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JAPANESE SHIZUOKA MATCHA GREEN TEA POWDER
Matcha Tea
This Matcha is grown in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan. The Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan has been producing the finest tea for over 650 years. Shizuoka is located on Pacific Ocean in eastern Japan, Shizuoka means tranquil (shizu) hills (oka) in Japanese. It is the major tea (O-cha in Japanese) production area in Japan and is where the famous Mount Fuji (Fujisan) is located.
The mild climate of the Shizuoka Prefecture is excellent for the cultivation of the tea plant know as camellia sinensis. It has rich mineral soil, plenty of sunshine and the perfect amount of rain for the finest tea cultivation and is know the production of the best Matcha.
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Research is indicating that matcha has the following health benefits -
Vitamins A, B6, B-complex, C, E, K, niacin, folate, riboflavin, thiamin,
Trace minerals calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, sodium,
Rich source of L-theanine & amino acids which improve calmness, mental alertness,
Strong blood detoxifier and alkalyzer due to high chlorophyll content,
70 times the antioxidants of orange juice,
nine times the beta carotene of spinach and 4 times the beta carotene of carrots,
Extremely rich in polyphenols (antioxidants) and catechins, esp. epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)
Boosts metabolic rate by 35-40% in regular drinkers, thus assisting in weight loss.
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Matcha Processing - The young tea leaves are picked in early May and lightly steamed to prevent any fermentation. This allows the tea to retain its beautiful green color. Then the tea leaves are dried.
Traditionally, at this point, the leaves would be stored in chatsubo/tea jars and allowed to season until November, at which time they can be stone-ground as needed. For consistency, the leaves from various varieties of tea plants are blended to produce the best flavor, color, and aroma. Before being stone-ground, the leaves are processed to obtain only the meat part of the leaf.
The stems and veins are removed so that the tea will be very fine when ground. It takes one hour to grind somewhat less than 40g of matcha and in the end the final product is about 1/10th of the original harvest. Although clippers can be used to harvest the tea leaves, the leaves for koicha/thick tea are still picked by hand, one by one.
Matcha is the vibrant green powdered tea used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. It is made from the leaves of shade grown tea trees. When the leaves are harvested they are steamed, dried and then further processed to remove the veins, stems and impurities.
Only about 10% of the original harvest remains, and this is called the "tencha". The tencha is then ground to a fine powder often in a stone mill. It takes about one hour to produce an ounce of matcha, because grinding any faster would result in a burnt tasting tea. Today the highest grades of matcha usually remain in Japan for use in their tea ceremonies and the price can be as high as $100 an ounce.
The majority of matcha available in the general market today is now ground by sophisticated machines, which make it affordable to the average tea drinker. Regardless of the grinding technique used, the production of matcha requires a great deal of hand labour, skill and time.
Matcha is becoming increasingly popular in the Japanese and international beverage and food market because of its versatility and health benefits. Matcha's flavour blends well in dairy-based recipes and its powder form makes it easy to work with.
Matcha is being used in ice cream, cheese -cakes, cream cheese spreads, white chocolate, latte beverages, hot chocolate etc. There is no limit to the recipes that matcha can be added to.
Matcha and Caffeine: Matcha does contain a small amount of caffeine, but like all green teas also contains L-theanine. L-theanine increases the alpha waveactivities in the brain, which creates a feeling of relaxation. L-theanine is associated with increasing the ability to focus and concentrate, but not agitate the nervous system.
Researchers believe that this maybe on of the reasons that drinking tea tends to have a calming, refreshing effect, rather than the jittery effects of coffee. It has been noted that Buddist monks frequently drink matcha, green teas, oolongs ETC and rarely appear agitated or nervous. It could be the L-theanine!
Matcha Health Benefits: Since you are actually ingesting the green tea leaves when you drink matcha you are receiving the full benefits of all the nutrients and antioxidants in the leaves.
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