Matcha Green Tea Cashew Milk Powder – Organic

• Featuring our Organic Cashew Milk, this smooth and creamy beverage is a delicious blend of the flavorful Organic Matcha Green Tea with the nutrition of Organic Barley Grass.
• Our Matcha Green Tea Cashew Milk powder is delicately aromatic and healthy and contains nourishment and beneficial antioxidants.
• This lightly sweet, rich beverage is enjoyed either hot or cold and will give you a tasty sense of calm, focus, and well-being.

Some hot or cold water and a shaker bottle are all you need to quickly create this creamy, delicious, and nourishing beverage that allows you to feel satisfied and focused for hours.

But before we get into the details of this tasty drink, let’s review two of the ingredients that make this product truly special and incredibly unique:

1. Organic Matcha Green Tea, and
2. Organic Cashew Milk

Matcha Green Tea – Rich in History, Tradition, and Nutrition 

Matcha, one of Japan’s most traditional and respected beverages, has become a trendy drink in local coffee and tea shops throughout western society.

But Matcha is much more than your average cup of green tea or grandma’s cup of Earl Grey.  

This strong polyphenol-packed tea is not only time tested. Still, it has a colorful history and powerful nourishing qualities because it is one of the only beverages in its natural state that creates the perfect feeling of a “focused calm.”

Matcha’s origin dates back to the Tang Dynasty, which spanned from the 7th through the 10th century. The leaves were steamed and made into bricks for easy transportation and trade. The Song dynasty (10th-13th century) is credited for this preparation. Matcha has always been considered extremely precious. For the longest time, it was only produced by a handful of approved merchants in minimal amounts reserved for Shogun warriors and emperors.

Sohen Nagatani invented a new green tea processing method known as the “Uji” in 1738. This method, which is still in use today, has allowed Matcha to be produced more efficiently, making it available to the general public.

Bringing family and culture together

Japanese culture has used traditional tea ceremonies for centuries to bring family and community together to honor love, life, and beautiful creations like Matcha.

A traditional tea ceremony is done with grace, mindfulness, and respect, reminding the participants to focus on the moment. Matcha ceremonies are traditionally performed by a zen master or Buddhist monk trained in these ceremonial practices of grace and wisdom.

Unfortunately, you can’t exactly go to rentazenmaster.com, so if you are not trained in the art of tea ceremonies, it is most important to honor and respect the fundamental underlying aspects of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. While a ceremony can be held almost anywhere, the emphasis should focus on simplicity and naturalness.

This is important to remind us how we should all be living our lives (simple and close to nature). Creating Matcha truly encompasses all the beautiful qualities (patients, being in the moment, precision, and appreciation for the simplicity of complex things) that make a happy life.

Green tea vs. Matcha Tea- Is there a difference?

Anyone who tells you that Matcha tea powder and ordinary green tea leaves are precisely the same doesn’t understand the value that Matcha brings to the table. While all common teas (green, black, and white) come from the same plant, many essential things separate Matcha from ordinary green tea.

While color, taste, and texture are quite different, the most significant differences lie in the growing, processing, and preparation, which lead to a unique distinction in the nourishing qualities.

Depending on which harvest it comes from will determine the price, quality, and rating.

The first harvest happens between March and May and is considered the highest-end tea and marked the most expensive in the Japanese tea market.

This harvest has a more robust aroma and deeper flavor; one cup is considered enough. The second harvest happens in June. It has a more well-rounded smell and lighter taste and can be drunk more than once daily. Tea from the second harvest is considered more balanced because it is not as concentrated in all the powerful constituents. The third and fourth harvests happen between August and Mid September. Most tea bags and bottled teas come from this harvest and are the lowest on the pricing scale.

Standard green tea is cultivated under the sun, creating a dull green leaf with a brownish tone. Processed and prepared by steeping parts of the leaves in hot water boiled over 220 degrees. Matcha is shade-grown three weeks before harvesting, increasing chlorophyll levels and giving Matcha its vibrant bright green color. It is processed by grinding up the entire leaf into a fine silky powder and prepared by slowly and meticulously whisking it into water that does not exceed a temperature of 170 degrees.

With Matcha, you are consuming the entire leaf, providing you with more excellent broad-spectrum nourishment. 

Here are three great examples of how Matcha has superior antioxidant qualities:

1. More than double the catechin EGCG properties compared to standard green tea.
2. More than ten times the polyphenolic tannin levels compared to standard green tea.  
3. More than ten times the L-Theanine levels compared to standard green tea.   

Is all Matcha created equal?

Like any other traditional food, there is a “grading system” when looking at the quality of Matcha. To understand the different grades, it is essential to understand the factors that create them. The following are the basic guidelines that determine the status of a matcha powder.

• Color
• Texture
• Quality
• The fineness of the powder
• Storage
• Grinding process
• Treatment of leaves before processing

Based on Japanese standards, there are two primary grades of Matcha; Ceremonial and Culinary. 

Don’t be fooled by what you read on the internet about “sub-grades” of Matcha, as these are made by companies who perhaps sell a lower grade of Matcha or a mix of various kinds and want to give it a fancy name.

The Ceremonial Grade

This grade is the top-of-the-line Matcha green tea powder from the first harvest around springtime.

