The Best Sugar-Free Way to Start Your Day
If you’re looking for a healthy, sugar-free alternative to coffee and tea, matcha is an excellent option. Matcha is an incredibly versatile alternative, commonly used to make tea as well as an ingredient in cakes, desserts, lattes and smoothies. With sugar awareness week, right around the corner, we wanted to highlight the best way to start your day with energy and focus, and without sugar!
The health benefits of matcha are vast, as it contains no sugar and is packed with antioxidants. It has also been shown to help combat a wide range of medical complaints like cancer and liver disease. Starting the day with a steaming cup of matcha tea or a frothy matcha latte can transform your morning routine. But what is matcha and how can you enjoy the benefits?
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a type of powdered green tea that comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Although it derives from the same place as traditional green tea, it is produced differently, giving it a unique appearance and flavor.
During growth, bamboo mats are placed over the plants, allowing more chlorophyll to enter the leaves, which results in the vivid green color that makes matcha so distinctive. Matcha is made from the youngest and freshest parts of the Camellia sinensis plants, and the leaves are steamed and dried to preserve as much flavor and nutrients as possible. Finally, the leaves are ground and used to make tea and other hot beverages. As a result, when you drink matcha you are consuming the entire leaf rather than just an infusion.
