Green Matcha Tea : ceremonial grade : powder

The Japanese have frequently been associated with long life and good health and you might be forgiven for believing that this was all to do with sushi and clean living, but the real secret to longer lives, low cardio-vascular disease rates and the lowest levels of diabetes in the developed world is what they choose to drink.

Today you have the chance to join a nation who regularly top the World Health Organisation’s league tables for health and well being and discover why some of the most refreshing, clean tasting and vibrant tea will give you a health boost like nothing else you have ever tried.

Matcha tea is produced in a very specific and time honoured way to provide a beverage which has no equal in either taste or health benefits.

There is nothing wrong with a traditional British tea, but for many decades now the huge tea producing companies have been selling us a lie.

Their approach has been to market the concept that we are buying the freshest and youngest leaves that are rich in health giving properties, but the reality couldn’t be more wrong. Mixtures of older leaves and blending of different estate teas might ensure that they achieve consistency of taste, but also means they forgo quality.

The production of matcha tea is a world apart from multi-national conglomerates and relies on basic and very natural methods which have been handed down through families for generations.

Matcha production

You might be wondering what it is that makes matcha so special, isn’t it just another type of green tea? Well it all comes down to how it’s grown and processed, and also how you drink it.

There is perhaps no tea as celebrated or as famous as Matcha. Often considered to be the most important part of Japanese Tea ceremony.

These days, the rules around drinking Matcha have loosened and what was once saved only for ceremony has found it's way into everyday life.

But producing high quality Matcha is is painstaking work. It is made using pure luxury tencha green tea and Gyokuro leaves that have been shaded under special cover for three weeks prior to plucking. Shading forces the plants to produce higher than normal chlorophyll levels, giving the leave a rich green colour and high amino acid levels.

Once plucked the leaves are steamed and dried. Next they are stripped of all stems and veins, resulting in a pure tea that is stone-ground into fine powder.

Having identified a high-altitude Kenyan tea with 3x the antioxidant value of normal green tea, it was blended with the traditional Japanese Izu tea, to ensure that although the flavory green character and emerald appearance is not altered, the antioxidants are significantly boosted.

This Japan Izu Green tea is a fabulous example of the high quality, Japanese style teas teas now being grown in China.

After Japan's unfortunate Tsunami and nuclear disaster threatened to contaminate much of the country's tea. Metro Tea undertook the painstaking process of sourcing Chinese gardens for the traditionally Japanese grown blends. The teas found in all cases exceed Japanese standards, and are in fact sold for export into Japan itself.

The tea used in this blend is called Gyokuro (Jade Dew) and is revered by Matcha experts because it is kept shaded for much longer than many other teas, which means the plant concentrates even more green chlorophyll into the leaves and produces an incredibly intense colour... but more importantly a very high antioxidant level.

After being steamed and freeze-dried, the highest quality leaves are selected and the stems gently removed. The last step in producing matcha takes place in the factory where special granite stone mills grind the tea into superfine matcha powder. The grinding itself is done in a cleanroom where temperature and humidity are kept constant. Industrial quality filters keep the air clean and eliminate bacteria and germs. One single stone mill grinds only up to 30-40g tea per hour, which is basically the amount of one tin of matcha; more rapid grinding would burn the leaves.

This very fine powder is mixed with water and drunk, rather than being brewed, and the leaves (or tea bag) discarded. This means that you get all the benefits of the matcha tea in every cup you drink – nothing is thrown away.

Amazing health benefits – the fat burning tea

So, you know all about what matcha is and how it came to be brought into this country, now you need to understand the powerful and proven health benefits that this extraordinary drink can give you.

Perhaps the most amazing fact about this pure, natural and ecologically safe tea is that it can make your body burn away stored sugar and fat and that means it makes a positive contribution to weight loss and management.⁽¹⁾

Think about it, just a daily cup of this vibrant and refreshing tea can make the pounds drop away!

Innovative new research from the University of Chichester reveals how organic matcha can significantly increase fat burning during exercise.

The findings showed that females had higher fat burning during brisk walking with matcha green tea. It was also very interesting to note that there appeared to be no adverse physiological effects meaning that matcha is also a very healthy alternative to other weight loss products on the market.

It may also offer a natural, nutritional intervention for aiding weight loss and preventing obesity by burning fat faster during regular, gentle exercise activity. Matcha green tea contains one of the highest concentrations of polyphenols and antioxidants (called catechins) in any commercially-grown food. EGCg, L-Theanine and natural caffeine are the active ingredients that deliver the weight loss and potential sports performance benefits.⁽²⁾

Athletes using matcha include England cricketers Ian Bell MBE, Alex Hales and Alec Stewart OBE.

These are the sort of people who take their health seriously and wouldn’t do anything that was going to impair their performance, or run any sort of risk by using an illicit substance.

Matcha tea is the perfect high performance product, but it is also the most pleasant and relaxing way to wind down after a stressful or busy day.

Fresh and vibrant tasting it really does refresh and relax your body.

Why you should choose this specially blended Matcha tea

You might find other matcha teas but none will be as high in antioxidants as this high quality premium blend.

By adding in a spcially selected Kenyan tea, which is prepared to the exact standards of traditional Matcha, this tea receives a boost to the all important and very healthy antioxidants, in fact upto three times as much as standard Matcha teas alone.

But the Matcha is still the all important part of this exclusive blend.

Matcha is not just another type of green tea. It is the champagne of green tea, made from the finest shade-grown leaves, stone-ground to a fine powder.

With regular steeped tea, 85-90% of the nutrients are thrown out with the leaves as most of green tea’s nutrients are non-soluble. With matcha, the tea leaves are consumed whole, just as in ancient times when tea was a medicine, not a beverage. Your body benefits first hand from all the soluble and non-soluble elements of the tea.

Not only have the Zen Buddhist monks used matcha for over 800 years, matcha was also the tea the Samurai turned to before battle, because of its long lasting energy boost and its ability to promote a state of relaxed awareness. This sense of well-being is why this tea has become an essential part of our customer’s daily routine – giving them a natural boost for hours, the perfect way to start the day!!! Whilst also reducing the desire to snack and seek short term energy boosters like coffee!

If there is a better way to get the whole goodness of the tea leaf, we don’t know of it.

Premium Izu Matcha tea has:

137 x the antioxidants of regular green tea
• 10-15 x the nutrients of regular green tea
• 8 times the beta-carotene of spinach
• Been expertly sourced, blended and packaged by Canadian experts

Put simply it is the champagne of green teas and the most potent form you can drink.

100% Pure Premium Grade Izu Matcha Blend Tea can make a significant contribution to your health and well being and ensure that you feel years younger, stronger & fitter and so much healthier than you ever thought possible from a simple herbal drink.

BURN CALORIES: Drinking Izu Matcha Green Tea has also been shown to increase metabolism and help the body burn fat about four times faster than average.

FORTIFY YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM: The natural compounds in this tea have been shown to have antibiotic qualities as well as providing all the important nutrients your immune system needs.

BALANCE CHOLESTEROL: Science hasn’t yet figured out why but every study shows that drinking this tea lowers total cholesterol levels and boosts circualtory health.

INCREASED ENERGY LEVELS: The Samurai warriors always drank matcha tea before engaging their enemies as it boosted their endurance and power – become your own Samurai with a cup a day!

BOOSTS MEMORY: A welcome benefit of this tea is the proven effects it has on improved cognitive function.

ACHIEVE CALM: Used by Buddhist monks to aid their meditation and relaxation, this tea could be the only stress buster you need.

All these together mean a much more energised and healthier you – it has to be worth a try!