Amidst the proliferate modern research and clinical health backing, at times we find it fit to recall matcha’s original essence — a traditional and ceremonial process which has been methodically handed down by master tea practitioners for thousands of years. Our matcha mission undeniably resides in the preservation of this enriching history and practice, just as much as an emphasis on healthy living. We strive in sourcing the absolute purest matcha, exclusively from those finest tea fields, as found in matcha’s birthplace and cultural center — Uji, Japan.
As a frontier of self-care and whole-body health, this model is now home to a rapidly growing global audience. Each day more people lean comfortably on matcha as an unprecedented means of transformation, daily ritual, wellness, and happy moments. We find encouragement from the daily victory of crafting together a community which values the tradition just as much as we do.
The matcha difference
Matcha’s farming practices differ dramatically from green tea; leaves are shade grown and carefully hand-picked three weeks before ordinary green-tea harvest. This specific process allows for the green tea leaves to develop greater amounts of chlorophyll and key amino acids, like L-theanine. These attributes dominate the flavor of matcha, where the higher these beneficial compounds, the greater the depth of sweetness and flavor. We cherish these attributes for imparting prized experience and effect, just as much as indicators of superior quality.
Ancient roots
Preparing and consuming Matcha is a modern spiritual practice, stemming from its ancient foundations in Zen Buddhist meditation. From the planting of a single seed, to a single emerald-green sip, this rich tradition provides a needed space to cultivate energy in oneself physically, mentally, and spiritually. Elements of tea ceremony’s traditional group setting also have bridged into the contemporary. Movement studios (e.g. yoga, jiu-jitsu) are procedurally using matcha to introduce, bond, and gather mindfulness as a precursor to practice. These are seen as matcha’s modern equivalents to those monastic origins, and even the Samurai’s historic use during tactics-training and wartime.
Methods of Consumption
As a method of setting intention:
We recommend preparing a bowl of matcha in a ceremonial tradition first thing in the morning upon waking
As a method of relaxation:
We recommend preparing a bowl of matcha in a ceremonial tradition during the day to take a break from the stresses of everyday life
As a method of socialization:
We recommend preparing a bowl of matcha in a ceremonial tradition for someone else, or sharing a bowl alongside a friend, lover, and/or companion(nature and animals included)
As a method of health optimization:
“Matcha is best consumed on an empty stomach for optimal physiological benefits. Please wait 1-3 hrs before consuming anything else." 20, 21
Research Glossary:
Increases immunity, longevity, and overall health 1, 10, 13, 15, 17
Helps prevent depression and increases well-being 22, 23, 24
Increases fat oxidation, lean mass, and strength 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 16, 18, 19
Inhibits cortisol synthesis and increases insulin sensitivity 2, 5, 7, 14
Rejuvenates skin and provides photo-protection 4
References:
(1) Ruth Chan, Jean Woo, Eddie Suen, Jason Leung and Nelson Tang (2010). “Chinese tea consumption is associated with longer telomere length in elderly Chinese men. ” British Journal of Nutrition, 103, pp 107-113. doi:10. 1017/S0007114509991383.
(2) Josic J, Olsson AT, Wickeberg J, Lindstedt S, Hlebowicz J. (2010) “Does green tea affect postprandial glucose, insulin and satiety in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled trial. ” Nutr J. 2010 Nov 30;9:63. doi: 10. 1186/1475-2891-9-63.
(4) Heinrich U, Moore CE, De Spirt S, Tronnier H, Stahl W. (2011) “Green tea polyphenols provide photoprotection, increase microcirculation, and modulate skin properties of women. ” J Nutr. 2011 Jun; 141(6):1202-8. doi: 10. 3945/jn. 110. 136465. Epub 2011 Apr 27.
(5) Venables MC1, Hulston CJ, Cox HR, Jeukendrup AE (2008) “Green tea extract ingestion, fat oxidation, and glucose tolerance in healthy humans. ” Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Mar;87(3):778-84
(6) Gahreman, Wang, Boutcher, Boutcher. (2015) “Intermittent Sprinting Exercise, and Fat Oxidation. Nutrients. ” 2015 Jul 13;7(7):5646-63. doi: 10. 3390/nu7075245.
(7) Jung et. al (2008) “Epigallocatechin Gallate Stimulates Glucose Uptake Through the Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase-Mediated Pathway in L6 Rat Skeletal Muscle Cells. Journal of Medicinal Food. September 2008, 11(3): 429-434. doi:10. 1089/jmf. 2007. 0107.
(8) Cardoso GA, Salgado JM, Cesar Mde C, Donado-Pestana CM. (2013) “The effects of green tea consumption and resistance training on body composition and resting metabolic rate in overweight or obese women. ” J Med Food. 2013 Feb;16(2):120-7. doi: 10. 1089/jmf. 2012. 0062. Epub 2012 Nov 9.
