Matcha tea: the plant, its effects, flavour and caffeine
Introduction
Matcha is a mystery to many people. In this article, we’ll explain more about the matcha plant, its effects and flavour, its ingredients such as caffeine, and much more. This article is intended as a comprehensive overview of matcha, so we’ll link to other posts that explore specific topics in more detail.
Contents
- What is matcha tea?
- Matcha tea: ingredients and active compounds
- Effects of matcha
- Matcha flavour
- How to prepare matcha
- Matcha compared
- Is matcha tea healthy?
- Conclusion
1. What is matcha tea?
Strictly speaking, matcha is green tea, but it is specially treated both before and after harvesting. The word matcha means ‘ground green tea’. We’ll explain below how the green tea plant is cultivated for matcha.
1.1 The matcha plant
The matcha plant is cultivated from the green tea plant using a special method. A few weeks before harvest, the leaves of the tea plant Camellia sinensis are prepared for picking as matcha leaves. More on that shortly!
1.2 Origin & cultivation of matcha tea
The way we drink matcha tea today is thanks to the Japanese love of green tea! Although the Chinese were the first to grind green tea, the technique behind the matcha we drink today comes from Japan.
Before the leaves of the Camellia sinensis tea plant are harvested, they must be shaded for several weeks. This protects the leaves from excessive sunlight and leads them to produce fewer bitter compounds. The leaves also become thinner, greener and larger, and develop more amino acids, which give matcha its distinctive umami flavour.
Only green tea plants treated in this way before harvesting are harvested as matcha plants in Japan.
This pre-harvest treatment plays a major part in matcha’s flavour. Matcha teas from China, Vietnam, Indonesia or Thailand are often not shade-grown. Instead, a regular green tea harvest is simply ground into powder. The result is a very bitter ‘fake matcha’ that isn’t a rich green colour.
Special fertilisation is also part of matcha cultivation.
1.3 How matcha is processed
After harvesting, the matcha leaves undergo strict selection and processing: no leaf stems, and not all leaves, are used to make matcha.
The freshly harvested leaves are steamed to prevent them from wilting, then dried with hot air.
The greenest and youngest leaves are then hand-picked and separated from their stems. The resulting high-quality tea is called Tencha and is the base used to make matcha in Japan.
Tencha is then ground in stone mills. It takes around one hour to make 30 g of high-quality matcha.
Matcha’s quality can be identified very easily by its colour. Read more about the different quality grades in the linked article.
2. Matcha tea ingredients and active compounds
The flavour of matcha differs from that of regular green tea. This is due to the way it is grown and processed, which in turn results in slightly different ingredients and proportions of those ingredients.
The best-known ingredients are:
- Caffeine
- L-theanine
-
Antioxidants
- Catechins
- Rutin
- Quercetin
- Chlorophyll
- Vitamins
3. Effects of matcha
One major advantage of matcha is that you drink the tea itself rather than just an infusion. This means you can also take in substances that are not water-soluble, such as vitamins.
Naturally, matcha has different effects from green tea in a tea bag. Compared with high-quality Tencha, though, the difference is less pronounced.
In general, the effects of matcha can be stimulating, invigorating and relaxing, and can help you stay awake. Because of the way it is grown and the selection of the youngest leaves, matcha contains a relatively high amount of caffeine compared with green tea. As a result, matcha can cause mild heart palpitations, shakiness and racing thoughts.
Our articles on the effects of matcha tea and its ingredients explore this in much more detail.
Effects and ingredients of matcha tea
4. Matcha flavour
Matcha should not taste strongly bitter. A slight bitterness is normal. Above all, the umami mentioned earlier should be the most prominent part of matcha’s flavour.
Umami means ‘essence of deliciousness’ and is often described in Japan as savoury, meaty and generally enhancing flavour. Others describe it as fishy, seaweed-like, ocean-like and meaty.
Umami is not a trend word; it is officially one of the five tastes: salty, bitter, sweet, sour and umami! That means we have umami receptors on our tongues. You’ll find a detailed explanation and diagram in our article on the flavour of matcha.
5. How to prepare matcha
As with many things in Japan, preparing matcha is a kind of ceremony—or at least, great care is given to each step. The aim is to bring out the best matcha flavour and overall sensory experience. You’ll find our more detailed article here: how to prepare matcha.
- Measure out the matcha with a bamboo scoop.
- Sift it through a fine sieve.
- Add a little water.
- Whisk with a bamboo whisk.
- Add more water and enjoy.
Detailed matcha preparation guide
6. Matcha compared
As a Guayusa tea company, we’re often asked how it compares with matcha, coffee, mate and the rest. Here’s a brief overview, with links to more detailed comparisons in our individual articles.
6.1 Matcha vs coffee
The most obvious difference is that coffee is made from the beans of the coffee fruit. These are roasted and ground, or ground as ‘green coffee’, before being brewed.
Matcha, by contrast, is ground green tea that has been grown and processed in a very particular way.
The two caffeinated drinks also have different effects. Because of its high antioxidant content and the presence of the less common active compound L-theanine, which is also found in Guayusa, green tea has a gentler effect on the body.
The familiar caffeine crash from coffee is said to be less pronounced with matcha. Matcha’s effects are also often described as a kind of ‘tea drunk’: more head-focused and less physical.
