Modern matcha

Matcha is making more and more of a mark in these modern times. It's finely ground down, powdered green tea (cha meaning 'tea' in Japanese), and is purported to have wonderful health effects.

Matcha - powdered green tea

The first time I came across matcha was when my Zen teacher Daizan did a Japanese tea ceremony with us a few years back – I thought it tasted pretty horrible, bitter and strong! Then I went to Japan and we spent an afternoon with a tea master (mistress; on the left in the photo) and learnt about the art of the tea ceremony.

The development of the tea ceremony in Japan was very much influenced by Zen over the centuries, and has almost become the epitomy of mindfulness practice in action. Everything about the ceremony is highly ritualised, from the way you sit, the way the tea is prepared and the cleansing of the utensils, what kind of bowels are used, how you drink it, what scroll is handing on the wall and what flower arrangement is used, etc, etc. If your mind wanders then you can easily forget a crucial detail, so you must stay focussed!

But tea ceremony isn't just good for the mind. As I mentioned above, matcha has many fantastic health benefits. As I wrote in a previous article, the first person credited with bringing green tea from China to Japan was a Zen monk called Myōan Eisai (b. 1141). He wrote a manual for restoring and boosting health and wellbeing called "Drink tea and prolong life", and, as you can imagine, tea featured pretty highly.

In Chinese and Japanese traditional medicine, the heart is associated with the bitter taste, and the heart is seen as being the chief among the organs. At the time Eisai noticed people consumed very few bitter foods, he suggested drinking bitter green tea as a way of balancing their diet and restoring health. I think this applies just as much today, though, as back in the 1100s. We eat very few bitter foods (and those we do eat we tend to sweeten). I guess alcohol is one exception (beer and wine tend to be more bitter than your average drink), and if you've ever tried to get a non-alcoholic drink in a bar that's not mega-sweet then you'll appreciate this.

According to modern science, Eisai was really onto something with his green tea.

The tea bushes used to make matcha are grown under shade which causes the plant to dramatically increase the Chlorophyll content of the leaf, and Chlorophyll is rich in antioxidants. As a result, matcha has something like 140 times the antioxidants of regular green tea. Oxidation (a chemical reaction resulting in a gain in an oxygen atom) is a process that can cause cell dysfunction (a peeled apple or potato turning brown is the effect of oxidation), and the skin is at particular risk since it's our outer layer. Antioxidants block the effects of highly reactive molecules containing oxygen (free radicals) by sacrificing (being oxidized) themselves – hence why they're so important. Green tea also naturally contains polyphenols which can further inhibit UV radiation-induced skin damage.

According to this Teapigs article, matcha also contains two special amino acids called Theophylline and L-Theanine which give a sustained energy boost which can last 6 hours – this I've certainly noticed myself – and it can also increase your body's heat production by up to 40%, helping weight loss and the metabolism. And since matcha is made from the whole tea leaf, finely ground up, you end up consuming every last bit of goodness!

Teapigs modern matcha kit

Now what about caffeine... Ok so matcha has more caffeine in it than black tea, but only about 2/3 of the amount of caffeine compared to a standard filter coffee. Here are the stats: black tea 17mg per 100ml, matcha 29mg, filter coffee 45mg, espresso 173mg (source www.caffeineinformer.com). When you take into account the amino acids and this caffeine, it can really give you quite a lift.

Since I recently received a Modern Matcha Kit from Teapigs, I've been experimenting with ways of incorporating a more modern, cut-down tea ceremony into my daily routine.

I've got my traditional utensils – my chashaku (tea scoop) and chasen (whisk) – and my beautiful chawan (tea bowls). And now, thanks to Teapigs, I've got my modern equivalents – a 2ml plastic tea scoop, an Aerolatte electric frother, and a Teapigs shot glass.

My traditional bamboo tea scoop (chashaku) and the modern plastic equivalent

My traditional chasen (bamboo whisk)

The first time I tried the electric whisk with some matcha and hot water in the shot glass, about a second after I turned it on I had nothing left in the glass! Again, when I tried the electric whisk in a half-full tea bowl I was left with barely anything in the bowl! The frother is clearly over-powered for the job! However, electric whisking the matcha with just a small amount of water in the bottom of the bowl seems to work much better. The powder is well mixed in (no lumps) and a good froth forms, then you only need to add more hot water. I have to say it certainly beats the manual whisk in terms of convenience and effort (especially given my poor whisking technique!).

I've found my matcha routine a lovely addition to my morning. My meditation starts with methodically and mindfully making a matcha (so many alliterations...), drinking it slowly on my meditation cushion, then sitting for my usual 30mins of practice.

If you would like to try matcha for yourself or anything else from Teapigs, they've very kindly offered a 10% discount to readers of this blog valid until the end of June 2014. Just enter "mark" at the Teapigs checkout to get your discount (excludes cheeky, bulk buys, pick & mix and matcha kits). You could try doing the teapigs matcha challenge... Do let me know about your experiences with matcha using the comments box below.

teapigs matcha challenge

(Thanks to teapigs for sending me their modern matcha kit.)

If you would like to try matcha for yourself or anything else from teapigs, they have very kindly offered a 10% discount code for all Blue Kitchen Bakes readers valid until the end of June. Just enter blue at the checkout (excludes cheeky, bulk buys, pick & mix and matcha kits).

Thanks to teapigs for sending me a matcha kit. All views and opinions are my own.  - See more at: http://bluekitchenbakes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/i-took-on-teapigs-matcha-challenge.html#sthash.mUE57rjL.dpufffffffffffffffffff