If you follow me on my planner page, you already know how much your girl loves her tea… in any form (no hater’s here). But over the last few years, matcha has been slowly stealing my heart and quite frankly, I don’t mind it!
What makes matcha so unique and different from regular green tea, is how it is grown and processed. It is a young green tea leaf that is grown in the shade, specifically to increase its chlorophyll content, giving matcha that bright green colour. The leaves are picked, ground using granite stones into a super fine powder, then whisked with water to create a traditional Japanese ceremonial beverage. It’s so delicious and will warm your soul with every sip.
Not all matcha’s are created equal and finding a good quality one can be tricky; as some can be too bitter or grainy when whisked. So here are 2 quick and easy ways to know if you are buying a good quality matcha:
- Colour. By far the easiest way tell if you are buying good quality matcha is simply by looking at the colour. My general rule of thumb: the greener, the better. Poor quality matcha can green/brown or even yellow in colour. Those are the ones I generally like to avoid, as they tend to be a bit too bitter for my liking.
- Rub it between your fingers. Good quality matcha should feel smooth to the touch, not grainy. I find the finely ground matcha dissolves better and creates the frothy texture that we love.
Personally, I love DavidsTea. It’s great, reasonably priced, and they have so many flavours that it will suit anyone’s palate (even my 5-year-old niece’s). My favourites are matcha matsu and strawberry. Throughout the year they release seasonal flavours, like Candy Cane or Maple, that are quite lovely on a cool day. Either way, I love sipping on it while watching the sunrise from my balcony. It so peaceful and a great way to welcome the day.
Don’t get me wrong, I love matcha but I am way too impatient to make it properly. To fire up the kettle, wait until the water boils, then whisk it together, just doesn’t appeal to me (sorry loves)! So, my parents had a milk frother that came with their espresso machine that they never used, so I took that and hoped I would get the same effect. And boy was I right! Needless to say, it worked amazingly. It was so quick and gave me a hot, frothy cup of delicious-ness, that I never went back to buy the bowl and whisk (don’t tell anyone)!
So here is my go to way to make the perfect (cheater’s) cup of matcha:
For the perfect warm, subtly sweet blend, I love mixing matcha matsu with any flavour your heart desires (my favourite is strawberry but peach and blueberry are delicious too). It’s not too sweet and not too earthy, it is the perfect blend. This recipe is great because it is completely customizable; if you find that this is a bit too bitter, go ahead and add more flavoured matcha and if you find that it is a bit too sweet, add more matsu. Either way, you can create a cup that is perfect for you.
- Fill the frother, with water, up to the water line (a little more water gives you a lighter cup and a little less water gives you a stronger cup). The water doesn’t have to be hot as the frother with heat it up (genius I know!)
- Grab your loose-leaf tea sifter (any one will do) and place it over your frother.
- Add in 1.5 perfect matcha spoons (little less than 1 teaspoon) of matcha matsu and 1.5 perfect spoons of the flavoured match of your choice.
- Sift it through to make sure there are no clumps.
- Close the lid and set the frother to “Heat” setting. Sit back, and watch the magic happen.
- Once complete, pour it into your fanciest teacup and sip tea like your the Queen…
The more I fell in love with matcha, the more I loved reading up on all of its health benefits. It helps in weight loss and reducing blood pressure (fun fact: I make sure to drink a cup before I go to the doctor’s, it works every time!) It has 137 times more antioxidants than regular green tea (which is great for your immune system and fighting diseases). It contains a plant based caffeine which slowly releases in your body over a period of time allowing you to avoid that mid-day slump! The best part of matcha though in my opinion, (maybe this is because I am a science buff… who knows) is that it contains the amino acid, L-Theanine. What is so great about L-theanine is that is a natural stress reliever. Without getting too science-y and boring on you, essentially what it does is that it acts on the brain to produce more alpha waves, which are associated with a state of relaxed alertness (which is why this is my go-to drink when I am studying). Honestly, I could sit here for days telling you all its health benefits but I won’t bore you anymore. You’re just going to have to try it!
But my love for matcha doesn’t just end there. It wouldn’t be as perfect as I am making it out to be if my skin didn’t love it too. As you know from my previous post, I have acne/allergy prone skin and it is really hard for me to buy products. So when it comes to face masks, I tend to enjoy making my own, and my agave matcha mask is a staple in my weekly face mask routine!
Matcha is full of antioxidants, specifically, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), which is great for reducing acne, inflammation, evening out skin tone, and increasing skin elasticity. So, get your ‘spirit fingers’ out and bring it on!
My favourite (and super easy) mask to make is my Agave Matcha Mask. It is the perfect pick-me-up my face needs after a long week! Agave is such an incredible skin brightener, pairing it with matcha, you really cannot go wrong.
Agave Matcha Mask
- Simply mix together 1 tablespoon of Agave (or honey whichever is in your pantry) with 1 teaspoon of matcha powder to form a paste.
- With a cosmetic brush (or fingers) apply it evenly to a clean, dry face
- Let sit from 20-30 minutes (it doesn’t harden, so just be aware, mine tends to drip off my nose sometimes).
- Rinse off with warm towel and pat dry
You will instantly see how bright and refreshed your face looks and wonder what else we can add matcha too! This universal secret ingredient is a staple in both my health and beauty routine. Now, when you are at DavidsTea stocking up your new favourite matcha’s, order yourself an iced Peach Matcha Lemonade and enjoy the ride (it is heavenly…you’re welcome)! Let me know what your favourite matcha is and your home skincare recipes!
This is not sponsored and all opinions are my own
