#maccha tea

[kind-sociopath]

茶の初穂を飲むと憎まれる

[macchabar]

Today we got to bottling our maccha drinks for our Fare Trade interview tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek to our pretty maccha powder! We will be presenting 4 drinks: regular cold brew maccha, cold brew maccha sweetened with light agave, maccha with fresh cashew milk, maccha with orange & yuzu juice. Stay tuned for pics and details!

[macchabar]

In the name of exploration we went to Takahachi Bakery for their maccha crepe. Holy cow! Dusted with maccha and stuffed with red bean and cream inside it was a decadent treat for the mid morning. 

[macchabar]

Current obsession: green tea soba (cha-soba). Dense, chewy buckwheat noodles with a hint of roasted maccha at the end. We've been making a light dashi and kombu broth to go with this and it's delicious! Find it at Whole Foods, Sunrise Mart, or any Chinese supermarket.

[macchabar]

Loving this maccha latte recipe from Bon Appetit! 

[macchabar]

How much do we love macchamochi from Minamoto Kitchoan? Um, a lot. These little wagashi, or sweets, have a sweet red bean filling and soft rice layer dusted in maccha powder. Talk about serious Japan withdrawal! Definitely one of our Top 10 Maccha Finds in NYC. Stay tuned for more as we announce the rest! 

[macchabar]

Check out the maccha tea set we just bought! Ready to make some pretty serious maccha...stay tuned for photoshoots!

[macchabar]

what is maccha?

For our first blog post, we thought to address the most important question of all: what's the "maccha"? There's so much to say about this amazing tea, but we thought to try and break it down in relatively digestible bits! 

What

Maccha (Japanese spelling), also known as matcha in the U.S., is extremely high quality and finely ground green tea powder. Maccha is not the same as green tea because using the name maccha requires specific harvesting and production procedures. These processes allows maccha to keep its potency and caffeine content while also preserving high nutritional value. 10 cups of green tea is roughly equivalent to 1 cup of maccha in terms of nutrients, anti-oxidants, and caffeine! 

How

Maccha can only be made from shade-grown tea leaves, meaning the tea bushes have been covered ("shaded") from the sunlight for weeks before harvest. This slows down the maturing process of the plant and results in a darker color of tea leaves with higher potency of amino acids and antioxidants. 

Maccha requires a special harvesting procedure as well as a meticulous drying, de-veining, de-stemming, and grinding process. Only the highest quality of tea buds can be used for maccha and must be hand-picked from the bush. Afterwards the leaves are laid out flat (not rolled) to dry in non-direct light to preserve the beautiful green of maccha. These dried leaves (also known as tencha) must be carefully de-veined, de-stemmed, and then stone ground with special granite equipment into maccha. 

Where

Maccha is primarily produced in Japan, where select farmers will grow and hand harvest the delicate plant. Amongst the many varieties of maccha offered, Kyoto is reknown is Japan as the best so currently we at macchabar are putting together trips to taste this amazing tea and to bring it back to you!

Why

Maccha has unparalleled amounts of amino acids, antioxidants, and essential nutrients for the body. One particularly important amino acid is L-Theanine, shown to reduce stress, improve cognition, enhance mood, and promote uptake of caffeine. Because maccha contains such high levels of L-Theanine, caffeine from maccha actually works within the body better than regular coffee because L-Theanine is working synergistically with the caffeine in addition to providing other health benefits. 

Maccha's antioxidant levels are extremely high compared to other foods known for the same properties (black tea, blueberries, pomegranate). Antioxidant potency is measured in units of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) per gram, where maccha weighed in at 1,300 units per gram versus 91 units per gram for blueberries. Maccha's numerous antioxidants include EGCG, catechins, chlorophyl, amongst others and are shown to detoxify the body, boost metabolism, and reduce cholesterol. 

Who

Macchabar is the love project of Joyce, a maccha addict. Dreamt over Japanese food in the heart of NYC, we are working hard to build a well-curated roster of maccha products and sourcing the maccha powder straight from Kyoto! Stay tuned as our journey continues...