Although matcha is a type of tea and is green in colour, there are few other similarities between matcha and regular green tea. What makes matcha so different, and is one better than the other? Let's compare them on a number of points, shall we?
What is it made from?
Both matcha and green tea are made from the same plant: Camellia Sinensis, or in other words, the tea plant. (Incidentally, almost all other types of tea are also made from this plant.) The difference lies mainly in the harvesting and processing. To make matcha, the plants are placed in the shade under sails and cloths two weeks before harvesting. This causes the leaves to produce extra chlorophyll. When harvesting, only the youngest leaves at the top of the plant are picked and used to make matcha.
What happens to the leaves?
After harvesting, the leaves are dried for both green tea and matcha. The leaves for green tea are put into a bag, which you then pour hot water over to make an infusion. For matcha, the dried leaves are ground into a very fine powder that is mixed with water. In this case, you are actually drinking the leaves and not an infusion.
How do you prepare it?
Green tea is prepared in the same way as other teas, by pouring hot water over it. The same applies to matcha. With both, the taste of the tea becomes bitter when you pour boiling water over it, and a temperature of no more than 70 °C is best for preserving the flavour. The big difference is that with green tea, you remove the leaves from the tea after brewing and discard them. With matcha, the leaves become part of the tea. Matcha is also known for its frothy layer, which you create by whisking the tea for a few minutes with a chasen (a bamboo whisk). This means that matcha takes longer to prepare.
How does it taste?
Because you don't drink an infusion of the leaves in matcha, but the leaves themselves, the flavour is much stronger. For many people, the flavour is so strong that they don't like matcha or really have to get used to it. On the other hand, all the healthy properties are concentrated and preserved in matcha, whereas with green tea you only drink an infusion and throw the leaves away.
Which is healthier?
You could already guess from the above: in terms of health benefits, matcha wins by a long shot. Basically, they come from the same plant and therefore both contain healthy antioxidants that help flush waste products from your body, protect the cell structure of bones and organs, and help lower your blood sugar levels. But because you drink the whole leaf in matcha, you actually get those antioxidants, whereas with green tea you only get a small amount in the infusion from the leaves.
Both green tea and matcha are healthy alternatives to black tea or coffee. Matcha beats green tea in this respect due to its high concentration of antioxidants. Whether you like matcha is a matter of personal taste. In any case, it's a good idea to give it a try, don't you think?
