Is matcha tea an alternative to coffee?
What is matcha tea?
Matcha is finely ground green tea. He is mostly in Japan made and drunk, but also in China. Matcha tea is not yet very widespread in western countries, but it is More and more popular. Its color is very intense green and the taste ranges from depending on the harvest time lovely-sweet to slightly tart.
Matcha, however, is a very special green tea because it is specially processed and thereby contains more healthy ingredients than normal green tea. This is traditionally infused. After brewing, the tea leaves are removed from the tea. Matcha is however powdered green tea. The leaves are very finely ground and stay in the finished teaso that all the healthy substances in Matcha tea are also contained. The tea ceremony used to prepare matcha is in itself very relaxing. You shouldn't miss this pleasure.
How is matcha made?
Green tea is unlike black tea not fermented. Matcha tea is given a special treatment before harvest.
By shading the tea plants, artificial stress is generated for about four weeks and the plant is stimulated to increase chlorophyll formation. This creates especially green matcha tea. The tea leaves are steamed and dried after harvest. Then all coarse leaf vessels and stems are removed and the leaves are ground to a fine powder. These gentle production benefits the fine taste of the tea and preserves all valuable ingredients. But only high quality tea leaves make a really good matcha tea. In contrast, the taste of the coffee can be greatly influenced and changed during roasting.
What is the difference between coffee and matcha?
Coffee is mainly grown in South America, but also in parts of Asia and Africa. Brazil is the largest exporter of coffee, but it also consumes half of its production itself greatest coffee drinkers belong to the Scandinavian, but also in Germany there are far more coffee consumers than green tea drinkers, while the per capita consumption of coffee in the USA is just below the EU average, although they import more than Europeans in terms of volume. People in northern countries may need more caffeine to wake up than people in southern and sunny areas.
The caffeine in Matcha tea is gentler and longer than that in coffee. This is because it is bound to flavonols and is only released in the intestine. The effect is milder, but also lasts longer. Stomach pain after drinking matcha tea is therefore not to be expected. On the other hand, you should avoid coffee if you have stomach pain.
Matcha can not only be enjoyed as tea, but also in smoothies or other mixed drinks, but also mixed with yogurt or food. Matcha helps you even when you don't have time for an elaborate but also very relaxing tea ceremony.
Last but not least, when you drink matcha, you save yourself the unpleasant bad breath that arises after drinking coffee.