There’s nothing quite like sitting down with a mug of steaming hot tea, nearly finished steeping when you’re ready to relax after a long day. Not only is tea delicious to drink, it’s also bursting with plenty of antioxidants, amino acids and minerals that help our bodies thrive and some teas even provide a gentle boost of caffeine. When looking for numerous health benefits, one of the most sought after teas is green tea. Green tea has been consumed for hundreds of years all around the world and is still widely consumed today. A product of green tea known as matcha has also been gaining popularity in North America in the last number of years because of all the health benefits it has to offer. Green tea and matcha begin in the same way, growing from the same plant but are actually quite different.

The green tea we drink today is made from harvested camellia sinensis leaves and buds and it seems to have originated in Asia. Conventional steeped green tea is loaded with antioxidants that contribute to our overall wellbeing and some studies in the last number of years have even shown that individuals who drink green tea may have a lower risk of certain kinds of cancer. Steeped green tea has been noted to boost metabolism, improve risk of cardiovascular issues and might even reduce symptoms of type two diabetes when consumed regularly. Green tea also contains catechins (a specific antioxidant) that may restrict the growth of certain bacteria and can lower the risk of infection – even in the mouth pertaining to dental infections and cavities. Although it has not been proven, some people swear by green tea as a part of their health food regimen to increase weight loss and give their metabolism a boost. In addition to this impressive laundry list of health benefits, green tea also contains caffeine and that working together with the amino acids can improve brain function and give your whole body a boost.

If you think green tea has a lot of health benefits, however, wait until you hear about matcha. Matcha is a powdered form of green tea that has been around almost as long as green tea has. Once whisked into a drink this premium green tea powder has an astringent flavor. Its mild sweetness comes across as rich, buttery and earthy with an even sweeter complex after taste. Matcha is much like green tea when it comes to the benefits for our bodies in addition to being rich in vitamins and fiber, high in chlorophyll and metabolism boosting. Matcha is such a great beverage to reach for as the caffeine content provides a slow and sustained release of energy while also improving mood and improving concentration and at the same time calming the mind. Matcha is unique to the country and culture of Japan taking center stage at the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and is held in very high regard.

Both matcha and green tea are matchless beverages in terms of their health benefits. They are both made with leaves from the camellia sinensis plant but what differentiates them is that green tea is formed when the plants leaves are steeped and matcha is made into a suspension after tea leaves have been ground into a fine powder and the whisked into hot water. Ultimately, because drinking matcha means ingesting the whole leaf, this green drink provides health benefits exceeding conventional green tea by about three times. The unique way this drink is more concentrated makes it more healthful and also more expensive because forming the powder is laborious. Green tea is an exceptional beverage but matcha is even better. Drinking either one, or even both, on a regular basis will greatly contribute to your overall health. No wonder matcha is trending!