FIVE MYTHS AND HALF-TRUTHS ABOUT MATCHA

With the western world's ever-increasing interest in all things matcha, we thought it was a good idea to clear up some of the common misconceptions many people have...

With the western world's ever-increasing interest in all things matcha, we thought it was a good idea to clear up some of the common misconceptions many people have about this incredibly beneficial product. So, to help out our fellow matcha lovers, here are five of the most common myths and half-truths we hear all the time!

1. Greener is better

One of the first things we hear when finding out about matcha is the colour rule. The rule goes that you can tell a good matcha from a bad matcha by its colour. The greener the matcha, the better the quality. There is some truth to this, however, a more accurate representation of the rule would be “the greener the matcha, the better the quality, IF you are comparing ORGANIC matcha”. The key word being “Organic”. See, when matcha is not organic, the producer is free to use fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides that can help produce a greener output by artificially boosting the chlorophyll production in the plant. Sounds great, but the problem with Matcha is that being shade grown for a month and not being able to rely on the sun for energy, it's forced to draw all its nutrients (and pollutants) from the environment. This, coupled with the fact that you are consuming the entire leaf, means your matcha needs to be as pure as possible. If the colour of your matcha is the only rule you are going by, and you end up comparing the colour of organic matcha to non-organic matcha, you are comparing apples to oranges (and probably contributing to future health problems). Don’t be an apple/orange charlatan....

2. If it's not Japanese, it's not good Matcha

That's like saying if your car isn't German, it's a failure. Sure, Germany has a reputation for making well-made cars, just as Japan has a reputation for matcha, but does that mean if it's not Japanese it's not top quality? The answer to that question is a definitive and resounding NO. There are many factors that determine whether matcha is high quality, and where it comes from is not one of them. In fact, matcha didn't even originate in Japan, it was first discovered and ritualised in China, with the Japanese having to wait over 200 years for the matcha craze to reach their shores. So, if you're serious about only consuming the cleanest, purest matcha, don't look for "Made in Japan," it's irrelevant. Instead, ask the company what the matcha is tested for and if you can see a copy of their results. Because matcha draws so much nutrients from its environment, it also absorbs heavy metals, chemicals and radiation like a sponge. The best matcha will be 100% organic, tested for heavy metals and radiation-free.

3. Matcha contains 137x more antioxidants than regular green tea

We have to admit, this one bugs us a little. Sure, it makes a great selling point for matcha - 137x is a sexy number - but where does this figure come from? After a bit of research you will quickly discover the origin of this claim. The study that matcha companies, bloggers and health journalists refer to is a 2003 University of Colorado study titled "Determination of Catechins in Matcha Green Tea by Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography". The study itself is not misleading, but the cherry-picking of results certainly is. In fact, you don't even need to read past the short abstract of the study which states: "Using a comparison of one catechin/g of dried leaves, results indicate that the concentration of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) available from matcha is 137 times greater than the amount of EGCG available from China Green Tips green tea,...." The study explicitly states that the comparison was between matcha and Green Tips Green Tea, a high-volume commercial brand sold by Starbucks. It also explicitly states that ".... and at least three times greater than the highest reported value for other green teas." So there you have it, the same study used to make the (in)famous 137 claim, is also the same study that clarifies the actual figure as ".... at least three times greater..." . Doesn't sound as impressive as 137 though.

4. Drinking matcha at night will keep you awake

Matcha contains caffeine. Caffeine keeps us awake. Makes sense, and we get asked about the caffeine in our matcha all the time. Let's break it down further; a 1-gram serving of matcha contains about a quarter of the caffeine of a small shot of espresso. There are people who can drink a small espresso in the evening with no problems sleeping. That means they could drink 4 cups of matcha and have the same effect (we'll ignore the fact they'd be up all night peeing). If you are someone who can't have a coffee in the evening for fear of not being able to sleep, how about half a cup? How about 1/4 of a cup? There is another factor to consider, and it's one that matcha aficionados around the world are familiar with. That's the calm you get from the high levels of L-theanine in matcha. L-theanine works with the caffeine to make sure you don't get a spike in energy, but rather a nice calm energy that has helped Zen Buddhists meditate for over 1000 years. Try meditating on coffee! Go on, we'll wait....