Since you seek the best organic, we assume you know the difference between usual Japanese green tea powder and matcha powder. In case you don’t have a clear idea, let us be clear with that briefly, then we will take a look at 7 health benefits of organic matcha and where you can buy organic one.
Table of Contents
Difference between the Sencha and the Matcha
Let’s start with the usual green tea powder you see everywhere.
Green tea powder-> It’s made of Sencha green tea. Green tea is grown in a lot of sunlight.
The sencha is widely consumed as a typical type of Japanese green tea. There are many types of Japanese green tea, the sencha fall into the category of “not fermented tea”. The green tea leaves start to ferment when picked up. However, the Sencha is steamed right away from the time it’s picked and then rubbed. So that oxidation doesn’t happen, and it contains a lot of catechin.
Now, let’s move on to the matcha powder made of a different type of green tea. The key is that they are cultivated and processed differently.
Matcha powder-> It’s made of Tencha green tea. The tencha is grown with shades not to produce catechin but theanin, which makes the taste sweeter. They are not rubbed after steaming.
7 Tea Benefits of Organic Matcha
These seven benefits you see here can also be gained from the usual matcha. However, when it comes to drinking the whole tea leaves as they are powdered, the organic one might be preferable to you.
Obesity prevention
Matcha contains tea catechin, a type of polyphenol that burns body fat efficiently, so it is helpful for obesity prevention and effective for a healthy diet. It prevents a spike in blood glucose levels that protects your blood vessels.
Since you drink matcha (powdered Tencha), it’s considered you can consume double the amount of catechin compared to sencha (the usual green tea).
Anti-aging Effect
Tea catechin removes active oxygen, which accelerates aging, thus preventing spots and wrinkles, skin sagging, and anything related to making appearance dull.
Relaxation Effect
Matcha contains theanine in a high amount. The theanine is a type of amino acid that boosts the parasympathetic nervous system’s function and controls the brain’s excitation. So, Matcha has a significant theanine content which has a relaxing effect. Along with the relaxation effect, it can boost your blood circulation by controlling the peripheral blood vessels and autonomous nerves, leading to a good night’s sleep.
The Sencha (the usual green tea, either leaves or powdered) contains theanine too, but in 1/10. So if you expect theanine to work for you, matcha is your bet.
It calms you down when you need some break from your work or concerns.
Boosting Brain Function
Caffeine has the effect of boosting cerebral activation, which can elevate your concentration and prevent you from developing dementia or even Alzheimer’s. Matcha contains about 32mg of caffeine per 1g. Suppose you consume 2g (64mg of caffeine) of matcha, equal to the caffeine in a cup of coffee. We know too much caffeine can make you jittery, but with theanine, its stimulant action can be reduced.
Creating Radiant Skin
Vitamin C in Matcha and catechin reduces melanin pigmentation and promotes radiant and healthy skin. Vitamin C is not only considered effective for reducing blemishes on the skin but is also effective in producing collagen and works as an anti-oxygen agent. In addition to that, it supports the decomposing alcohol in the liver.
Smooth Bowel Movement Promotion
Matcha contains minerals such as calcium and dietary fibers, making your bowel movement smoother. Among the two types of dietary fibers, soluble and insoluble, Matcha contains the latter. They promote the smooth movement of your bowel. Too much calcium can dull the movement, so be careful not to drink it too much.
Diabetic Prevention
Matcha contains saponin that has an anti-oxidative effect and an anti-virus effect. The saponin can lower the blood glucose level, which prevents you from developing diabetes or excess weight gain. Additionally, it’s said that saponin can work as an allergy prevention system.
The foam you see when you make a Matcha is saponin. You find it in everyday soap bars. Generally, soy products contain saponin, so if you make a matcha latte with soy milk, you can consume a lot of saponin at once.
What Makes the Best Matcha?
Why the different price tags on seemingly the same sort of products? What determines the price of each matcha?
There are three elements that make them different.
Color
Taste
Flavor
Ultimately, the beautiful green color, a lot of theanine, makes the matcha tea taste sweeter, and the pleasant sweet flavor (Scent) make the highest grade of matcha.
You may have the image that Matcha is bitter, that is right, while the high-grade ones have a slight bitterness and a lot of umami flavor (theanine) that makes the taste refined. You just have to experience it, so you will understand this difference. If you like the bitter taste, you don’t always want higher-grade matcha, which tends to taste sweeter.
Again, you have to taste it yourself so you know the difference between the usual matcha and high-grade matcha.
Organic Matcha VS Non-organic Matcha
Organic cultivation means that the tea producers don’t use any pesticides or chemical fertilizer over three years in a cultivation term.
Organic Matcha Cultivation Process
Without using pesticides and chemical fertilizers, organic matcha is cultivated with great care. Two to three weeks before the cultivation, the tea leaves are completely covered by shades not to produce catechin but theanine and other amino acids that make the taste sweeter. Shading them from sunlight gives them vivid green colors.
After the harvest, they are steamed at high temperatures so as not to have fermentation. Then they are processed to remove stems and leaf veins. At this point, they are called the Tencha, and it will become matcha once they are powdered.
Since we consume whole tea leaves, it’s a good idea to choose organic matcha where it is available. This is a unique feature of matcha, which means you can have all the good nutrients found in tea.
Where You Can Buy Organic Matcha
We introduce you to three Japanese tea stores where you can buy excellent organic matcha online.
It’s one of the most trusted companies that can offer you the finest quality of matcha in bulk. They deal only with the finest quality of Japanese green teas and matcha tea with their tea gardens. Teamed up with local farmers in Kakegawa, Shizuoka, they also established the Fukamashi Sencha of Kakegawa brand.
They offer you the finest organic Uji matcha, which is the best-known Japanese green tea-producing area in Kyoto. KAWASHIMAYA handles the highest quality of Japanese products. Since they only sell foods that are naturally made without any chemicals, the number of their items can be limited. That’s how they keep the highest quality of each product.
Maruyama Tea Products Corporation
Organic Matcha tea powder is one of their most popular products. They have been offering only the finest green tea products since 1933, based in Kakegawa, Shizuoka, which is a well-known tea-producing area in Japan.
There are matcha tea bags you can drink matcha very easily, however, we don’t recommend it here as we’ve seen the benefits of consuming it in the powdered version so you can enjoy all the goodness matcha can offer. Here’s a good article by purechimp.com comparing the difference between matcha tea bags and powdered matcha tea for your reference.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MATCHA TEA BAGS AND POWDERED MATCHA TEA
Below are our articles that might interest you, especially if you happen to be in Tokyo, where you can find and enjoy authentic and high-quality organic matcha on-site.
Where to Buy Best Matcha? 5 Established Matcha Stores in Japan
13 Authentic Japanese Tea Stores in Tokyo
Have you found any store that suits your needs? Are you already enjoying your organic matcha by drinking, baking, or cooking? Share your experience with us!