Recently I was contacted by a representative at Kiss Me Organics to see if I would be interested in reviewing their Organic Matcha.

To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of traditional green tea; I find it a bit bitter and always have to add a lot of sweetener to it. Nevertheless, I’ve heard great things about the health benefits of matcha powder, so I thought, “why not?”

A few things about matcha:

• matcha is derived from Camellia sinensis, but unlike other green teas, it is not fermented
• the caffeine found in matcha is alkalizing (rather than acidic) and is absorbed more slowly into the body, preventing “the jitters” that coffee and other caffeinated beverages can cause
• matcha is safe during pregnancy (one of my personal concerns!), but consumption should be limited, as with other forms of caffeine
• matcha contains many antioxidants and has has 137 times more of the powerful, cancer-fighting antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) than other types of green tea
• like other types of green tea, matcha is good for anxiety and relaxation; it contains high levels of L-Theanine, an amino acid that promotes relaxation and well-being within the brain
• matcha has unique thermogenic properties, which increase fat-burning rates when exercising
• matcha can improve skin health by helping to protect the skin from harmful UV rays

After learning all of these benefits, I was excited to try matcha for myself. While I’ve not yet taken the plunge and drank the tea straight up (with warm water), I did make a delicious smoothie.

The smoothie contained ½ cup milk, half a banana, 1 cup of mixed frozen fruit (mango, peaches, strawberries, and pineapple) and 1 teaspoon matcha powder. The matcha flavor was subtle, but it did add a nice, earthy element to the mix.

I also added a ¼ teaspoon to a simple oatmeal bake (1 egg, ¼ cup milk, 2 teaspoons agave nectar, ½ cup rolled oats, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon matcha, 1 tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 1 tablespoon unsweetened, shredded coconut).

Apart from a light green hue (which is difficult to see thanks to horrible lighting in the picture), the matcha complemented the chocolate and coconut perfectly (although next time I’d add 1-2 more teaspoons of sweetener). It was a nice change from my usual banana or brown sugar-sweetened oats.

While I’ve yet to try any of Kiss Me Organics’ mouth-watering suggestions from their recipe guide, I’m anxious to use matcha in other baked goods, smoothies, sauces, etc. And, yes, I’ll probably even try a traditional cup of hot tea one day. 🙂

This organic matcha is available exclusively through Amazon. The $25.00 price tag may seem high at first glance, but matcha is heavily-concentrated, with one 4-ounce package yielding around 48 (½-teaspoon) servings.

If you’re a green tea skeptic (like I was), I urge you to give this matcha a try. Its uses are endless, and the health benefits are equally abundant.

**I received a free sample of Organic Matcha to review on my blog. I was not compensated for this blog post, and all opinions are my own.**