Matcha tea, a new ally against stress

If you have trouble calming your nerves, you’ve probably left certain caffeine-inclusive drinks off your radar. Among them you’ve probably also vetoed matcha tea. Well, maybe you need to switch sides and bring matcha into the rituals you deploy to help you de-stress. Scientific research has highlighted its power against the two great evils of today’s society: stress and anxiety.

You’ve probably noticed that this infusion has been topping the rankings of cool and healthy drinks for years. It is not claptrap at all, it is a drink with many beneficial properties. Of course, it is also a rather odd beverage because it is not an ordinary tea. “Matcha tea comes from the same plant as green tea, Camellia sinensis L, but while we drink the latter as an infusion, we buy matcha in powdered form,” explains Mireia Obón-Santacana, a lecturer at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) Health Sciences Department. It’s not a fanciful notion nor clever marketing, this tea is turned into powder because this way we consume the whole plant, which helps to preserve its natural properties, thereby yielding more benefits. In other words, the goodness is more concentrated.

One of its main and best-known benefits is that it has a “high concentration of antioxidants”, says Paula Serrano, dietician-nutritionist and member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics . This is because another of its characteristics when it is grown is that it is kept in the shade for 21 days before harvesting. Its antioxidant power is due to its polyphenols, says Obón-Santacana, “almost as effective as vitamin C, E, carotene and tocopherol” and to “catechins, which help neutralise free radicals and can reduce the risk of chronic diseases”, adds Serrano.

Furthermore, that’s not the only good thing about matcha, whose name comes from two Japanese words: ‘ma’, which means to pulverise, and ‘cha’, which is tea. It turns out that it is also a great source of another very trendy compound: L-theanine. This is an amino acid with proven effects against stress and anxiety. According to several studies, together with caffeine, which is present in matcha, it makes a perfect couple, helping us to focus our attention on something while also relaxing us.

“Preliminary studies show that L-theanine can counteract the stimulation of caffeine in the nervous system. So it would help to improve our energy while increasing our concentration,” says the UOC professor. This is through “the dopamine-serotonin relationship”, the neurotransmitters of happiness and well-being. In other words, this amino acid “could increase the release of dopamine and promote the concentration of serotonin”. A 2021 study had already made this observation.

How to know it’s good matcha

However, the quality of the raw material must be monitored in order to benefit from all its properties. To those points already mentioned, we should add its “anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic and gut microbiota modulating properties”, says Serrano. Is the most expensive one better? Factors such as geographical conditions, climate and storage time have a significant influence on its phytochemical composition and antioxidant properties,” is the advice from Obón-Santacana. Of course, you also have to consider which is better: whether to take it once a day or once a month because it is expensive.

However, there are three other things that give us clues about matcha quality. The first is its bitter taste: experts say that it should actually taste sweet and fresh and that it should taste nutty. So, if this is not the case, it may be because it is bad or because we have overdone it with the quantity going into our mug.

The second trick to know that you are not being taken for a ride is the colour. Matcha is very attractive because of its green hue, but be wary if it is fluorescent or yellow. The third and final check to apply has to do with the foam. When preparing the infusion, it is vital to whisk the powder with the water. This is done with a special instrument made of bamboo. The foam should easily dissipate. If, in spite of whisking for a long time, the foam is still present... well, that is a bad sign.

- Does it have to be made only with water?

- Its health properties are also influenced by the liquid in which the matcha tea is prepared and dissolved.