HomeBlue matcha seems to be taking over right now, but what is it exactly? At this point, you’ve probably noticed blue colored tea and blue colored cocktails, but what is responsible for this color? The answer could be the so-called blue matcha. The colors are striking and there’s a long list of purported health benefits. In this video, we’re going to be breaking down what blue matcha is and how it compares to the real deal. Let’s get started. So blue matcha is a term that gets thrown around a lot, and it’s actually a bit misleading. You see, matcha is made from powdered green tea leaves and a lot of work goes into the cultivation and production of this tea to make it taste a certain way, and this is something we’ll discuss later on in the video. Blue matcha is a word used to refer to ground up flowers of the butterfly pea plant. These flowers do not have much flavor to them, but they do offer a bright blue color, which is why they are used in a lot of drinks as a natural coloring agent. If you’ve ever seen something be called blue tea, chances are it was made using these flowers.
It just takes a few of these dried flowers to produce a vibrant blue hue, so they are often added to other herbs to give them a bright blue color. While the color can be a fun gimmick, the flowers really don’t have any flavor to them, so the taste of the drink is often weak compared to a real tea. It’s also worth pointing out that the drink can technically not be considered a tea because it’s not made from the tea plant Camellia sinensis, which real matcha is. While the health benefits of so-called blue matcha pale in comparison to the real deal, butterfly pea flowers contain a rich array of antioxidants and anthocyanins, which may be beneficial for promoting healthy hair and skin. Anthocyanins are the compounds that give blueberries their color and they actually react to changes in pH, which is why this so-called blue tea changes from blue to purple when you add lemon juice to it. This is a fun experiment you can try at home, and the lemon adds a nice flavor to the drink or cocktail. In addition to possibly helping with hair and skin, butterfly pea flowers may also have an impact on weight loss.
One test tube study suggests that the butterfly pea flower extract may slow the formation of fat cells by regulating certain pathways involved in cell progression. So what is the difference between the so-called blue matcha and real matcha tea? The blue matcha is mostly produced as a coloring agent, while matcha is produced for flavor. Tea farmers work very hard to produce a matcha that has a rich and balanced flavor without any bitterness. Because matcha is a type of green tea, it comes from the tea plant Camellia sinensis. To produce premium matcha, the tea plant needs to be cut off from sunlight for three weeks before the harvest. When the tea plant is exposed to sunlight, it begins to convert into catechins as a protection against the UV light. Catechins produce a more bitter flavor in the tea and high quality matcha needs to have as little bitterness as possible. This is why the farmer covers the tea plant with a special type of netting so it produces less catechins and maintains more of its sweet and savory theanine. Next, the tea plant needs to be harvested. The top leaves of the tea plant are the most flavorful and richest in nutrients, so these are the ones used to make high quality matcha.
The leaves are gathered up, steamed, dried, and then they actually have their stems removed. These stems detract from the flavor of the tea, so they need to be taken out. Once the leaves have their stems removed, they are referred to as tensha and they’re just one step away from becoming matcha. They then need to be ground into a fine powder in a large stone mill. It takes this mill a full hour just to produce 50 grams of precious matcha powder. As you can see, a lot of work goes into producing this special powdered tea, and when compared to the powdered blue flowers, it comes with a richer flavor and nutrient profile. If you want to try some matcha tea for yourself, you’ve come to the right place. After traveling around Japan for the past few years, we’ve met with dozens of farmers and sampled hundreds of different types of matcha. We’ve selected a list of our favorites and you can find them all at neoties.com. We would love it if you can try them out and let us know what you think. Thank you all so much for watching. We’ll see you next Blog.
