The coffee versus tea debate can go on forever and probably will do just that, but when it comes to the question of which drink is healthier, there’s a clear-cut answer. Of course, that answer is not as clear-cut as most people would believe. Tea is probably healthier than coffee in general, but the difference is much smaller than you might think. That is not true, however, when it comes to matcha green tea.
A cup of matcha green tea
Matcha is a powdered form of green tea from Japan. The powder is made from the whole leaves of the highest quality tea plants. The plants are shade-grown, which means there are more nutrients in the leaves already and when you add in the fact that with this tea the whole leaves are consumed, instead of just the essence, it is easy to understand why this tea is the healthiest of all. Here’s a great website with more information on matcha green tea powder.
This powdered form of green tea is becoming much more popular these days. That said, most people in the west don’t even drink it. The brewing process is relatively complicated and involved and requires a number of specialized implements, making it difficult to prepare a perfect cup for the average person. And when this tea is brewed incorrectly, does not taste very good to most people. Thus, it makes sense that very few people outside of Japan, or maybe China, even try brewing this type of tea. If you’d like to give it a shot, here’s a video showing you how to prepare matcha:
Luckily for those who don’t want to bother with the difficult preparation, matcha can be eaten just as easily as it can be drunk. In fact, many recipes in Japan call for the addition of green tea powder. It goes very well with sweet things, so it is mostly used in desserts. It is commonly added to ice cream or to cake batter or cookie dough or any other baked product. But it doesn’t even have to be added into the dough or batter. You can simply sprinkle the powder over just about anything. In this way, you can use it as a topping for salads or for any kind of desserts or even for drinks, both alcoholic or nonalcoholic.
Perhaps the most famous thing made with matcha in the west comes from Starbucks: they have a latte drink made with this tea powder. That said, this drink is pretty terrible. Most of the health benefits of the tea or nullified by the ridiculously high sugar content. I would stay away from this thing and just make my own.
One question I get very often from people interested in trying matcha is where it can be purchased. Outside of specialty tea shops in large cities, it can be very difficult to find good quality green tea powder. Luckily, in the age of the internet, you can buy just about anything online. And this stuff is no exception. A number of online tea retailers sell matcha and this is my favorite way to buy this tea or any tea, really. Given the large number of tea stores online, it can be a little difficult to know which tea shop is the best, so here’s a website that reviews and compares some of the top online tea vendors and is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to buy tea online.
I hope you’ll forgive me this little interjection in the coffee versus tea debate, but I simply don’t think it’s fair to even have this debate until you’ve tried some of the best teas and the best coffees. You want to compare the best of both worlds, not the average drinks or the bad ones. And matcha green tea powder is one of the best teas available. Many people believe it is the best tea, period. So find your favorite online tea store, buy some of this tea and give it a try.