What you need to know about Matcha (and why it’s so good for you!)
Ah, Matcha. It’s the oldest superfood powder of them all, and has become a bit of a health fad, showing no signs of slowing down.
It’s in everything from lattes to face masks to smoothies and ice cream *drool*. And in case you haven’t tried it yet, it has a fresh-tasting, herb-y flavour that’s kinda’ addictive.
But aside from the taste, what is so darn great about this green miracle food and why is everyone so obsessed with it?
Ancient Culture meets Modern Day Obsession
Matcha is far from a new trend — it's been a part of Japanese and Chinese culture since at least the 12th century.
Originally ground into a powder and compressed to allow it to travel distances, drinking Matcha has been a highly formalised part of Japanese tea ceremonies.
In recent decades, Matcha has become a popular way to flavour drinks and snacks and even acts as a coffee replacement, making the green tea easier to enjoy casually and on-the-go.
Loaded with Benefits
Matcha is a known mood booster, encouraging clear, calm thinking, thanks to an amino acid called L theanine which plays a role in our production of the feel-good hormones dopamine and serotonin.
Better yet, a 2005 study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that it boosts your metabolic rate and increases thermogenesis, which is when your body burns calories to create heat. Inttteerresting.
Beauty Booster
Most noteworthy, is the fact that Matcha is now a serious beauty staple in many-a grooming routine. It’s packed with vitamins and polyphenols — incredibly useful antioxidant molecules that help to prevent ageing — and has 7x more antioxidant action than regular green tea, making it fabulous at improving immunity function and reducing inflammation.
Our favourite way to get our Matcha fix? In a body scrub.
You heard us correctly.
Pure Matcha powder helps to reduce skin inflammation and acne as well as helping to reverse skin damage.
It’s the main reason why we formulated our Matcha Green Tea Body Scrub, which is jam-packed with antioxidants to fight free radicals and UV radiation. We’ve gone the extra mile and included botanical oils like jojoba and sweet almond to nourish the skin without making it too oily, while pure eucalyptus oil helps you destress and feel stimulated and wide awake. In our opinion, it’s the perfect scrub to use in your morning shower.
Although we no longer make our matcha body scrub, we can recommend a face mask that our founder @maddy.daisy recommends in her book The Botanical Beauty Hunter. You'll get all the skin clearing and anti-oxidant benefits.
Combine 1 tbsp matcha powder with 2 tsp jojoba oil + 2 tbsp honey. Combine and leave on face for 10 minutes. This mask is best for oily skin but works well with all skin types.
If you've never experienced Matcha's bitter, addictive flavour (or if you've only had it at a restaurant), there's no better time to start experimenting with it in your own kitchen or on your skin! Let us know how you go.