For an increasing number of people matcha green tea is one of their new favourite beverages, and for lots of good reasons. For UK matcha aficionados – and we are meeting an increasing number of those at our How Matcha cafe in Marylebone – buying high-quality matcha green tea to make use of at home can prove challenging.
For those people – and not just people living in London, but people from across the UK – How Matcha offers a matcha subscription box. Filled to the brim with your choice of our highest-grade matcha tea powders, our matcha subscription box will ensure you never run out of the matcha you love and yet still be sure you are experiencing it at its freshest.
What is Matcha Green Tea Anyway?
Matcha green tea is all the rage these days, but what exactly is it? Is it really healthy? The answer is a resounding YES!
Matcha has been gaining popularity among UK tea drinkers and Instagrammers alike since 2015.
But, as it turns out, matcha isn’t a brand-new beverage. It has been utilized in Japan’s traditional tea ceremonies since the 12th century.
So, what’s the big deal about matcha? Is matcha green tea genuinely beneficial to your health? What are some ways to incorporate it into your diet? And why should you drink so much of it that you need a matcha subscription box?
How is Matcha Green Tea Different?
Chances are that you (think) you know all about green tea. It’s been (rightfully) touted as a great way to enjoy the delights, and health benefits, of tea for years now. What makes matcha green tea different (and why is it SO GREEN?)
Matcha is made from the Camellia sinensis plant’s leaves, like all true teas. However, the way the tea leaves are grown and processed is unlike any other type of tea. Here’s how:
Matcha is Shade Grown
All matcha is produced using shade-grown tea leaves, which is a time-consuming procedure in which tea bushes are shielded from the sun, and light is filtered to the bushes in a precise manner. Shading encourages the plant to produce more chlorophyll, which results in a brighter green tint in the leaves.
The plant’s photosynthesis of the leaves is reduced in the absence of sunlight, which modifies the naturally existing quantities of caffeine, flavanols, carbohydrates, antioxidants, and theanine. Tea manufacturers can dramatically affect the chemical make-up and flavor of the finished tea leaves by managing sun exposure.
Matcha is a Spring Tea
For matcha production, only the newest spring buds and three leaves of shade-grown tea plants are hand-plucked for eventual use. As a result, the window for production is extremely limited, making matcha one of the more expensive teas.
Matcha is Steamed
The tea leaves for matcha, like most Japanese teas, are steamed first. Within hours of plucking, the leaves are treated briefly with steam heat to stop the oxidation process to bring out the deep green hue of the shade-grown tea leaves even more. Steaming produces a distinct flavor character that is commonly described as sweet and vegetal.
Matcha is Stone Ground
The tea leaves designated to become matcha are laid flat to dry and then become tencha, the leaves from which matcha is manufactured, rather than being rolled, shaped, and dried like typical green tea leaves. The stems and veins of the tencha leaves are then removed. The remaining leaf material is processed into a silky green tea powder in slow-turning stone mills.
Drinking Matcha Means You Drink ALL the Tea
Conventional tea leaves are soaked in boiling water to extract the flavour and chemical components of the leaves, which are then consumed as brewed tea. Matcha green tea powder, on the other hand, is whisked into hot water and the suspended pulverized tea leaf material is swallowed with each sip. Doing so means that your body receives more of the beneficial nutrients that green tea has to offer, just one of the many reasons that people in the West are beginning to understand why they should be drinking more matcha!
How Do You Consume Matcha?
In traditional tea ceremonies, matcha is prepared with matcha powder and boiling hot water and consumed from a tea bowl. For those interested in indulging in this calming, rather relaxing process at home our ceremonial grade matcha is a perfect choice. We can even add essential matcha tools to your subscription box to allow you to perform tea ceremonies in a more authentic manner.
Most Westerners do not choose to drink their matcha this way, however. But the good news is that since matcha green tea is a powder – no teabags here – it can be prepared in lots of different ways, and you can keep experimenting until you find the one that’s right for you. Or, since a How Matcha subscription box ensures you always have fresh matcha powder on hand you can keep enjoying them all.
Hot matcha with milk (or your favorite milk alternative) iced matcha (with or without milk) matcha lattes, matcha bubble teas, and many more drinks are all options for matcha fans, but there is actually even more you can do with our ingredient quality matcha.
Matcha can also be used as an ingredient in baking. At How Matcha’s physical cafe location we offer a range of baked treats that are enhanced with matcha, and you can easily do the same at home. It goes great in biscuits and cakes, can add colour and flavor to pancakes and granola, and can be stirred in yogurt or custard to do the same.
However you choose to consume matcha – and reap all of the taste and health benefits it offers, a How Matcha subscription box will ensure it’s easier – and tastier – for you to do so. You can customise both the contents of your matcha subscription box and the frequency at which it is delivered. You can even send a subscription as a gift.
Each matcha subscription box also comes with easy-to-follow tea preparation guides, recipes, and more. Sign up for one today to begin enjoying matcha tea – in its many forms – at home.