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Dia daoibh!
Hope you all had a lovely week. Today I'm here with a non-beauty related post. Anyone who follows me on snapchat will know that I'm currently on a healthy kick. Also, I love my hot drinks; be it coffee, herbal tea or my newest addiction... Matcha. After watching >Tar Mar's video< on how to make the perfect Iced Matcha Latte, I whipped out my own green tea powder and made a Matcha Latte that very night. Today I'm here to introduce to you to an Irish (Cork based) supplier of Matcha powder - >Matcha Ireland<.
I find that some matcha green teas can be hugely overpriced in health food shops (anywhere between €15-€20) so here's what was sent to me by Matcha Ireland. The powder they sell is Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea Powder and they also offer a Vanilla Blend version. As you will see from the ingredients in the below image, it's pure 100% organic matcha green tea powder. And the best bit (aside the the health benefits!) the price. Each sachet contains 50g and is priced at just €12.95.
What the hell is Matcha!?
To wind it back a bit..... what is Matcha? Hailing from Japan, Matcha basically a powerful, higher grade variant of green tea but is finely ground to a powder. It is claimed to be even healthier than other types of green teas as it is grown and prepared differently and additionally, the whole tea leaf is consumed.
A measurement (half teaspoon) of matcha provides approximately 34mg of caffeine, which is the roughly the same as in cup (1 teaspoon) of instant coffee but matcha's "caffeine buzz" is much more energising and longer-lasting. Because the caffeine in coffee is absorbed so quickly, it tends to cause a sudden bust of energy for some, that is followed by a crash in an hour or two. In contrast, the caffeine in matcha takes up to six hours to be absorbed by the body, so matcha drinkers remain mildly energised for a few hours before the effects gradually fade away.
Caffeine content in matcha is slightly more than a cup of regular green tea but matcha contains more antioxidants (you’d have to drink 10 to 15 cups of green tea to equal the nutrients in one cup of high quality matcha).
Some of the benefits of matcha include reducing the risk of heart disease, helps with relaxation and alertness and also, it's been claimed to boost the body's metabolism and aid weight loss, Matcha can help to speed up metabolism and help the body burn fat approximately four times faster than average green teas
Now, not everyone will like the taste of this straight off, but, people that don’t enjoy the taste of green tea may like matcha a little better because it has a rich, naturally slighter sweeter flavour. It does take a while to get used to, but eventually your taste buds will adjust. I make mine in multiple different ways, simply with boiled water, I sometimes add sweetener, I make an iced version, a creamy version using almond/coconut/hazelnut milk. I tend to use my nutribullet to mix or else whisk the powder to make sure it dissolves properly into the milk.
And not to be forgotten, matcha can be sprinkled into your foods too. If I'm not in the mood to drink my matcha, I sprinkle some over my salads, into my smoothies and porridge, I add it to cous cous and have even made matcha pancakes!
All in all, I'd say I'm a matcha convert! You can buy the matcha I used online >HERE< Plus use code FNB10 to get 10% off your order!
Slán!
The above products were sent to me from the brands PR Team for reviewing purposes. All opinions above are completely my own, 100% honest thoughts on the product.