Our detailed comparison, ‘Matcha vs coffee – matcha or coffee?’ looks more closely at the effects, ingredients and other aspects.
6.2 Matcha vs mate
Some people often confuse yerba mate tea with matcha, but they are very different. Mate tea comes from South America, specifically Peru, Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Matcha tea comes from Japan.
They come from two different plants: Ilex paraguariensis is the botanical name for mate, while Camellia sinensis is the tea plant.
With mate, the leaves are not drunk. They are filtered out either traditionally with a straw or with a regular tea strainer.
Mate and matcha also have different effects. The mate plant contains no L-theanine, so it cannot provide a relaxed focus. Yerba mate therefore has a much more physical effect. Matcha also contains far more antioxidants. You can find out more in our article ‘Matcha vs mate – the difference between matcha and mate tea’.
6.3 Matcha vs green tea
We think this question has already been answered in detail in this article, but for anyone who would rather not read the whole thing, here’s a shorter summary of the differences.
If you’re keen to explore this topic in more depth, you can also read ‘Matcha vs green tea – matcha or green tea?’.
The difference between green tea and matcha lies in how the leaves are grown and processed. For matcha, the plants are shaded with large nets for several weeks before harvesting. Only the freshest, greenest leaves are then used; they are stripped from their stems and ground.
Matcha and green tea therefore come from the same plants, but good matcha is never made from ordinary green tea. This is the difference between higher-priced matcha from Japan and cheaper matcha from China and other tea-producing countries in Asia.
6.4 Matcha vs Guayusa tea
The comparison that is probably most interesting to our customers is with Guayusa tea. Guayusa is a caffeinated plant consumed by indigenous communities in Ecuador—and only there. More precisely, it is the most caffeine-rich plant in the world! Find out more in our caffeine comparison.
Guayusa tea naturally has no bitter compounds—fewer even than the highest-quality matcha. Its flavour is more like herbal tea than green tea.
The antioxidant content of matcha and Guayusa is at a similar level, between 120,000 and 180,000 Trolox (the unit used to measure antioxidants).
The effects differ significantly in that Guayusa does not cause a caffeine crash, nor does it cause heart palpitations, shakiness or racing thoughts. Matcha drinkers report these more often. In our experience, stomach tolerance is much better with Guayusa. Guayusa can be drunk in the morning on an empty stomach without any problems.
Guayusa produces a long-lasting, relaxed and particularly focused state of alertness, which also boosts the performance of the body and mind. Read more in our article on the effects of Guayusa and our comparison of matcha and Guayusa.
7. Is matcha tea healthy?
Green tea—and matcha in particular—is considered one of the healthiest teas, or even drinks in general. Our article ‘Matcha ingredients – why is matcha healthy?’ and our antioxidant comparison explore the health aspects in detail.
Here, we’ll keep things more general and highlight the most important points.
7.1 Antioxidant content of matcha
Matcha has a much higher antioxidant content than regular green tea. And that is despite green tea already being described as very rich in antioxidant capacity. At around 60,000 Trolox, green tea has about half the antioxidants of matcha. This is in turn linked to the shading of the plants, which causes them to produce more chlorophyll. This green pigment in plants is known to have several health benefits.
7.2 Matcha contains L-theanine
L-theanine is one of the most interesting active compounds when it comes to relaxed focus. But in addition to this effect, L-theanine is also said to have several health benefits.
L-theanine has a positive effect on blood pressure by regulating it in stressful situations. It strengthens the immune system, improves sleep, and reduces stress and depression. Read more in our article on the effects of L-theanine in Guayusa.
7.3 Other health benefits
According to studies, matcha also has the following health properties:
- Anti-inflammatory effects
- Antiviral effects
- Blood sugar regulation
- Improved cognitive abilities
- Probably reduces the likelihood of neurodegenerative diseases
8. Conclusion
Matcha is a very special tea with many advantages and few disadvantages. The main drawbacks are the possibility of a caffeine crash, heart palpitations, shakiness and stomach problems, which can feel similar to the effects of coffee.
When consumed in the right amount, however, matcha’s advantages outweigh its drawbacks. Its caffeine content makes it a moderately stimulating drink. L-theanine can create a feeling of focus, and its many antioxidants make matcha particularly healthy.
In our opinion, matcha is better enjoyed as a drink to savour, like coffee, than as a daily companion at the office or in the gym. This is because it is extremely expensive and its effects on physical and mental performance are less pronounced.
30 g of matcha can cost €30 or more. We don’t recommend low-quality matcha from discount supermarkets, as it is simply ground green tea.
Matcha works much more efficiently than coffee, though its effects are nowhere near as targeted as those felt after drinking Guayusa tea. So if you want to stay focused and concentrate for a long time, or maintain peak physical performance during sport, you should choose Guayusa rather than coffee or matcha. You can still enjoy a tasty matcha latte or traditionally prepared matcha after your workout.
We hope this article has given you an insight into matcha. Perhaps we’ve even sparked your interest in Guayusa as well? In our shop, you can get an ongoing 5% discount on all products with the discount code ‘BLOG-5’. As a newsletter subscriber, you can even get 10% off.