Is Matcha Powder Better For You Than Green Tea?

We can’t stop sipping the new matcha-powered green juices and milks by Pressed Juicery made with the magic green dust from ceremonial-grade Panatea.

We're well aware of green tea's benefits, but as iced matcha lattes sweep the nation, we wanted to know if there was big difference between a good cup of green tea and a cuppa matcha. Is matcha powder better for you than green tea? We asked Dr. Lisa Davis of Pressed Juicery’s medical board just that - and now we're more hooked than ever.

Ready to drink up? Head over to our Instagram today to win your own emerald stash of Panatea matcha and explore the benefits of matcha below...

Aside from water, tea is the most popular beverage on earth. It’s more than just a drink or an ingredient; it’s honored in cultures and societies all over the globe, and matcha is perhaps its most perfected form.When you incorporate matcha into your diet, especially when it’s blended with water or healthy juices and ingredients, you’re taking part in a superfood trend that’s lasted for dynasties. Discover the benefits of matcha below...

The New Ingredient That’s Been Around for Centuries

“Tea helps one slough off all fatigue and drowsiness, promoting an awakened mind. Tea purifies the spirit, removes anxiety and nervousness, and brings ease and comfort for meditating. Tea aids in the digestion of food and removes toxins from the body. Tea is conducive to a longer, healthier life.”  -- Traditional T’ang Dynasty (618 - 907 A.D.), from a list of reasons to drink tea.

There’s tea, then there’s green tea. And then there’s matcha. Brilliant green and fragrant, the nutrient-rich powdered tea has been prized for centuries. Matcha is the centerpiece of the subtly spiritual Japanese tea ceremony, where it’s blended with a delicate bamboo whisk, creating a deep green froth.

Matcha has been liberated from the mystery of the tea house and has found itself a new star in healthy eating and culinary delights around the world — and its flavor is only part of the reason. Matcha delivers all the benefits of brewed green tea in a concentrated form that can transform a simple smoothie into a nutritional powerhouse worthy of a queen or samurai.

An Antioxidant Superstar

Like black tea, oolong, white tea and other green teas, matcha comes from the same evergreen shrub, Camillia sinensis. It’s the processing of the leaves that creates the difference between these teas. Green teas such as matcha are lightly steamed and dried, not oxidized like black or oolong tea. This minimal processing preserves the range of naturally occurring antioxidants.

Essential to healthy nutrition, antioxidants are naturally occurring compounds in fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are key to lessening the impact of oxidative stress, the cellular wear-and-tear that’s associated with aging and disease.

The antioxidants in green tea are flavonoids are called catechins, the most potent of which is epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. Research suggests that EGCG may support weight loss and improve mood.

Caffeine, But With a Gentler “Buzz”

All Camillia sinensis-based teas have naturally occurring caffeine, which can support weight loss and increase fat burning and stamina during aerobic exercise. Yet a unique, naturally calming amino acid called L-theanine in tea offsets the jitters, imparting a much mellower caffeine lift than that of coffee. Tea drinkers love the unique balance of calm and alertness that tea offers.

Matcha is derived from tea plants from the Uji region of Japan, first cultivated in the early 19th century. The tea bushes are grown in the shade, which concentrates the leaves’ chlorophyll and sweet flavor, and may boost the L-theanine component.

All the Benefits of Tea, Concentrated

Nutritionists and dietitians have been touting the benefits of green tea for decades. But matcha goes even further than brewed green tea in imparting ECGC and other healthy compounds.

When you brew green tea, a lot of the good things in tea are left in the tea bag when you remove it from the cup. On the other hand, matcha gives you the leaf, the whole leaf and nothing but the leaf. That means ten times the antioxidant power of brewed tea, and over 100 times the amount of EGCG. You even get a bit of fiber as a bonus.

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program. 

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