Getting the most from your Green Tea and Matcha

Traditional tea use goes far beyond simple enjoyment and rest and relaxation.  Its often just as much about the health benefits, which can relate to better health and longer life.

For example, in China and India, people drink green tea to get rid of excess bodily fluid, control bleeding, heal wounds and improve heart health.  Studies also show Green Tea consumption improves brain function, can stave off cognitive disorders like Alzheimers, helps prevent dental cavities, fights inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and even combats several cancers.

One reason Green Tea is so good for you is because of its incredibly potent antioxidants, including the most prevalent and powerful catechin known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate or EGCG.

How tea leaves are processed makes all the difference in the health benefits provided, as do the water temperature and steeping time.  This makes it really worthwhile knowing the best way to prepare your Green Tea, so it not only tastes great but you are achieving maximum benefits.

• When you make tea using tea bags you’ll get significantly less EGCG than from loose leaf and powdered teas.
• Studies show using high quality, loose leaf tea, like Clean Tea’s Green Tea, and brewing it in boiling water from three to four minutes increases the antioxidant potential by three to five times compared to a regular tea bag.
• According to one study, the hotter the water you brew your loose-leaf tea in, the more antioxidants you can expect to benefit your body.  Further, the EGCG extraction is very sensitive to water temperature:  brewing water in 80 degrees C only gives you about 60% of the EGCG from the tea leaf.
• The best amounts to use when measuring your loose-leaf green tea is a ratio of 4 teaspoons of tea for every 4 cups of water.  Drink it while its hot – freshly brewed tea is also superior to tea that’s been sitting for a few hours.
• Keep in mind that adding milk can diminish the potency of some of the antioxidants.
• Extra bonus:  adding a spritz of lemon can boost the green tea benefits and increases the catechins for better absorption by five times, according to one study.  And it tastes so good.

​

Your beautiful Morning Matcha is powdered and authentically green, possessing several other differences that set it apart.  Being ground micron fine, the whole leaf is ingested.  You’ll find easy instructions on how to prepare it in Clean Tea’s Blog.

Amanda Hunter ND