If you haven’t gotten friendly with Matcha yet, you oughtcha my friend, you really oughtcha. Don’tcha want to know why?

First a quick synopsis of its history. Matcha was first adopted in 960 AD by Zen Buddhists in China who began pulverizing the solid-chunk-form in which it was transported before whisking it in hot water, drinking it slowly from a small bowl and giving way to the famous tea ceremony we know today. It soon found its way to the general public and eventually was adopted by Samurai warriors (Shogun). They made a ritual of drinking Matcha before fighting on the battlefield and discovered its magic to sustain energy and improve mental alertness.

The Japanese were keen to make Matcha an intimate part of their culture and developed an art form of drinking and appreciating it. Feudal lords hired tea masters and collected tea paraphernalia as a way of asserting their status among the elite of society. And though Matcha became more mainstream, Zen Buddhists still continued their drinking ritual around the principles of sabi and wabi, understanding emptiness, embracing life’s imperfections, and appreciating the simpler things in life.

So here it is, a list—albeit not complete—of Matcha’s super stardust powers:

-One serving of Matcha has up to 137 times the disease-fighting polyphenols (Epigallocatechin Gallate, a type of catechin, or EGCG for short) than 1 cup of green tea!!! You heard me…

-Not only does Matcha boost our metabolism, it keeps our body from storing excess fat. 

-Matcha decreases the risk of cancer, thanks to its cancer-fighting catechins which kill cancerous cells, and stop the spread of cancer or growth of tumors without having any effect on healthy cells. 

-The chlorophyll in Matcha is so potent that it can help eradicate even heavy metals.

-Its chlorophyll is also a great source of magnesium which offers a welcome boost of healthy energy (and magnesium is hard to come by in today’s heavily food-processed offerings).  

-Its tremendous amount of EGCG helps to reduce cholesterol and, therefore, risk of heart disease.

-Its EGCG also helps control insulin levels.

-Matcha increases fat oxidation, helping our body to use fat as a source of energy and contains catechins, which help lower BMI.

-It is a bonafide anti-aging miracle food with anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties 

-Matcha fights age-related disorders like dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease

-It contains L-Theanine which helps fight cardiovascular disease and counteracts overstimulation of adrenaline or cortisol from caffeine consumption.

-It supports bone density and bone recovery, helping the body to combat osteoporosis.

-It helps decrease ultraviolet damage to the retina

-It protects nerve cells.

-It slows down Lipofuscin buildup in the kidneys, adrenals, liver, retina, heart, nerve and ganglion cells (Lipofuscin are pigments that “wear and tear” our tissues).

-Its antioxidants boost oxygen supply to the heart.

-It improves skin elasticity and viscosity, especially when applied directly on the skin [mix 1T of Matcha with a dollop of yogurt and drop of honey, apply to face and leave on for 20-25 min].

And here, I present thee with all the differences between Her Almighty Matcha and coffee:

-One serving of Matcha (½ tsp) contains 30-40 mg of caffeine, while 1 cup of coffee contains 200 mg and 2 shots of espresso contain 120 mg. 

– Matcha contains loads more antioxidants than coffee and unlike coffee, its caffeine is released into the bloodstream slowly so there are no jitters or rush or crash. Only steady serene vitalizing energy that lasts up to 6 hours.

-Coffee taxes the body’s adrenal system and wrecks insulin levels among sundry other harmful effects (for the curiouser—>Coffee Is Our Hero, Until…), along with anxiety and hunger in some. Matcha has the opposite effect. It brings energy and alertness together with calmness, harmony, vitality and satiety.

-Coffee is addictive. To say it causes adrenaline spikes followed by crushing crashes is understating its actual harms overall. The need for more coffee with each crash, day after day, likely results in dependency. But not so with Mighty Matcha. 

Matcha, known as “the elixir of immortality” among the Chinese, is also a star among all other teas in that its actual whole leaves are consumed when drunk. All others are imbued as a brew of their leaves.

And now on to gastronautically epicurean matters. I do so appreciate the idea of a shibui-sabi-wabi-I’m-super-zen ritual of bamboo whisking matcha tea with hot water, as do the experts. But the steady hand-wrist workout and austere modesty of the taste and appearance is just not simpatico enough for the likes of me. Ah Matcha, what’cha gotcha? Easy. Deploy a trusty Breville frother (or other brand of your choice) for a decadently more sumptuous version of our noble green eminence. 

My ritual is less measured but possibly more luxurious and indulgent. First, sprinkle a fair dusting of this fluffy velutinousness and pair with one of the milks listed below along with the coconut milk. Add a few dashes of Monk fruit, a few splashes of non-alcoholic vanilla extract, plus an essential flicker of Celtic salt and relax, giddily, as the machine accomplishes all the laborious work. 

Froth-worthy Milks: RAW WHOLE MILK (if you can manage to find raw milk, then skip ahead and disregard the others I’ve listed), Elmhurst unsweetened almond milk, Better Than Milk unsweetened almond milk, and Alexander or A2 whole milk.

Any one of these with Simple Truth Organic Coconut milk. Matcha and coconut make for a beautiful marriage.

Altogether, this recipe bestows an energizing and still exquisitely zen morning and afternoon experience. And the comfort of thick creamy vanilla matcha mounds formed into the most viscous intention never once fails to bring out the bubbly childishness in me.

And thus I decree, homemade-instant, stimulating-anti-inflammatory, healthy-dessert matcha-latte is NOT a string of oxymorons.