Matcha beats green tea in health benefits

Matcha, a bright green powder made from tea leaves, is mixed with water and consumed entirely, unlike with brewed tea where the leaves are left behind. The result is that matcha delivers more nutrients, including antioxidants—which may help prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

A published report cited by some companies found a serving of matcha contained 137 times as much of an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, as one brand of green tea tested. However, a recent report from ConsumerLab.com, which tests dietary supplements and nutritional products, suggests a more modest benefit for matcha over regular green tea.

“You’ll get about two to three times more EGCG from matcha” than from regular green tea, says Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com, of White Plains, N.Y. The company’s report on green teas was updated in October to include matcha. Popular brands tested include Teahouse Matcha from Rishi Tea Co., Milwaukee, Wis.; DōMatcha Organic Ceremonial Matcha from Canada’s Ecotrend Ecologics Ltd.; and Starbucks Corp.’s Teavana Imperial Grade Matcha.

Matcha, which typically costs about $2 a serving when prepared at home, is a centuries-old type of tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies. It has become trendy in recent years for its smooth, earthy flavor and its purported health benefits.

Matcha comes from the same species of plant as green leaf teas. Several weeks before picking, plants intended for some grades of matcha are partially shaded from sunlight, resulting in greater chlorophyll production and creating a rich, green color, says John Harrison, owner of EcoTrend. The dried leaves are ground into a powder and stored in airtight containers so the antioxidants don’t degrade, adds Li Gong, owner of Encha Life, San Francisco, which began importing matcha from Japan last year and wasn’t included in the ConsumerLab report.

To make a cup of matcha you add hot, but not boiling, water—companies recommend between 155 degrees and 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Tradition calls for a bamboo whisk to create a creamy froth. Matcha lovers also consume it as ice tea, or in smoothies—preferably with almond, soy or rice milk, because a protein in cow’s milk binds to the catechins, reducing some of the health benefits.

Encha Ceremonial-Grade Organic Matcha, a cup and a bamboo scoop and whisk.