Matcha Tea
Based on the blog posts I’ve been writing about coffee in Italy, you might be surprised to learnt that I’m really not a coffee drinker. I detoxed myself off of coffee back at the turn of the century (1999) and only drink it on rare occasions when I’m driving long distances. In the weeks before my Italy trip, I drank some lattes and other coffee drinks to build up my caffeine tolerance so I could enjoy some coffee in Italy without bouncing off of the walls.
My drink of choice is tea. Japanese tea in particular, I love Sencha, Kuchikia and especially Matcha. I learned about the health benefits of green tea years back at one of Andrew Weil’s Botanical Medicine conferences in NY. As you’ve probably heard, green tea is loaded vitamins and phytonutrients. As Dr. Weil taught us, most teas are of poor quality, this is why I’ve always gravitated towards Japanese green tea. Eden Foods makes a nice organic Sencha tea which is available in most health food stores.
Matcha is different from regular green tea. It is made with very specific tea leaves that have been covered a few weeks prior to harvesting, to slow growth and thus produce a greater share of amino acids. When it comes to nutrient and antioxidant content, some say drinking one cup of matcha tea is the equivalent of drinking 10 cups of regular green tea
I was lucky to find an importer of good Japanese tea at Salone del Gusto last week. What a hoot, he spoke English with an Italian and Japanese accent! He set me up with some Grade 1 top of the line primo Matcha tea powder. Just a teeny pinch whisked in some warm, not too hot, water makes a smooth really tasty drink. Smoothest matcha I’ve ever had.
