What is Matcha Tea?

This vibrant, earthy-tasting type of green tea is a significant ingredient in Japanese culinary culture and an excellent alternative to highly caffeinated drinks.

If you’ve not got to grips with making a great cup of matcha tea yet, let us help.

Skip to:

• What it is
• Matcha tea benefits
• How to make it at home
• Recipes 

What is matcha tea?

Let’s start with the basics, what actually is matcha tea?

Essentially, matcha tea Japanese green tea in a powdered format. It’s also grown in a traditional way, by shading the leaves as they grow to enhance their active compounds.

These compounds include theanine, caffeine, chlorophyll and various catechins.¹

Benefits of matcha tea

If you’re a newbie to matcha tea, you might be wondering about its possible health benefits.

For starters, matcha is incredibly rich in antioxidants.² These are compounds which help protect your cells from harmful free radicals.³

Matcha is specifically high in catechins, a type of antioxidant which have been shown to have a variety of health benefits.

To learn more about this, check out our blog on the 10 benefits of match tea

How to make matcha tea at home

Dunking a tea bag in hot water can give you a fragrant beverage in minutes, but the traditional way to prepare matcha is to use a powder.

Nevertheless, it can be a little tricky to get the consistency just right without the right know-how.

We have a few tricks up our sleeve:

Before you begin

Whipping up the perfect matcha tea isn’t quite as simple as pouring in some hot water and stirring.

Before you start making your beverage, make sure you’ve got all the right tools for the task.⁴

This includes a mini hand whisk, called a chasen in Japan, which will get your matcha nice and bubbly.

It’s also more authentic and straightforward to prepare and drink matcha from a small bowl instead of a mug. A deep soup bowl is ideal, or you could use a large hot chocolate mug. Finally, a small sieve is great for ensuring there are no lumps of powder in your tea.

Sure, you can pick a matcha latte up at your favourite coffee shop, but it’s definitely worth knowing how quick and simple matcha green tea is to make at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon (or to taste) dry matcha powder
• 250ml hot (not boiling) milk
• Sugar or sweetener if desired

Now you’re ready to start, follow these four easy steps:⁵

1. Choose your matcha

Like many things in life, not all matcha tea is made equal.

For the best tasting and most beneficial beverage, you’ll want to go for a high-quality organic matcha powder that’s ideally been sourced from Japan.

2. Sift the powder into your bowl

Depending on how strong you like your matcha, you’ll want to sift one or two teaspoons of matcha powder into your bowl.

Filtering it through a sieve or tea strainer is key to a smooth and lump-free drink.

3. Pour in just-boiled water

Let some water come to the boil in your kettle and then wait a minute for it to cool down before pouring it into your bowl.

The amount of water you use will depend on how strong you like it. An excellent place to start is with 80ml of water – you can then add more if you want your matcha tea a little weaker.

4. Get whisking!

Now for the fun part! Using your little hand whisk, whisk the powder and water in a zig-zag pattern across the bowl. You’ll need to be quite vigorous.

The tea is ready once the powder is dissolved and there’s a layer of foam on top.

Haven’t got a whisk to hand, but still want to enjoy some matcha?

Make it quickly in a mug by adding a few drops of hot water to your powder and stirring until it forms a paste. Next, slowly pour in the rest of the hot water whilst continuously mixing with a spoon.

Why not have a go at making a matcha tea latte by using nut milk instead of boiling water and adding a teaspoon of sugar or agave syrup for extra sweetness?

Shop our complete range of matcha tea and enjoy matcha powders and flavourful matcha tea bags infused with beneficial ingredients like seaweed and lemon.

[Insert matcha pancake image here]

4 other ways to enjoy matcha green tea

As well as enjoying matcha blended with milk or water as a drink, you can also use it in other ways.

1. As an antioxidant-rich breakfast

For breakfast, sprinkle ½ teaspoon of raw matcha powder on your muesli, add matcha powder to your favourite smoothie, or mix some into plain Greek yoghurt along with a touch of honey for a healthy start.

2. For a superfood lunch

Mix matcha into cream cheese to create a savoury spread for bagels and piping hot toast. Finish off with a sprinkling of linseeds or chia seeds for even more superfood power.

If you’re working from home, you might have a little more time to get creative over your lunch break.

Create your own nutritious nutty spread by blending a teaspoon of matcha powder in a food processor with hazelnuts, pecans and a spoonful of peanut butter. The result will be an earthy green spread packed with antioxidants, vitamins and healthy fats.

3. In your sweet treats

Matcha powder works well in baking. Start small by adding a couple of teaspoons to your usual recipe for cakes, cookies and other baked goods. It works best to add the matcha at the same time as the flour or flour substitute in your recipe.

The green hue of your matcha bakes might take a moment to get used to, but once you’ve started adding matcha to cakes, cookies, brownies and ice cream, you might never stop!

4. In a revitalising face mask

Drinking matcha is great for you skin – and matcha can be applied topically, too. Try it as part of a face mask, along with some coconut oil to help it stick to your skin.

The grainy powder has an exfoliating action, too, perfect for removing dead skin.

Matcha green tea ice cream

Why not try this super easy, yet delicious and indulgent matcha green tea ice cream?

Ingredients

• 240ml double cream
• 4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk, cold
• 4 tbsp matcha green tea powder

Method

Step 1: Add the matcha green tea powder to 4 tbsp. of hot water in a measuring jug. Leave to cool

Step 2: Whip the double cream in a mixing bowl until stiff

Step 3: Take the sweetened condensed milk and pour in the measuring jug. Stir well

Step 4: Carefully fold the tea and condensed mixture into the double cream until they’re combined

Step 5: Spoon the mixture into a recycled ice cream tub or plastic container. Cover with cling film

Step 6: Leave in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours to set

The final say

Feeling inspired and well equipped to make some of your own matcha tea? We hope so.

If you’re thinking of venturing into the world of herbal teas as well, discover our guide to herbal tea for all the different types and their benefits.