My recent love affair with matcha
latte, has resulted in me wanting to know more about what matcha is; the health
benefit of matcha etc. Because I would like to know what is it for me if I
drink this or eat that. In other word it, it should have health benefit.
Matcha has a very high in antioxidant ECG: Epigallocatechin
gallate (EGCG), also known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, is the ester of epigallocatechin
and gallic
acid, and is a type of catechin. It is the
most abundant catechin in tea and is a potent antioxidant that may have
therapeutic applications in the treatment of many disorders (e.g. cancer).
Matcha health benefits:
Cancer preventer
Reducing cholesterolWeight loss, reducing fat
Antibacterial and sterilizing
Prevents cavities
Boost a relaxed but alert mental state
Help to build strong bones and teeth
Last but not least, catechin helps to clear
blocked veins and arteries, allowing your blood to flow more smoothly. Some
studies show that Catechin may help prevent strokes, heart attacks, blood clots
and even heart disease. Amazingly, Catechin also protects the entire body from
oxidative damage due to free radicals and other toxins in our environment.
Fun Facts Matcha Antioxidant Level
6.2 times that of Goji
Berries
7 times that of Dark Chocolate
17 times that of Wild Blueberries
60.5 times that of Spinach
7 times that of Dark Chocolate
17 times that of Wild Blueberries
60.5 times that of Spinach
10 times that of found in
fruits & vegetables
The excerpt from Hibiki-an,
a purveyor for Japanese Green Tea from Kyoto, Japan explained:
" With all Japanese teas (Gyokuro, Sencha, Genmaicha,
and Houjicha) except for Matcha, you can ingest large amounts of beneficial
constituents by brewing three times. It is said that 30% to 40% of the healthy
nutrients are extracted into water by brewing tea leaves three times.
Matcha is ground into powder and completely dissolved in water when brewed (prepared), therefore you drink 100% of the healthy nutrients without throwing away the leaves as one does with other teas. Besides, by drinking Matcha you can also ingest oil soluble constituents (Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Beta-carotene, etc.), which are not extracted into water when brewed.
To brew one cup of tea (Gyokuro, Sencha, Genmaicha, and Houjicha), about 3 to 4g (0.11 to 0.14oz) of tea leaves are used. To prepare one bowl (cup) of Matcha, about 2g (0.07oz) of tea leaves are used. Therefore, if you are interested in ingesting these nutrients most efficiently, you can do so by drinking Matcha, more so than with other teas."
Matcha is ground into powder and completely dissolved in water when brewed (prepared), therefore you drink 100% of the healthy nutrients without throwing away the leaves as one does with other teas. Besides, by drinking Matcha you can also ingest oil soluble constituents (Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Beta-carotene, etc.), which are not extracted into water when brewed.
To brew one cup of tea (Gyokuro, Sencha, Genmaicha, and Houjicha), about 3 to 4g (0.11 to 0.14oz) of tea leaves are used. To prepare one bowl (cup) of Matcha, about 2g (0.07oz) of tea leaves are used. Therefore, if you are interested in ingesting these nutrients most efficiently, you can do so by drinking Matcha, more so than with other teas."
While I'm loving my matcha latte, I recently learned that
drinking tea with cow's milk will only prevents me from reaping the health
benefits available from the tea. The milk protein, casein, binds catechin,
making them unavailable to the body. Alternative
to cow's milk is almond milk and soy milk or even coconut milk. Today, I tried
making my matcha latte using almond milk, it tasted awkward. May be the ratio
of matcha powder to the almond milk needs to be lessen. I'm not sure. I'll try
something different the next time I make matcha latte.
Since I discovered that cow's milk should not be mixed with
tea, we drink our matcha as it should be. Plain, usucha style (thin, the
standard way).We drink it in the morning on empty stomach. It replaces
our regular decaf coffee latte, which had replaced the regular coffee
latte. Yes, we have progressed to the right direction :) The taste of matcha is very much like green tea only stronger, grassy, and creamy. The matcha I use has prominent bitter taste to it. Well, I confess I used moderately-hard water where it was available from our tap (to make matcha it is recommended to use soft water), I just guessed the water temperature. Great tasting matcha needs good quality matcha, soft water and water temperature should be between 74C to 80C. I'm still learning to perfect the taste, but as you can see from the picture below, I have achived to create a nice soft foam with small bubbles :)
 |
| Matcha - Usucha |
To prepare for usucha, I use chasen which is a Japanese bamboo whisk, a small sieve and a bowl.
As for the chawan (bowl), I use a normal
soup bowl I have from Ikea which is not too wide on the bottom. If it's not
because of the price, I would have bought matcha chawan. Someday soon.....
 |
| Chasen (Japanese bamboo whisk) |
It is important to sieve before making the tea to prevents lumps and to use chasen. But if you wish a short cut you can always use a hand held frother like from Ikea which costs less than $5.
Click here to see how to prepare usucha and Koicha (thick and strong Matcha, the special way in tea ceremony)
Just to be clear, we are not in any way involved in anything to do with the actual Japanese Ceremonial Tea, as its primary influence in the development came from Zen Buddhism. We are Bible believing Christians.
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment