If you guys haven't heard yet, everyone has gone crazy over matcha - myself included! I'm SO OBSESSED with the green powdered goodness that is matcha, that I barely drink coffee anymore.
SAY WHAT?!
You read that right - I only really drink coffee in desperate times or if I'm enjoying a PSL or other lattes from some of my fave coffee shops. But TBH, if that coffee shop sells a matcha latte, that's what I'm getting.
So what's so good about matcha and why should you start drinking it? Well, the buzz is all about energy without the crash. If you're a coffee drinker, you know that you need a second cup (maybe a third?) halfway through your day. At least I did, and a lot of people tend to be that way - bless your heart if you can make it through with just one cup. Matcha offers the energy you need to get through your day without crashing. I do have to make a disclaimer though, being a medical student I'm eternally tired and exhausted so in my typical day I drink matcha in the morning, then a tea or another cup of matcha in the afternoon when I have to study or get stuff done. But don't be mistaken, there's no jitters or crashing in between those two drinks! It's more like me needing a pick-me-up to power through my studies after longs days at the clinic or hospital. Anyway - let me talk more about WHAT matcha actually is!
Matcha is ground up green tea leaves. It's basically green tea in it's purest form. So when you're drinking matcha you are getting ALL the benefits (which I'll talk more about in a little bit), as opposed to only steeping green tea leaves. One of the most well-known benefits of matcha is the antioxidant content. Antioxidants help protect against free-radicals, which causes aging, cell damage, and inflammation. Fun fact: Matcha has way more antioxidant-rich than blueberries, goji berries and even dark chocolate!
Another health benefit of matcha is that it has L-theanine. L-theanine is an amino acid that helps promote focus and energy without the jitters, by stimulating alpha wave activity in the brain. Matcha still has caffeine, but only about 60mg versus coffee's 95mg of caffeine. The lesser amount of caffeine plus the L-theanine is what brings that alertness and focus without making you crash.
Next up is ECGC (epigallocatechin gallate) which is a special type of antioxidant that helps boost metabolism, is anti-inflammatory, and can help maintain or even boost immunity!
...
Personally, back when I use to drink 2-3 cups of coffee per day, I would start to feel sick like I'm about to come down with a cold after a few days. My body was just not responding the right way and I was basically making it go into overdrive. I would be sleepy but instead of succumbing to a 15-20 minute power nap, I would drink coffee instead. If it's night time and I needed to study, I would drink coffee. Then I couldn't sleep, and would have a hard time waking up in the morning and I was not refreshed. You see, it created a vicious cycle for me. Now, I love making matcha in the mornings and as a boost of energy earlier on in the day (I would say the latest I would drink it is around 4:30-5 pm). I do occasionally enjoy a cup of coffee here and there, but it's not my go-to anymore which makes me mentally and physically feel better.
If you're in the market for matcha, I've been loving the brand Encha which has ceremonial-grade, latte-grade, and culinary-grade matcha. They also have all the matcha accessories you can ever need!
I've been absolutely enjoying their matcha, and my favorite is the ceremonial-grade! If you'd like to read more about the different grades of matcha and what you should use when, you can read it here.
Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for: I've teamed up with Encha AND Medelita to bring you all the most epic giveaway. Make sure to head to my INSTAGRAM PAGE for YOUR chance to WIN a Medelita Scrub Set PLUS an Encha Matcha Gift Set!!
