With green tea being as healthy, inexpensive and easy to obtain as it is, it’s no wonder that it is so widely appreciated throughout the world. Coming in a variety of different forms, green tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and is prized for it’s delicious taste and various health benefits. Perhaps one of the most highly prized forms of tea is matcha, which is basically a green tea powder. Matcha is used worldwide in a variety of different applications, from flavoring ice cream to being transformed into hot or cold tea. For green tea aficionados, matcha is often considered to be the ultimate in quality.

Matcha Production

The majority of the world drinks tea that is brewed from solid, often whole tea leaves that are fired and dried. These leaves are either bagged or placed in a tea ball and steeped in hot water to produce tea. Matcha differs from more traditional forms of green tea in that it truly is in powder form. The difference between matcha and other teas is in the production process. While other tea leaves are left whole, tea leaves that will eventually become matcha are stone-ground until they reach a consistency of powder. The powder is then leavened until it reaches a fine, consistent grain and is then packed for sale. While many people mistakenly think that Matcha is a strange, hybrid form of tea, the truth is that it is nothing more than common green tea in a unique form.

Matcha Health Benefits

Because matcha is just a grounded up form of green tea, it thankfully retains all the health benefits that one might normally associate with green tea proper. Aside from having antibacterial qualities that can ward off gum disease and food poisoning, green tea (especially matcha) is rich in antioxidants and is often considered to be instrumental in the prevention of certain illnesses such as cancer and heart diseases. The benefits of drinking even a single cup of green tea per day are astounding, and can really do wonders for one’s health.

Matcha Preparation

Because matcha is in powder form, it must be prepared in a slightly different fashion from other, more traditional forms of green tea. Generally, matcha is prepared by slowly whisking in small amounts of the powder into hot (but never boiling) water, until it reaches the consistency and potency that one desires. Depending upon how one likes their matcha, it can be prepared either thin (with a small amount of powder) or thick (more powder), each having its own set of flavor characteristic.

No matter how it is prepared, matcha is a healthful, unique and delicious drink suitable for every day.

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