Does Matcha Give You Energy?
Does Matcha give you energy?
In short: Yes!
It's packed with caffeine and other compounds that help you sustain energy. But it's way more complex and way more interesting than that.
Whether you're looking to make the switch from coffee or you're just looking for a mid-day boost… Drinking Matcha green tea has you covered. This article will go over exactly why that is – from the geeky details to the everyday practical ones.
What is Matcha?
Let's quickly go over the basics and answer What is Matcha?
Plain and simple –Matcha is a powdered Green tea from Japan. It's whisked into hot water and consumed. This means you're drinking tiny little pieces of the tea leaf that are suspended in water, and with that comes some really powerful health benefits and a higher energy punch.
Overall, Matcha tastes quite green – bright, airy, with notes of green vegetables. Matcha is also known for having a distinct savory note (think deep, soupy savory) that's called umami. And it's often associated with the Japanese tea ceremony.
Energy in Matcha
Because Matcha green tea powder is suspended in water, you're consuming the actual bits of ground leaf.
So, why is this important to the energy kick you get when you sip Matcha?
Well, it’s quite simple. The nutrients and caffeine in the tea are consumed in larger quantities than you'd have from say a brewed loose-leaf tea. And on top of that, these nutrients and caffeine are super easy for your body to make use of when drinking Matcha.
Caffeine in Tea
Does Matcha Green Tea have Caffeine? Yup! It sure does.
In fact, all real tea comes from the plant Camellia Sinensis – meaning it all contains caffeine (we’re not counting herbal teas here because they are not true teas made from tea leaves). But most teas we're used to drinking (tea bags, loose-leaf) are brews of the leaf…
Matcha is not. It's powdered Green tea. So how is that different than loose-leaf Green tea? Well… They share some similarities.
Green teas often have high amounts of caffeine. This is because they're usually made from buds or early shoots that tea plants send out. These contain more caffeine because it deters pests or animals from taking a bite out of the new growth.
But because Matcha is powdered and whisked into the water, you're ingesting significantly more caffeine than a loose-leaf brew. On average, a typical 8oz cup of Matcha contains 34-70 mg of caffeine.
According to the USDA, a standard 8 oz cup of Green tea contains about 28 mg of caffeine. (Coffee comes in at around 95mg of caffeine per 8oz cup.) But the caffeine content depends on the quality of the actual tea you're drinking.
Extra Info: If you want to learn more about Caffeine's important role in Matcha tea and how it compares to coffee and regular tea, you can check out our previous article on the topic: How Much Caffeine is in Matcha here.
How Caffeine Affects Your Brain
I want to touch on caffeine a bit without getting too bogged down in the details. Caffeine doesn’t give you energy. Instead, it blocks receptors in the brain that when tickled trigger the sensation of being tired. There are a lot of good videos on this topic, like this one from ASAP Science:
L-Theanine in Tea
One of the coolest parts of Matcha drinking is the sustained relaxed energy you get when you drink it. As we briefly went over, the caffeine in tea has a lot to do with this initial jolt. But there's another compound in Matcha that's responsible for the mellow, sustained energy and calmness you feel when sipping it.
It's called L-Theanine, which is an amino acid found in all tea. Again, you're getting more of this in a bowl of Matcha than you would in a cup of brewed loose-leaf tea. And because of the powerful combo of caffeine and L-Theanine, Matcha does wonders with fighting fatigue and drowsiness.
That's why tea has long been used by monks while meditating. The energy boost from the caffeine buzz keeps them awake. And the L-Theanine provides a sustained, calm focus while elevating their mood.
Extra info: You might have heard the expression ¨tea drunk¨ before (Yes, it's actually a thing). Basically, tea drunk is a feeling that occurs in a tea drinker that results from caffeine and the L-theanine in the tea mixture. This produces a calm, focused buzz, hence the term ¨tea drunk¨.
Matcha Energy vs Coffee Energy
So Matcha is likely to give you energy. But it's gonna feel a bit different than... coffee. As I mentioned before, the energy kick from Matcha green tea is fairly mellow and sustained. You'll feel alert and awake (and you'll feel that quite quickly upon consumption).
You're just much less likely to feel the caffeine crash associated with drinking coffee. But it's important to remember that Matcha does have a significant amount of caffeine – So if you're considering having Matcha Before Bed, just remember that!
Matcha Health Benefits
So beyond offering an amazing energy boost, Matcha tea has some other amazing benefits. It’s packed with antioxidants and other healthy compounds that do wonders for the brain and body...
But just a quick reminder here… I'm a tea geek, and I by no means have any medical training. So if you have any real health concerns, just be sure to consult your doctor.
1 - High Antioxidants concentration
It's no secret that Matcha is healthy. But why is that? Well, a lot of the health benefits come from the high levels of antioxidants consumed in a bowl of Matcha.
Matcha is full of what are known as Green tea catechins. Which is just a fancy way to talk about antioxidants and health-promoting properties associated with tea. One of the most powerful – EGCG – is found at a high concentration in Matcha.
Remember how I mentioned that Matcha tea isn't a brew of a leaf? It's tiny particles of ground-up tea leaves suspended in water. Meaning you're consuming the actual leaf and not a brew of the leaf.
So you're getting way more antioxidants and healthy compounds that your body can use. Meaning Matcha has high antioxidant potential. In short: drinking Matcha is pretty good for you!
2 - Brain Function Boost from L-theanine
Some of the most interesting scientific research about tea's health benefits have been done with matcha tea. One of the coolest potential benefits (to me) is its effect on brain function. A lot of the research shows that the Caffeine and L-theanine in the tea leaf powerfully impact overall brain cognition, mood, and mental clarity.
3 - Immune Boosting Chlorophyll
The antioxidants in Matcha tea have amazing immune-boosting benefits… But the leaf is also packed with vitamin C and chlorophyll (which also helps boost your energy and promotes the production of red blood cells!)
4 - Antibacterial and Good For Your Teeth
This might be hard to believe… but Matcha is even good for your teeth and oral hygiene – Wild, right?!
Some of the antioxidants in Matcha have potent antibacterial properties too. While this alone is amazing, there are also too many other oral health benefits to list. So dig into the geeky details in our article 5 Reasons Matcha is Great For Your Teeth.
The Final Brew
Alright… Now that you know the answer to the most important question you had before reading this – Does Matcha Give You Energy? – You're well on your way to learning more about Matcha tea.
Not only will it give you energy, but it also comes packed with awesome health benefits, a calming alert focus, and a multitude of complex flavors! If you found this article helpful, or if you just have questions about all things Matcha (and tea), don’t hesitate to leave us a comment.
And if you’re looking for quality Matcha to boost your energy, then we got you covered. Ooika is specialized in single-cultivar Matcha Green tea grown in famous terroirs of Japan. We insist on grinding our Matcha in-house, right here in the United States, to ensure unparalleled freshness. You can check out our Ceremonial Matcha online here.
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