Matcha Tea - a chilled benefactor

Ever hear of Matcha? Maybe from a Starbucks add? A few years ago I worked for a brief period as a barista/bartender at Extraordinary Desserts in Little Italy of San Diego. One of the most beautiful drinks I prepared there was the Matcha green tea and it's variation, a Matcha Mocha. People often ordered this drink without knowing it's taste because 1) it sounds interesting and 2) it's a grassy green swirled with rich chocolate - quite beautiful when prepared correctly. Taste-wise it's very earthy, and you must like (even love) green tea. Matcha is green tea but extremely potent--10 to 15 times the concentration of steeped green tea because the green tea leaf is literally ground into a powder which is known as Matcha. However, this potency lends to a kick of health benefits as well. News and studies have circulated recently about the benefits of green tea on health. Well, When you consume a cup of matcha you literally consume approximately the same as 10 to 15 cups of regular green tea. Read after the jump on nutritional break down of matcha (antioxidant powerhouse!), how it can help with weight loss, and even topically as a skin mask.
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From ZenMatcha Tea:

Matcha has approximately 70 times the antioxidants of orange juice and 9 times the beta-carotene of spinach. Matcha literally has more antioxidant power than blueberries. The health benefits of Matcha may include:

* Significantly increases energy (over 8-10 hours) without the caffeine 'jitters'
* Improves mental alertness
* Increases calmness and reduces stress
* Boosts metabolic rate by 35-40% in regular drinkers, facilitating weight loss
* Powerful 'anti-aging' activity due to super-charged antioxidants
* Lowers blood pressure
* Decreases levels of LDL or 'bad' cholesterol
* Minimizes symptoms of PMS
* Super immune-boosting activity due to high levels of polyphenols and catechins
* Stabilizes blood sugar levels
* Powerful anti-biotic and anti-viral activity
* Strong blood cleanser/detoxifier and alkalizer due to high chlorophyll content

Matcha for weight loss:

Green tea has been proven to have several connections in the area of weight loss. It helps to speed up up the metabolism causing the body to use up more calories, it helps to keep the body from storing calories as fat, and can help suppress the appetite. Green tea and losing weight is also made easier by the fact that green tea is naturally calorie-free itself. Burn more calories, lose more fat. Research done in Switzerland in the 1990s showed that overweight subjects taking a green tea supplement while eating a normal diet became able to burn more calories than those who were not taking the green tea pill. Green tea works to accomplish this by increasing the rate of metabolism in the body, which is called thermogenesis. As well, when using green tea and losing weight, one tends to lose more fat than you would if you were not drinking green tea. This leads to a much healthier body in the end. Eat Less! The most obvious thing you need to do when using green tea and losing weight is to eat less food, like with any diet plan. Unlike most other plans, green tea will help you with this, as it acts as a natural control on your appetite, telling your brain that you are full after you have eaten food instead of leaving you wanting to overeat. Replace Other Drinks with Green Tea and Lose Weight Faster An obvious benefit of this plan is that you can just replace the drinks you normally drink with green tea and losing weight will be easy! The average coffee shop drink contains many more calories and gram of fat than you should be drinking just to get the benefit of the caffeine in it. Green tea also contains caffeine, although not in as large a quantity as coffee ? this is another reason that makes green tea healthier. But it does contain enough to give you a little boost of energy to get you through your morning meetings. Unsweetened, green tea has no caffeine, and like all teas does not contain fat.

Matcha for skin:

Due to it’s fine, talc-like consistency, Matcha green tea powder is perfect for topical applications such a facial/body masks, cleansers, toners, and scrubs.

Depending on the grade of Matcha used, the particle size ranges from approx. 4 – 9 microns. These fine particles penetrate the top layers of the skin, and readily impart the healing benfits of green tea when applied directly.

Top 5 effects of matcha on skin:

1. Anti-oxidant/angi-aging – due to it’s extremely high level of anti-oxidants. (the highest ORAC rating food)
2. Anti-inflammatory – due to the caffeine and catechins
3. Anti-microbial – eliminates blemishes and acne
4. Anti-cancer/fights sun damage – powerful cancer fighting constituents (EGCG)
5. Mildly exfoliant and detoxifying – particles sizes and high chlorophyll content

ZenMatcha Face Mask Recipe:
("Zen Face")

In a small bowl mix the following ingredients together, using the back of a fork to make a smooth paste:

1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon ZenMatcha powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
1 teaspoon face oil of choice (almond, jojoba, melted coconut oil, sesame etc.)
Few drops essential oil of choice (lavender, geranium, clary sage, patchouli, grapefruit, rose, or ylang ylang)

Keep mask in the fridge, and cover from light. Use every day - smooth on skin and let sit for 30 minutes. Wash off thoroughly! 

Now CLICK HERE for Matcha recipes!