Organic Matcha - by Kiss Me Organics

I recently had the ability to try some Organic Matcha made by Kiss Me Organics. Up until very recently I had never heard of Matcha, which is crazy because it's been a very popular thing for quite some time. In fact, even my friends knew what it was. I guess I'm out of the loop. I have long known about the health benefits of green tea, so I was very happy to try it.

So, what is matcha?

Matcha is a green tea powder. What sets it apart from plain green tea is that you are ingesting the whole leaf (it's essentially all ground up), instead of just the water that sat with green tea leaves in it. The tea leaves used to make matcha are grown in the shade to increase the chlorophyl levels and the production of amino acids. The leaves (preferably the younger ones) are then picked, rolled out flat, and dried (in the shade or indoors where they won't be exposed to sunlight). The veins and stems are removed, and what's left is ground into a fine powder. This is now matcha. Matcha has EGCG concentrations that are 3 times higher than typical green tea, according to the University of Colorado. By weight, matcha provides dozens of times more antioxidants than blueberries (crazy!). The theanine found in the matcha is proven to reduce stress levels as well. With regular consumption, matcha has been proven to increase the energy expenditure in adults over 35%.



So, a product that decreases stress, increases metabolism, and provides tons of antioxidants (which block the effects of free radicals). I'm in.

Before ordering the product, I read the reviews. I see there are a lot of mixed reviews. Some people simply do not like the taste of green tea, and matcha is going to be a strong green tea flavor. Green tea definitely does have a slightly bitter quality to it that some people do not like. I am completely ok with it, so I felt confident to try the product.

I was sent a digital recipe book by Kiss Me Organics, which was much appreciated. I haven't tried any yet, but I have tried a few of my own. I will also put together a pinterest board with some recipes if you are interested (I'll leave it at the bottom of this page).

When I got the bag in the mail, this is the first thing I see, and I found it so hilarious and so cute...that's how all antioxidants say hello!

And then beneath the "warning" here is what the bag looks like. It is smaller than you might imagine it would be, but rest assured, it's going to last a long time. I would imagine if you used it at the recommended amount (1/2-1tsp/day) it would probably last you about a month. So it's definitely affordable for what it is!

When you open the bag, don't inhale right over the bag. This is a very fine powder (you ever accidentally breathe some koolaid dust in?). I don't know that it would hurt you, but inhaling any fine powder is never a good thing. 

I'm a smoothie kind of gal, so the first thing I wanted to do with it was to make a smoothie.

I found this blend of fruit at my local Walmart, it has strawberries, bananas, and pineapple. Now usually I don't buy fruit this way, but I was so excited to try this product that I wanted some refrozen fruit. I have never had orange juice in a smoothie, but it just seemed to make sense (and I think one of the recipes they sent me used orange juice as a base too) so I decided to try it. I HATE store-bought orange juice, unless it's this brand. It is the one thing I will splurge on. I will not do concentrated oj, or any other brand, they all taste off. It's Simply Orange for me each and every time! So, I put half orange juice and half fruit in my little blender (one of those blenders that has cups on it instead of pitchers, I would say it was a 12-16 oz cup). Then I added 1/4 tsp of matcha (based on the fact I will probably drink it twice a day most days). I blended it until it was smooth. 

I loved it! Yes, you can taste the matcha in there, and it plays REALLY well with the pineapple. I have been drinking this like crazy for the past week and a half. Obviously it's too soon to see if there is a difference in my skin. But my energy must be increased because I have been much more motivated to get things done, so my house has been a lot cleaner. Maybe that should be on the warning label *warning, consumption of this product may result in cleaner houses*. But in all seriousness, I really do enjoy this product. If you are looking to increase your energy (without the effects of coffee or energy drinks), your metabolism, and just overall increase your health (again with the antioxidants), you really should try this product. 

Organic Matcha is available here on Amazon. 

I have started a pinterest board here on some recipe ideas for matcha.

I really enjoyed trying this product out, and look forward to using it in more ways! Have you tried matcha? What was your favorite way to use it?

Until next time,

-Sue

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.