Does anyone drink Matcha (Maccha) tea?
Oct 18, 2018, 9:51 am
#46
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Posts: 1,101
There are many grades of matcha and there is also "matcha" of the variety that is widely available at Boba tea shops, Starbucks frappucino beverages and matcha-for-cooking kits. I personally love high quality genuine matcha in the way it was meant to be served but won't turn my nose up at restaurant-matcha (usually cut with sencha) or matcha confectionery.
Oct 2, 2019, 4:54 pm
#48
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 1
I was wandering if someone could please help me find some answers to some questions I have re matcha tea?
1) Is one cup of matcha the equivalent to a cup of coffee in terms of how much caffeine it has?
2) The packet of matcha I bought says to just put half a teaspoon instead of a whole one could there be a reason to why this is?
3) I have read that matcha can be harmful as it can contain lead and also affect your liver due to the high amount of antioxidants in it - how many cups are too much? Also should I be worried about it harming me?
1) Is one cup of matcha the equivalent to a cup of coffee in terms of how much caffeine it has?
2) The packet of matcha I bought says to just put half a teaspoon instead of a whole one could there be a reason to why this is?
3) I have read that matcha can be harmful as it can contain lead and also affect your liver due to the high amount of antioxidants in it - how many cups are too much? Also should I be worried about it harming me?
Oct 4, 2019, 9:21 am
#49
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Posts: 18,405
I was wandering if someone could please help me find some answers to some questions I have re matcha tea?
1) Is one cup of matcha the equivalent to a cup of coffee in terms of how much caffeine it has?
2) The packet of matcha I bought says to just put half a teaspoon instead of a whole one could there be a reason to why this is?
3) I have read that matcha can be harmful as it can contain lead and also affect your liver due to the high amount of antioxidants in it - how many cups are too much? Also should I be worried about it harming me?
1) Is one cup of matcha the equivalent to a cup of coffee in terms of how much caffeine it has?
2) The packet of matcha I bought says to just put half a teaspoon instead of a whole one could there be a reason to why this is?
3) I have read that matcha can be harmful as it can contain lead and also affect your liver due to the high amount of antioxidants in it - how many cups are too much? Also should I be worried about it harming me?
1) It would depend on the matcha and how much you use to prepare it. Generally matcha is considered to be about 3.5grams per 100g of tea powder. I understand this is similar to coffee (again, depends on the coffee and how much is used to prepare it)
HOWEVER - what you haven’t asked about is Theanine which is the component in tea that counteracts the effects of caffeine. As a rule of thumb, low grade matcha has less theanine than high grade matcha (which might have twice as much).
2) I have no idea which matcha you are using or how the packet suggests you use it or how much water (or at which temperature) it is suggesting. This question is impossible to answer as it stands.
3) Most foods are harmful in big doses. Lead and other heavy metals (eg arsenic) make their way into foods - rice is an excellent example of this. Only somebody familiar with where your particular matcha is grown could answer this. I find it hard to imagine that anyone reasonable would be taking enough matcha to poison themselves this way.
Saying that, apparently there are Brazilians who ingest huge amounts of hot matcha and give themselves throat cancer as a result - details are in this thread. As a moderate drinker I am not bothered by any of this in the slightest.
Antioxidants and liver? Again, drink it moderately (one or two cups a day at most) and there is nothing to worry about.
I really want to stress that, in Japan, it is not common at all to drink excessive quantities of matcha. It’s not a “superfood”, it’s just something rather special that is taken occasionally. Japanese people drink infused tea as a habit, not this powdered kind.
