Theanine, also spelled as L-theanine, is an amino acid that helps induce alpha-frequency brain wave which is a state of wakeful calmness, as opposed to anxiety or drowsiness. Studies found theanine helped participants focus and fend off distraction (Nutritional Neuroscience) and contributed to longer attention span in difficult cognitive tasks (Brain Topography). Theanine works its effect in our body much more gradually across a longer span of hours. The amount of theanine is very small in most types of teas, except in matcha. The reason is matcha green tea plants are shaded from the sun for 3 weeks before harvest. During shading, the plant grows more theanine. The theanine-caffeine combo in matcha offers a unique effect of "Zenergy" - mental calmness and alertness at the same time without jitter or crash.
Encha drinkers reported that after drinking on average 1.5 cups of Encha organic matcha a day for one week, they felt the onset of mental alertness in 11 minutes and the onset of mental calmness and clarity in 22 minutes on average. They experienced more effective mental energy gain compared to drinking other types of teas. They reported mental focus lasting for 5.5 hours on average, longer than from drinking coffee. No one experienced jitter or crash. The key is to avoid interference of coffee, which doesn’t contain theanine.