JAPANESE MACCHA GREEN TEA

• “In Japan, green tea and its powder is held in the highest esteem – it is believed to purify the body, delight the senses and uplift the spirits.”

• “ ‘Maccha’ green tea powder (the highest order of Japanese green tea) is the crème de la crème of green teas.”  “Maccha tea trees are cultivated with extreme care.  In fact, only the very top two or three most tender, youngest leaves are chosen to be made into maccha green tea powder.  It’s this very first picking of the season called ‘shincha’ leaves that even further increases it potency and value.”

• “Like the gyokuro, this tea is grown by screening direct sunlight.  After harvesting the leaves, they are washed to prevent fermentation (Japanese green tea is not fermented and thus retains more nutrients than the Chinese black tea, which is fermented), steamed to preserve their vital energy and pan-fired to seal in their healthful properties.”

• “Dr. Oguni, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences in University of Shizuoka, Hamamatsu College, Japan discusses the healthy benefits of green tea in his site, Green Tea and Human Health:

·         Preventing food poisoning:

Catechin, the bitter ingredients in green tea effectively kills bacteria which causes food poisoning and also kills the toxins produced by those bacteria.

·         Reducing the risk of cancer

Catechin is said to be effective to reduce the growth of cancer.

·         Practising good oral hygiene

Catechin suppresses the formation of plaque by cariogenic bacteria and also kills the bacteria themselves.  It also kills other bacteria that cause bad breath.  Green tea contains natural fluorine which helps prevent cavities.

·         Preventing the increase of cholesterol

Catechin prevents the excessive buildup of blood cholesterol.

·         Controlling high blood pressure

Catechin suppresses production of angiotensin II which leads to high blood pressure.

·         Lowering blood sugar

Catechin and polysaccharides are effective in lowering blood sugar.

·         Slowing the aging process

Consuming agents that are effective antioxidants will slow the aging process.  Green tea is rich in vitamin E, which works as antioxidant.  Also, catechin in green tea is a very strong antioxidant.”