For better or for worse, the internet’s new favorite drink has become a staple household name. A fully mainstream product today, Matcha is a green tea in a powdered form with several health benefits and a great replacement for coffee (don’t come at us, please). Today, the Matcha craze is real and the internet is handling it pretty well with some insane creations – baked goods, savoury food, desserts, soft drinks, and even skincare for that matter. Matcha is the ‘IT’ food and people certainly can’t help but come back for more.
Rich History
Matcha has a pretty rich history as it dates back to nearly a thousand years. A powdered green tea of Japanese origin, it originated in China and is widely popular among tea pundits across the world. It was introduced to the East Asian country in the 1100s when a Zen Buddhist monk brought tea seeds with him while returning from China and planted several crops in Japan’s former capital Kyoto.
Years later, matcha became widely admired among the elite and the samurai and even made its way to a popular Japanese practice called “The Way of Tea” aka the Japanese tea ceremony, an esteemed ritual carried out till date.
Taste & Health Benefits
The term Matcha is an amalgamation of two Japanese words – matsu ( meaning to rub, to daub, to paint) and cha (meaning tea). Although matcha tastes quite earthy, nutty, and grassy, or “Matcha tastes like grass” as people might say, it has a complex flavour profile.
View this post on Instagram
This Japanese green tea contains more caffeine than other green teas out there but it will seldom give you the jitters. When consumed in moderation, Matcha has several health benefits. It aids in memory and perception, high in antioxidants and has cancer fighting properties. It also acts as a dietary supplement, relieves stress and anxiety and aids in reducing cholesterol and blood pressure.
It is known that there are two main categories of matcha: ceremonial, and culinary, however, it should be noted that these grades don’t exist in Japan and were simply created to market matcha green tea in Western countries.
Ceremonial grade indicates that the green tea comes from Ichibancha aka the first harvest. It is more expensive and has a smoother flavour. Culinary grade on the other hand comes from the second harvest and has a slightly bitter flavour to it.
Rise of Matcha
Matcha gained rapid popularity and today, it is one of the most talked about goods. People around the world are swearing by the qualities of this vitamin-filled antioxidant-rich green tea. Whether you like it hot or iced, in a dessert, or in a drink (soft or adult), the internet has found several creative ways to incorporate this earthy powder, and is still going strong.
From pretty pink Strawberry Matcha and the photogenic Coconut Matcha becoming the viral drinks of summer to bakers and dessert enthusiasts using the grassy powder to introduce a sweeter side to it, the world of matcha and the experiments around it has given rise to an entirely new food culture and lifestyle.
However, we should not forget that matcha deserves to be appreciated on its own.
Matcha in Beauty
From enjoying it as a beverage to using it in beauty and skincare, Matcha has become a frenzy and there’s no stopping it. The viral green tea powder has become the forefront of beauty routines that everyone seems to be obsessed with.
Not only the internet but celebrities like Bella Hadid, Gwyneth Paltrow, Serena Williams, Hailey Bieber, Miranda Kerr, and more have been advocating for matcha. Poosh founder and lifestyle guru Kourtney Kardashian and her husband Travis Barker, each have very famous matcha latte recipes of their own. Whilst Kourt likes to add organic maple syrup, Travis prefers nutmeg to spice it up.
A solid superfood, Matcha’s popularity is only soaring with time and it’s safe to say that people’s obsession with matcha is more than just a passing trend.
Images: Pinterest
