What is matcha?
Matcha, otherwise known as matcha green tea, or matcha powder, is the finely ground powder of the Camellia sinensis leaf. Farmers grow matcha by covering their tea plants for approximately twenty to thirty days before harvest to avoid direct sunlight. This increases chlorophyll production, boosts the amino acid content, and gives the plant a darker green hue. Once the tea leaves are harvested, the stems and veins are removed, and the leaves are dried before being ground into a fine powder known as matcha.
How is matcha different to green tea?
Matcha comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, as does green tea. However, this is where the similarities end. With green tea you remove the whole leaves after they have infused in hot water, before you drink it. With matcha you ingest the whole leaf, meaning none of the health benefits of the green tea are lost. Matcha, therefore, packs in a more concentrated number of antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds.
What does Cocoa Matcha taste like?
Raw cocoa and cocoa powder have been added to our premium Pure Matcha powder for a hint of chocolatey sweetness, but we have omitted all the sugars you find in chocolate bars. Cocoa Matcha will not only satisfy your sweet tooth, but it will also provide you with an energy boost minus the jitteriness of coffee.
What are the benefits of matcha?
We don’t call matcha a super brew for nothing! Matcha certainly packs a punch when it comes to health benefits, including:
- The increased levels of chlorophyll in matcha can reduce inflammation within the body, which can be great for aches and pains, and problems such as acne and swelling.
- Matcha is also generally high in antioxidants, which help stabilise harmful free radicals.
- Green tea has been shown to enhance weight loss as it has the potential to increase fat burn during exercise.
- Studies have shown that green tea can promote heart health development as it can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol, allowing easier transport of blood flow.
- Matcha can help improve brain function due to the high levels of L-theanine present in the leaves.
For further information on the health benefits of Cocoa Matcha tea visit our resident nutritionist’s blog post.
Matcha side-effects
You might ask, is it safe to drink matcha every day? The period of growth in the shade increases the production of caffeine by the Camellia sinensis plant. Therefore, matcha has a higher concentration of caffeine than green tea. If you think you may be sensitive to caffeine, or if you are pregnant, we recommend that you consult your healthcare professional prior to consuming matcha.
Blends with Benefits
Every Twist Tea blend is created from the finest, ethically sourced whole-leaf ingredients. Our plastic free Cocoa Matcha sachets are hand blended in the UK and hand packed in plastic free packaging. What sets us apart from the competition are the functional herbs, botanicals and spices added to many of our blends reputed to offer health and wellbeing benefits.
Brewing Instructions
Preparing matcha is not as tricky as you might think. Simply:
1) Put one teaspoon of Matcha into a cup.
2) Add a small amount of warm water/milk/substitute and mix into a smooth paste.
3) Top up with the rest of the liquid whilst stirring briskly.
4) Enjoy!
Recipe ideas
Matcha is so versatile as a cooking ingredient and we love to experiment with new ways to include matcha in our diet. You can try sprinkling matcha powder into your morning porridge or smoothie for an energy boost or have a go at some of our recipes. The addition of cocoa in the cocoa matcha blend lends itself perfectly to anything chocolatey. We think our fabulous cocoa matcha pancakes, choc chia matcha pudding, homemade chocolate granola and chocolate matcha strawbs are to die for!
Ingredients
Premium powdered Japanese Sencha Green Tea (43%), raw cocoa (30%), cocoa powder (20%), natural flavouring.
Dietary Information
No added sugar, Gluten free, soya free, vegetarian, wheat free.
Allergen Information
Packed in an environment that contains nuts.
Can’t get enough of matcha? View our other matcha blends to see how Twist Tea takes matcha to the next level.
Are you a commercial customer and wish to order Cocoa Matcha in bulk? Please visit our trade page for more information.
Mary – :
I thought I’d got for something new and try Matcha as I didn’t even know what it was let alone tried it before. I tried the Cocoa matcha as I love chocolate so thought it would be a good flavour to start with.
I have to say it was fantastic!! The Cocoa was not to strong but still evident and was a very smooth and flavourful drink.
A good drink to have if you want to try something new.