Well-deserved popularity
This green tea has recently become really popular around the world. I’m sure many of you will be familiar with it already. It’s known for its bright green colour, rich, creamy flavour and special way of preparing and drinking it – it’s a ritual. It’s also worth noting that this green tea is linked to a number of health benefits. It has lots of other health benefits too, including:
- It is a source of antioxidants, including the powerful EGCg. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals from the body’s cells and prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation. EGCg is a powerful compound that may have health benefits by reducing inflammation, helping to regulate weight and preventing certain chronic diseases.
- Stimulates metabolism and burns calories.
- It has a calming effect on the mind and body, and helps concentration, which is why it was traditionally drunk before meditation.
- Provides vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium.
- Lowers bad cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
- It contains caffeine, which gives you a boost of energy. The caffeine is released slowly in the body thanks to an amino acid called l-theanine. L-theanine slows down the release of caffeine, which helps you relax. Instead of being released all at once, like in coffee, caffeine is released more slowly and evenly. This is why this type of tea gives you a great feeling of calm alertness.
All these and many more properties of green tea have earned it the title of superfood. A superfood is a food that’s packed with compounds that are good for your health (like antioxidants, fibre or fatty acids). Green tea is one of the top superfoods on the list because it’s packed with beneficial compounds.
Matcha history
The first evidence of green tea reaching Japan comes from the Heian period (8th-9th century). It is thought that the first two men to bring tea seeds to Japan were the Buddhist monks Kukai and Saicho. Another source says that in 815 AD, a Buddhist monk called Eichu served green tea to Saga, who was the Emperor of Japan at the time. At the time, Eichu prepared the green tea leaves without compressing or breaking them and showed the Emperor a rather rough-looking product. This wasn’t like the sencha-style green tea we know today, as the process of making it was still eight hundred years away.
First tests of the ceremony
Towards the end of the 12th century AD, a man called Myōan Eisai came across a powdered green tea. He’d travelled to China twice because he wasn’t happy with how Buddhism was developing in Japan. On his first trip, he looked into the principles of Chan (which was later translated into Japanese as Zen) and later became a certified practitioner. However, his second trip was more successful when it came to tea. He also brought some Zen scriptures and the knowledge of how to make green tea powder. Later on, Eisai wrote a big book about Japanese green tea, called Kissayōjōki (Drinking tea for your health). Eisai was convinced that green tea powder had health benefits and could be used in religious ceremonies. He used it in the first trials of the Japanese tea drinking ceremony.
Symbol of luxury
In the 13th century, during the Kamakura shogunate, matcha started being used not just as a religious practice, but also as a way of representing the traditions and symbols of the warrior class, as well as symbols of luxury. This continued into the 16th century, when tea came to be seen as a status symbol and was presented as a cultural asset of the upper classes. Tea made from leaves that originally came from Kyoto (which is roughly where Eisai first planted tea seeds) became really valuable. The ‘Tana’ was also created, which is a shading device that puts a thatched roof over the tea bushes to make up for the amount of sunlight reaching the tea plants. This method helped farmers to get the special taste of tea.
From a sign of luxury to a spiritual ritual
It was between 1300 and 1500 that Japanese tea culture, and with it the Japanese tea ceremony, evolved into what we know today. After the Muromachi shogunate, green tea was seen as a more spiritual pursuit, one that was about simplicity rather than extravagance. So, the Japanese tea ceremony as we know it today was created by the monk Murata Junko, but it was one of his disciples who defined the concept of wabi-cha (Japanese for ‘way of tea’), also known as chado or sado. That disciple was Sen-No-Rikyu. He was so highly regarded for his philosophy and tea-making skills that he became the personal tea master of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the first ruler of the Sengoku period. Sadly, his life came to an end in the spring of 1591. It’s not clear why, but it seems he insulted Hideyoshi and the only way to save face was to commit ritual suicide. This story was recorded by Okakura Kakuzō in his book The Book of Tea. It says that his last act was to throw a lavish tea party with his closest friends. He then smashed his cup and plunged a knife into his body. But his legacy, and that of other tea connoisseurs before him, lives on in the ceremony and in the ceremonial grade green tea they helped to develop. It’s a tradition that emphasises the importance of remembering history, but also embracing the present and not worrying about the future. At the end of the day, it’s the journey that matters, not the destination.
Idea for dessert
Matcha energy balls recipe
This recipe is a must-try for all fans of this tea. Often energy balls are too dry or too sweet, but this one is very refreshing, light and has a balanced sweetness.
For the balls you will need:
50 grams of pistachios;
100 grams of medjool dates;
50 grams of almonds;
1 teaspoon matcha powder;
a pinch of salt and Ceylon cinnamon.
How to make?
- Just pulse the pistachios in a blender until they’re finely chopped. Just take them out and put them to one side.
- Add the medjool dates, almonds, green tea, a pinch of salt and Ceylon cinnamon to a blender. Just whisk everything together until it’s all nice and smooth.
- Just a heads-up: the dough will be sticky, so you can lightly grease the wounds with coconut oil to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands when forming the balls. Use half a tablespoon of dough to shape the balls. Once you’ve shaped them, put them in the chopped pistachios and roll them so they’re coated on all sides. Let the balls rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to firm up a bit.
