What is Matcha?
Matcha is a type of high grade green tea that is ground into a powder form. It originates from Japan. Matcha, like all true teas, comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. It is grown by the laborious process of shade grown leaves where the sun and any light is filtered and controlled. This gives matcha its deep green colour.
The routine of making matcha is how it became widely popular. The green tea powder is whisked into hot water, instead of steeped, to form a frothy drink. The meditative act of preparing, presenting, and sipping matcha is the backbone of the Japanese tea ceremony. While matcha’s origins are ceremonial, the green tea powder is widely popular around the world.
Does Matcha contain caffeine?
Matcha does contain caffeine. The caffeine content in matcha can range based on the type of tea leaf, the amount of powder you use and the brewing time. A regular serving of matcha is between 1-2g which can contain anywhere between 38-176 mg of caffeine. To compare, a regular coffee contains around 100 mg of caffeine, because of this, matcha can be a coffee alternative yet come with so many more benefits than your standard coffee.
As matcha is a form of green tea, the caffeine is released in a more sustainable manner than coffee giving you the alertness that you need but without any jitteriness or anxiety.
Will Matcha keep me awake or help me sleep?
As matcha contains caffeine, matcha will keep you alert and focused and therefore keep you awake. However, there are also properties of matcha that can promote sleep.
Matcha has a high concentration of L-theanine which is an amino acid that has stress and anxiety reducing properties allowing a more restful sleep. L-theanine also reduces cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stimulant that keeps us alert so by consuming matcha, levels of cortisol are reduced. L-theanine has also shown to reduce our physiological and physical stress.
What are the benefits of drinking matcha during the day?
Matcha contains many health benefits and by drinking matcha consistently you will reap the benefits daily! Matcha can help boost the immune system as it contains antioxidants which keeps you and your immune system healthy and able to flight diseases.
On top of this, matcha is also high in vitamin K which helps boost collagen in our skin. Collagen concentration begins to decrease as we hit 25 so by consuming matcha, we can help boost our level of collagen which also helps our bone strength too.
Just like other types of tea, matcha contains caffeine which is a stimulant therefore increasing brain activity, leaving us feeling alert, refreshed and increase productivity and focus.
What are the benefits of drinking matcha before bed?
Matcha tea not only contains L-theaine, but also a wide range of vitamins, antioxidants and amino acids including L-theanine, a molecule known for its relaxing, calming effect. For people suffering from stress and anxiety, the L-theanine present in matcha tea could improve the quality of sleep.
Matcha is also a source of tryptophan which helps the body to produce melatonin which is essential for the sleep cycle and therefore matcha can be a sleep promoting drink!
Here at Mission, our matcha is blended to help increase hydration through added electrolytes in the form of pink himalayan salt. While this helps hydration within our body it also helps our athletic performance and reduces the chance of cramp. We have also added orange peel and a range of other immune boosting ingredients to make this the best pre and during drink that you need to add to your routine!