(9) Kim, Suzuki T, Saito K, Yoshida H, Kojima N, Kim M, Sudo M, Yamashiro Y, Tokimitsu l. (2013) “Effects of exercise and tea catechins on muscle mass, strength and walking ability in community-dwelling elderly Japanese sarcopenic women: a randomized controlled trial. ” Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2013 Apr;13(2):458-65. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1447-0594. 2012. 00923. x. Epub 2012 Aug 31.
(10) Tomata Y, Kakizaki M, Nakaya N, Tsuboya T, Sone T, Kuriyama S, Hozawa A, Tsuji I. (2012) “Green tea consumption and the risk of incident functional disability in elderly Japanese: the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study. ” Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Mar;95(3):732-9. doi: 10. 3945/ajcn. 111. 023200. Epub 2012 Jan 25.
(11) Haramizu S, Ota N, Hase T, Murase T. (2013) “Catechins suppress muscle inflammation and hasten performance recovery after exercise. ” Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2013 Sep;45(9):1694-702. doi: 10. 1249/MSS. 0b013e31828de99f.
(12) Jenkinson C, Petroczi A, Barker J, Naughton DP. (2012) “Dietary green and white teas suppress UDP-glucuronosyltransferase UGT2B17 mediated testosterone glucuronidation. ” Steroids. 2012 May; 77(6):691-5. doi: 10. 1016/j. steroids. 2012. 02. 023. Epub 2012 Mar 11.
(13) Rowe CA, Nantz MP, Bukowski JF, Percival SS. (2007) “Specific formulation of Camellia sinensis prevents cold and flu symptoms and enhances gamma,delta T cell function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. ” J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Oct;26(5):445-52.
(14) Hintzpeter J, Stapelfeld C, Loerz C, Martin HJ, Maser E. (2014) “Green tea and one of its constituents, Epigallocatechine-3-gallate, are potent inhibitors of human 11b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1. ” PLoS One. 2014 Jan 3;9(1):e84468. doi: 10. 1371/journal. pone. 0084468. eCollection 2014.
(15) Murase T, Haramizu S, Ota N, Hase T. (2008) “Tea catechin ingestion combined with habitual exercise suppresses the aging-associated decline in physical performance in senescence-accelerated mice. ” Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008 Jul;295(1):R281-9. doi: 10. 1152/ajpregu. 00880. 2007. Epub 2008 May 14.
(16) Alway SE, Bennett BT, Wilson JC, Sperringer J. , Mohamed JS, Edens NK, Pereira SL. (2015) “Green tea extract attenuates muscle loss and improves muscle function during disuse, but fails to improve muscle recovery following unloading in aged rats. ” J Appl Physiol (1985). 2015 Feb 1;118(3):319-30. doi: 10. 1152/japplphysiol. 00674. 2014. Epub 2014 Nov 20.
(17) Kitani. Osawa. Yokozawa. (2007) “The effects of tetrahydrocurcumin and green tea polyphenol on the survival of male C57BL/6 mice. ” Biogerontology, October 2007, Volume 8, Issue 5, pp 567-573
(18) Maki, Reeves, Farmer, Yasunaga, Katsuragi, Matsuo, Komikado, Tokimitsu,Wilder, Jones, Blumberg,Cartwright (2008) “Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults. ” J. Nutr. February 2009 VOL 139. No. 2 V. 264-270
(19) Hurdle R,Viechtbauer W, Dulloo AG, Tremblay A, Tappy L, Rumpler W, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. (2011) “The effects of catechin rich teas and caffeine on energy expenditure and fat oxidation: a meta-analysis. ” Obes Rev. 2011 Jul;12(7):e573-81. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1467-789X. 2011. 00862. x. Epub 2011 Mar 2.
(20) Naumovski, Blades, Roach. (2015) “Food Inhibits the Oral Bioavailability of the Major Green Tea Antioxidant Epigallocatechin Gallate in Humans. ” Antioxidants 2015, 4(2), 373-393; doi:10. 3390/antiox4020373
(21) Plating, Hersel, (2009) “Green tea catechin plus caffeine supplementation to a high-protein diet has no additional effect on body weight maintenance after weight loss” Am J Clin Nutr March 2009 Vol. 89 no. 3 822-830
(22) Korte G , Dreiseitel A, Schreier P, Oehme A, Locher S, Geiger S, Heilmann J, Sand PG. (2010) “Tea catechins' affinity for human cannabinoid receptors. ” Phytomedicine. 2010 Jan;17(1):19-22. doi: 10. 1016/j. phymed. 2009. 10. 001. Epub 2009 Nov 7.
(23) Niu K. et al. (2009) “Green tea consumption is associated with depressive symptoms in the elderly” First published October 14, 2009, doi: 10. 3945/ ajcn. 2009. 28216 Am J Clin Nutr December 2009 vol. 90 no. 6 1615-1622
(24) Hozawa A, Kuriyama S, Nakaya N, et al. (2006) “Inverse relation between green tea consumption and psychological distress as assessed by K6 in Japanese general population: the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study. ” Am J Clin Nutr.
