageing, among other things. While you can get these antioxidants from green tea, matcha offers more than 100-times the amount in just one glass!

Of course, it also helps to wake you up as it does contain caffeine – although not as much as coffee – which means a shot of matcha in the morning could be a healthier alternative to your vanilla latte.

We’re not saying it tastes amazing – it sort of tastes a bit like grass but can easily be masked with some honey or orange juice – and will offer instant benefits, but it could definitely be worth giving it a try if you want to cut down on your coffee intake and support your immune system as we head into winter.