Why Matcha Green Tea and CBD Are the Perfect Match
Chances are you’ve probably seen someone walking around with a bright green Starbucks drink.
I remember the first time I saw the creamy-looking green drink and wondered, “What on earth is that?” I ended up asking a Starbucks barista, and she told me it was matcha green tea. I proceeded to order an iced matcha latte and immediately fell in love. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite drinks.
Although matcha drinks look exotic with their green coloring, the flavor is fairly mild and it’s a hugely popular drink. Plus, in addition to being an eye-catching drink, matcha green tea is actually packed with a lot of nutrients!
You can even pair the health benefits of matcha green tea with the benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) in this Mighty Matcha Drink Mix. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
Keep reading to learn more about how matcha and green tea are a matcha made in heaven.
What Is Matcha?
Matcha means “finely powdered tea.” It’s a type of green tea made by grinding young green tea leaves into a bright powder. That powder is then added directly to hot water to make the tea.
Other types of teas, including regular green tea, are made by infusing the water with tea leaves and then removing the tea leaves. You get some nutrients from the infused water, but a lot of the nutrition is removed when you remove the leaves.
With matcha, the leaves are ground up and stay in the drink, so you drink the whole tea leaves and reap all of the benefits that come from them. This also allows for higher caffeine and antioxidant content than what is found in regular green tea.
The best matcha teas originate in Japan, where they are part of the Japanese traditional tea ceremony and have been grown for centuries.
Over the past decade, the drink has become more popular in the United States; you can usually order a matcha latte at nearly any café.
How Matcha Is Harvested and Prepared?
Matcha leaves are bright green because they grow on tea bushes that are kept in the shade. Most farmers cover their tea plants about 20 to 30 days before harvest in order to decease sunlight exposure. The shade causes an increase in the chlorophyll content found in the leaves, which gives them their bright color and array of nutrients.
The traditional method for creating matcha green tea was an intensive process. Typically, the leaves would be picked by hand and the stems and veins in each leaf were removed. Then, the leaves would be ground into a fine powder with granite stones.
This process was done in the dark in order to protect the nutrients in the leaves. However, modern companies use grinding machines instead of millstones to grind the tea leaves.
Health Benefits of Matcha
Research has shown that various types of green teas contain a certain class of antioxidants that can provide many health benefits. One particular class of antioxidants called catechins is prevalent in green teas. Matcha contains a catechin called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) that is even believed to cause certain cancer-fighting effects in the human body.
Although more clinical research must be done before we know all of the benefits of matcha green tea, there are a few benefits that have come to light.
A few of the benefits of green tea include that it may:
- Prevent heart disease
- Promote weight loss
- Prevent diabetes
- Prevent/fight certain cancers
- Promote brain function
- Protect the liver
With all of its benefits, it’s no wonder that green tea is a highly popular drink across the world.
Matcha Is High in Antioxidants
The natural antioxidants found in green teas are the primary reason that teas like matcha have so many great benefits.
Antioxidants work by stabilizing the harmful free radicals in your body – compounds that can cause chronic disease by damaging your cells. By dealing with those free radicals, antioxidants help your body to prevent a myriad of diseases.
In a 2016 study, mice were given matcha supplements and the results showed that the matcha helped to increase antioxidant activity and therefore reduce damage caused by free radicals.
Because matcha green tea is made with the whole tea leaves instead of simply steeping leaves and removing them, the antioxidant content is much higher in matcha than in other green teas. In fact, one estimate says that the number of catechins in matcha is around 137 times higher than in other types of tea!
Not All Matcha Drinks Are Created Equally
Keep in mind that not all matcha green tea drinks are good for you. Some of the powders sold by certain companies or used in coffee shops contain a lot of additives and loads of sugar. While you can still get nutrients from the tea, the other ingredients may not be healthy.
Make sure that before you purchase a matcha powder or order a matcha drink, you understand what the ingredients are.
For example, you know that Starbucks matcha green tea I mentioned earlier on? While it’s delicious, it is packed with sugar. Definitely not the healthiest way to consume matcha.
Matcha + CBD = Yummy Health Benefits
What if you could get all of the awesome benefits from matcha green tea in a drink that also contains CBD? That’s exactly what you get in this Matcha Drink Mix. But wait, why do you want CBD in your matcha?
Good question.
The answer is pretty simple: CBD is packed with health benefits as well.
Health Benefits of CBD
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a natural compound called a cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. It is typically extracted from hemp plants and does not cause any psychoactive effects. CBD has been shown to provide a variety of benefits to your health as it interacts with your body.
A few benefits of CBD may include:
- Pain relief
- Anxiety relief
- Anti-seizure
- Increased brain health
- Anti-inflammation
CBD works by interacting with a system in your body called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). This system is responsible for regulating a number of different functions including managing mood, appetite, pain response, and more. When CBD interacts with the receptors in the ECS, it helps your body to naturally balance the system.
For example, when you take CBD, it naturally helps your body to process and utilize serotonin better so that you experience an improved mood. This can decrease anxiety and help you to feel calmer and happier overall.
Research studies have also found that CBD can help to manage chronic pain, reduce inflammation, and even treat insomnia. More and more studies are being done all the time in order to better understand all of the benefits that CBD holds.
Why is Brother’s Apothecary matcha drink mix so great?
A matcha green tea latte infused with CBD almost sounds too good to be true. Not only do you get the antioxidant properties found in the flavorful matcha, but you also have the relaxing benefits from the CBD as well! We are big fans of this Mighty Matcha Drink Mix, a delicious hemp matcha mix.
But why this drink mix in particular? Well, there are a handful of reasons why this mix is one of the best.
The matcha found in this mix is certified organic, ceremonial-grade, and imported from Japan’s Kyoto Prefecture. In some cases, you may receive a First Flush variety, depending on what is in season. Check your purchase to see the specific source.
The mix also has a perfect balance of ingredients: it contains a total of 105mg of CBD, a good amount of caffeine, and antioxidant-rich matcha. This means you get the calming benefits from the hemp, energy from the caffeine found in the matcha, and nutrients from the matcha. Plus, the drink is extremely flavorful and delicious and a fun bright green color.
Jessica has been a freelance writer for four years, with a passion for science and health-related topics. She is also a lover of doing research and genuinely enjoys reading clinical studies, especially if it has anything to do with the emerging research on the health benefits of CBD. Jessica has a degree in behavioral science. She is a travel addict and an avid League of Legends player. She is also a proud dog mom to a Husky and an Australian Shepherd, so she’s frequently covered in dog fur and utterly exhausted from their constant shenanigans.