The Slow Kitchen Podcast

Episode 19 - "Matcha - From Ritual to Real Life"

• Cat Dillon • Season 1 • Episode 19

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0:00 | 16:23

🌿 5 Key Takeaways

  • Matcha produces calm, steady energy
  • L-theanine + EGCG support balance, metabolic, and brain health
  • Whole leaf = more antioxidants
  • Mind the temperature (~160–175°F) to prevent bitterness
  • Technique matters: sift, whisk, and drink fresh

📚 Resources & Inspiration

Matcha Culture & Origins

Quality Matcha Sources (Examples)

Key Compounds in Matcha

Related Concepts to Explore

More Resources for You:

Connect with Me:

SPEAKER_00

Hi everyone and welcome back. I'm Kat Dylan, registered holistic nutritionist, chef, and trauma-informed guide, and this is where we slow things down, come back into the body, and gently find our way into a more grounded, natural flow with how we cook, eat, nourish, and live. And today is episode 19. Last week, I took you with me through my experience traveling in Japan. The food, the culture, all the sensory experiences that I had of eating. And today I want to continue that conversation, but in a way that stayed with me personally. And that is matcha. My first real experience with matcha was during a traditional tea ceremony. And if you've ever been part of one, you know that it's not just about drinking tea, it's a ritual. Every moment is intentional. The bowl is turned a certain way. The whisking is deliberate. And the way it's offered, the way it's received, there's absolutely no rushing involved. And if I'm being honest, at first it felt almost uncomfortable. Like, give it to me already. Because we're so used to doing things so quickly and efficiently without really being in them. And then I tasted it. My first thought was, oh my gosh, this is bitter. It wasn't soft, not what I expected. It was earthy, very grassy, strong. It really didn't try to please me. But my espresso cortado loving palette actually loved the texture. And something about it stayed with me. I found myself wanting to understand it, to develop a relationship with this drink. When I came home, I couldn't stop thinking about it. This is a long time ago. But I started experimenting almost like my own little matcha 101. At first, I learned how to store it because this beautiful vibrant powder is delicate. Light, heat, and air degrade it very quickly. So I started keeping it in an airtight container in the fridge. Usually the matcha that you get will already be in that container. So that's no reason to change the container that it's in. But you definitely want it away from the light and the heat. Then there's the sifting, and something I didn't even realize mattered at first. Matcha is incredibly fine and naturally clumps. So if you skip this step, it won't whisk smoothly. Now, that's unless you're going to blend it. But a quick sift makes all the difference. Beautiful creamy texture and less frustration. And then the whisking. Matcha isn't meant to just dissolve in the cup. It needs to be suspended. So if you stir it, you'll get clumps and a flat texture. This is an art. Using bamboo whisk, the chosen, and then whisking it in that M or W motion, that is what gives it that light, frothy top and smooth body. I also learned that matcha isn't something you make and just leave sitting around. Once it's mixed, it starts to oxidize, losing both flavor and some of the nutritional potency that it has. So it's truly best enjoyed within about 10 to 15 minutes. And the temperature mattered too. So too hot and your matcha gets sharp and bitter. The sweet spot is around 160 to 175 degrees Fahrenheit. And that range helps to preserve compounds like L-thenine and EGCD, which are part of what give matcha its calm, focused energy and antioxidant benefits. I explored different amounts of matcha, different types of milks. And over time that bitterness softened for me even when I drank it plain. Or maybe it wasn't really the matcha that changed, maybe it was me learning how to meet it differently. But anyway, I found my sweet spot. And I gotta tell you this because this took me forever to try. In fact, it was yesterday. Hochicha. Have you ever heard of hochicha? You probably have, but if matcha feels too intense and too grassy or just not quite your thing, hochicha is a beautiful entry point, especially for you coffee drinkers that want to come off coffee. It actually comes from the same plant, the Camellia pheniscis, but is processed very differently. The leaves and sometimes the stems are gently roasted at higher heat, and that roasting transforms everything. The color shifts from that vibrant emerald green to this warm gold and almost caramely brown. And the flavor becomes softer and lighter, kind of more mellowed out. It's definitely less grassy and very much less bitter. And it naturally lowers the caffeine content too. So it kind of feels more grounding and a little less stimulating if that's something that you're worried about. What's interesting though is that even with the roasting, it still retains beneficial compounds, antioxidants that remain bioavailable and continue to support overall health and well-being. Like I mentioned yesterday, I had an iced hoticha with oat milk, lightly sweetened, and I asked them to hold back on what they mentioned they were serving with honey and agave. And I thought, ooh, that's going to be a little too sweet for me. So I had them hold back on that. But oh my gosh, I was pleasantly surprised about how delicious it was. Super smooth, toasty, almost creamy. And if you've ever had ginmai cha, you know, genmai cha is what you get at Japanese restaurants oftentimes. It's the one with the nutty, roasty bits of brown rice in your cup, and sometimes the green tea as well. And I would say Hoti cha lives in that same kind of family, but think more refined, more decadent, and a little bit more velvety. And it's definitely something that I am gonna be playing with more this summer. All right, coming back to matcha. Now, I completely and shamelessly bastardize matcha. I use it in smoothies with protein and coconut mana, cacao nibs, dried goji berries or mulberries, and most days collagen and creatine go into a kind of it's a big hodgepodge for me of superfoods, in addition to the matcha. And yeah, sometimes I come back though to that slower ceremonial experience of just plain old matcha in a cup. Either way, it's part of my real life, and that's the point. And somewhere along the way, it stopped being about the matcha and started being about how I was showing up to it, which is exactly what makes this little green powder so