Matcha powder has many uses and is currently used in three popular ways: making drinks, preparing food, and beautifying. So what ingredients does this powder contain and what benefits does it bring?

Matcha powder is rich in nutrients that are beneficial to health. Not only that, this powder also has the effect of beautifying, rejuvenating the skin and does not contain toxic ingredients or cause allergies to the body.

What is matcha powder?

Matcha is a powder made from the young buds and leaves of the Tencha green tea plant, a famous Japanese tea variety.

Matcha is a premium green tea powder made from young buds and leaves of Tencha green tea (Japan).

Matcha powder has a rather elaborate production process with 5 basic steps: care, harvesting, steaming, drying and grinding.

• Tea plant care: About 3 weeks before harvesting, the tea buds will be shaded from the sun, covered with straw or covered with black nets. The purpose of this is to increase the good active ingredients in the finished product.
• Tea bud picking: In this step, the tea buds are picked by hand. The harvest time is in late spring, early summer (around early May every year).
• Steaming: After harvesting, the tea will be left to rest for 12 – 20 hours, then steamed for 20 seconds. This is the step that makes the difference in the taste, color, aroma and nutritional content of the finished product.
• Cooling and drying the tea: After steaming, the tea buds will be cooled and gently dried with clean air. Also at this stage, the leaves (the main ingredient in matcha production) will be separated from the stems and veins.
• Fine grinding: The dried leaf flesh will be crushed with a manual stone mortar or grinder. The finished product is green, super fine with particle size in micrometers.

Matcha powder classification

Currently, matcha is often classified according to its intended use. Accordingly, there are three types of matcha on the market:

• Matcha for drinking: High quality, more expensive than the general level. The ingredients used are often high-end, carefully selected, with a natural, original aroma and a slightly astringent taste.
• Matcha for cooking: This type of powder is often made from leaves near the tea buds, has a strong flavor, and is cheaper than drinking matcha.
• Matcha for beauty: This type of matcha is quite diverse in origin, can be made from young buds or old tea leaves. Often used in combination with honey, yogurt, eggs, … to make a skin care mask or exfoliant.

Ingredients in matcha powder

Research shows that 100g of pure matcha contains:

• 6.64g of protein;
• 23.67g of carbohydrates;
• 2.94g of lipids;
• 55.08g of fiber (including soluble and insoluble forms);
• 12090μg of polyphenols;
• 119μg of folic acid;
• 840mg of Ca;
• 18mg of Fe;
• 8.32mg of Na;
• 727mg of K;
• 145mg of Mg;
• 1.5mg of Zn.

In addition, matcha is also rich in selenium, B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin H, vitamin K, vitamin E,…

Matcha powder is rich in minerals and antioxidants, providing many health benefits.

Special uses of matcha powder

Matcha powder not only inherits all the precious active ingredients in green tea but also has a much higher antioxidant content after an elaborate processing process. Therefore, this powder brings many practical benefits to health and beauty.

Rejuvenates the body and helps prevent diseases

This is the most highly appreciated effect of matcha powder. The antioxidant content in this powder is 137 times higher than that of regular green tea, 20 times higher than that of blueberries and pomegranates. The most notable of which are flavonoids and catechins.

These antioxidants have the ability to eliminate free radicals, control blood fat, protect cells, so they help rejuvenate the body, increase resistance; and have the effect of preventing diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

In particular, EGCG is the most well-known antioxidant in green tea in general and matcha in particular. This ingredient has the ability to burn fat, reduce bad fat that is harmful to the cardiovascular system.

Not only that, EGCG also has strong anti-cancer properties. The simultaneous effects of EGCG and other antioxidants in green tea have helped eliminate harmful agents, control and inhibit abnormal cell division. So if you use matcha regularly every week, your health problems will be strictly controlled.

Regular use of matcha will help you protect your cardiovascular system and prevent cancer effectively.

Anti-inflammatory and accelerates the healing process

Caffeine and catechins in matcha have the ability to reduce inflammation and swelling very effectively. Not only that, this green tea powder also has the effect of cooling, detoxifying, and enhancing the skin’s resistance.

In addition, the amount of zinc and selenium in matcha also regenerates new cells, helping wounds heal quickly and not leave ugly scars.

Helps control weight and adjust body shape

Matcha contains a large amount of fiber. This ingredient has the ability to burn fat, reduce cravings, so it is very helpful for the weight loss journey.

In addition, EGCG and many other antioxidants in matcha also burn energy very effectively, helping to clear excess fat under the skin, visceral fat and blood fat.

Therefore, if we “make friends” with drinks and dishes containing matcha, our weight will be well controlled, and our body shape will become visibly slimmer.

Using dishes made from matcha will help you improve your figure.

Protecting the function of the nervous system

L-Theanine – an amino acid in matcha has a sedative effect, relaxing the nerves. Specifically, when the body falls into a state of stress, beta waves will be produced. Meanwhile, L-Theanine has the ability to create alpha waves with the effect of reducing stress, helping the body feel more comfortable, relaxed and alert.

In addition, the antioxidants in matcha also have the effect of protecting the brain in particular and the nervous system in general. Thereby helping to prevent neurological diseases caused by aging such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, …

Beautifying and improving skin health

Skin aging problems such as sagging, dark spots, wrinkles, deep smile lines, … will be improved if you use matcha regularly every day.

The above effect is achieved thanks to the abundant antioxidant ingredients in matcha. In addition, these active ingredients also help the skin become healthier every day, firmer and without any defects.

All the most basic and important information about matcha powder has been shared in the article. Now you are more confident in using this powder for health and beauty care, right?