powerful. Hey guys, if you're enjoying this podcast, I'd love it if you could take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. It genuinely helps this message reach more women who are trying to find a more grounded, supportive way to eat and live. I so appreciate you being here. So here's a little history about where matcha comes from. Matcha dates back to the 12th century in Japan. It's brought over by Buddhist monks who use the powdered tea to actually support their long meditations. It became part of the Zen practice because it helped to create that state of calm alertness. And over time, it evolved into the tea ceremony, a ritual rooted in presence, respect, and simplicity. So when you drink matcha, you're not just having a beverage, you're stepping into something deeply intentional. Matcha is grown in a very specific way. The plants are shaded before harvest, sometimes up to about 90%. And this is what increases the chlorophyll and the vibrant green color. It also boosts the amino acids, especially something called L-theanine, which is very calming. Often it's added to GABA supplements that you'll see in the marketplace. And after harvest, it's steamed delicately, dried, destemmed into tentia, stone ground into powder, and because it consumed the entire leaf, you're getting a concentrated source of nutrients. All right, let's talk about EGCG. One of the most powerful compounds in matcha is EGCG, Epigolactic catechin galate. And that's where things get really interesting. Matcha contains significantly higher levels of EGCG than regular green tea because you're consuming the whole leaf. EGCG has been studied for its role in reducing inflammation, helping calm systemic stress in the body, metabolic health, including fat oxidation and glucose regulation, its role in protecting brain health through antioxidant activity and reducing oxidative stress, cellular protection, helping neutralize free radicals that contribute to aging and disease. And there's also emerging research showing EGCG can support mitochondrial function, which is your energy production, cardiovascular health, gut microbiome balance. And here's something important EGCG doesn't work like a stimulant. It really works more like a regulator. It supports the body in finding balance rather than pushing it harder. Kind of like an adaptogen, which is why so many women feel better on matcha than coffee, especially if they're already dealing with stress, hormone shifts, nervous system dysregulation. But having said all this, there are some people that are still sensitive to matcha. So you do you. You find out what works for you. Japan still leads in matcha quality, especially regions like Uji, Misio, and Kagoshima, where farming techniques have been refined over generations. There's often very small family-run farms where shading, harvesting, and stone grinding are still done with incredible care. Some producers are even reviving older cultivars and slowing process methods to preserve flavor and nutrient density. That's kind of like they're doing stone grinding instead of machine grinding. There's also modern companies like Dough Matcha, my favorite, Ipoto Tea and Kettle, with Kettle supplying tea programs for acclaimed restaurants led by chefs like Thomas Keller and John George von Richten, collectively representing over 40 Michelin stars. One interesting trend now is a chip towards single origin and even single cultivar matcha, similar to wine or coffee, where you can stir to taste differences in region, soil, and processing. There's also a growing demand for ceremonial grade matcha that's actually fresh, not something that's been sitting on a shelf for months. So more companies are focusing on small batch production and faster distribution. Another trend is functional matcha blends, matcha combined with adaptogens, collagen, mushrooms, and protein, which honestly aligns with how a lot of us are already using it in real life. Little secret here for you can save your money and just buy the adaptogenic powder and mix it together with your delicious matcha. And then there's a decaf space. Still small, but pretty evolving. Brands like Domatcha are experimenting with water-based decapination methods that aim to preserve compounds like EGCG and L-theanine without using harsh chemicals. In the US, matcha farming is still very niche, but it is growing. There are actually small-scale farms in California and the Pacific Northwest and companies like matcha full working with partners to explore domestic production. It's challenging because the terroir, the humidity, and seasonal rhythms in Japan are very specific. But the interest is there and innovation is happening. You're also seeing a rise in matcha cafes and specialty tea bars around the US where preparation is taken more seriously, much closer to that ceremonial respect, even in a modern setting. So while Japan is still the gold standard, matcha as a category is expanding, evolving, and becoming part of everyday life in a whole new way. I want to tell you what to look for when buying matcha. First, keep it simple, bright green color. I like to put my matcha, like maybe a quarter teaspoon, on a piece of white paper to check. On the color, should be very bright. You want a fine, silky texture, a smooth, slightly sweetened taste. You want it Japanese origin whenever possible. And that would be what I would be looking for. Now, let's talk about the caffeine in matcha. Matcha does have some caffeine, but because of the L-theanine, it's released in the body into the bloodstream much more slowly. So instead of a big spike and crash, you get steady energy. And as I said before, decaf matcha still does exist. Brands like Dough Matcha use a water-based method to remove the caffeine. So alternatives for you also with that, you can use less matcha. You can drink it earlier. You can make sure that you pair your matcha with some fat and protein. And here's my take on culinary matcha. My honest take, hmm, it's usually kind of dull. It's dark, sometimes grayish, very sad, and the flavor reflects that. And hey, since you're not using that much anyway, spend a little more and use a better matcha across the board. Well, what stayed with me wasn't just the matcha. Honestly, it was the pause. Now I take it into my garden, I sit with my dogs, let the morning land, and that moment shooks everything for me, softens my nervous system, grounds my body, and that is the real benefit. Thank you so much for being here with me today. If this resonated with you, share it with someone who might need a softer, more grounded way to approach their health. I'll see you next time.