Because this harvest happens after the winter and the tea tree does not create tiny sprouts during those cold months, it allows for more excellent nutrient storage; it makes a sweeter and more vibrant end product.

The term Isshin Goyo means one bud and five leaves. It refers to a tea tree with a tiny unopened leaf at the top with five leaves underneath. It is this level of growth when harvesting is done for optimal quality. This powder is described as vibrant green in color, with a fine texture and soft/silky taste, and is made from the youngest hand-picked tea leaves where the stems and veins are completely removed and are stone ground (so you are left with 100% fresh young leaves). This grade of Matcha is made explicitly for whisking in hot water with no sweeteners added.

A proper traditional ceremonial grade will leave you with a mild, sweet grassy flavor on your tastebuds and your mind in a tranquil place. Be prepared to pay a premium price for this grade of Matcha tea.

The Culinary Grade 

Culinary grade is created from the second harvest, which occurs around June. Known to be less nutrient-dense and, depending on the year, not quite as vibrant in color.

This grade is slightly bitter with a more rounded sweet grassy smell. It is often used for baking, smoothies, and lattes because it has a bolder, less nuanced flavor designed to stand up to other ingredients.

Cashew Milk Powder: A delicious, healthy alternative to traditional milk 

Cashew nuts are kidney-shaped seeds that adhere to the bottom of the cashew apple, the fruit of the cashew tree, which grows naturally in tropical climates.

The delicately flavored cashew nut makes delicious milk that is dairy-free and perfect for a vegan lifestyle. But this delightful milk alternative provides more than a creamy texture and taste to your favorite beverages.

Organic cashew milk is high in nutrition and as heart-healthy as olive oil.

Cashews have a broad spectrum of nourishing fats. Approximately 75% of their fat is unsaturated fatty acids, plus about 75% of this unsaturated fatty acid content is oleic acid, the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil. These nourishing fats help create the naturally creamy texture that makes a perfect latte and a nourished and satisfying feeling that lasts for hours.

Magnesium: The unsung hero of the mineral world.

Magnesium may play numerous critical roles throughout the body and is a cofactor of more than 300 biochemical enzymatic reactions supporting human health. Human studies have linked magnesium to support healthy memory and blood pressure levels and potentially reducing risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome.

Magnesium also may support a healthy nervous system for a more calming and peaceful mindset.

Summary of Important Information

Z Natural Foods has hand-picked specific ingredients based on three concepts to create a nourishing and satisfying beverage to support an optimal mind-body connection.

• Synergy of ingredients
• Versatility of ingredients
• Supporting optimal nourishment

History & Tradition

• Matcha is one of Japan’s most traditional and respected beverages.
• This strong polyphenol-packed tea is not only time tested. Still, it has a colorful history and powerful nourishing qualities because it is the only beverage in its natural state that creates the perfect feeling of a “focused calm.”
• Matcha’s origin dates back to the Tang Dynasty, which spanned from the 7th through the 10th century. The leaves were steamed and made into bricks for easy transportation and trade.
• Matcha has always been considered highly precious. For the longest time, it was only produced by a handful of approved merchants in minimal amounts reserved for Shogun warriors and emperors.
• Sohen Nagatani invented a new green tea processing method known as the “Uji” in 1738. This method, which is still in use today, has allowed Matcha to be produced more efficiently, making it available to the general public.
• Japanese culture has used traditional tea ceremonies to honor love, life, and beautiful creations like Matcha.

• A traditional tea ceremony is done with grace, mindfulness, and respect, reminding the participants to focus on the moment.
• Matcha ceremonies are traditionally performed by a zen master or Buddhist monk trained in these ceremonial practices of grace and wisdom.
• It is most important to honor and respect the fundamental underlying aspects of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility.
• The emphasis of a ceremony should focus on simplicity and naturalness.

Matcha Tea 3 harvests

• Depending on which harvest it comes from will determine the price, quality, and rating.
• The first harvest happens between March and May and is considered the highest-end tea and marked the most expensive in the Japanese tea market. This harvest has a more robust aroma and deeper flavor; one cup is considered enough.
• The second harvest happens in June. It has a more well-rounded smell and lighter taste and can be drunk more than once daily. Tea from the second harvest is considered more balanced because it is not as concentrated in all the powerful constituents.
• The third and fourth harvests happen between August and Mid September. Most tea bags and bottled teas come from this harvest and are the lowest on the pricing scale.

Two primary grades of Matcha 

The Ceremonial Grade:

• This grade is the top-of-the-line Matcha green tea powder from the first harvest around springtime.
• Because this harvest happens after the winter and the tea tree does not create tiny sprouts during those cold months, it allows for more excellent nutrient storage; it makes a sweeter and more vibrant end product.
• This powder is described as vibrant green in color, with a fine texture and soft/silky taste, and is made from the youngest hand-picked tea leaves where the stems and veins are completely removed and are stone ground (so you are left with 100% fresh young leaves).
• This grade of Matcha is made explicitly for whisking in hot water with no sweeteners added. A proper traditional ceremonial grade will leave you with a mild, sweet grassy flavor on your tastebuds and your mind in a tranquil place.
• Be prepared to pay a premium price for this grade of Matcha tea.

The Culinary Grade 

• Culinary grade is created from the second harvest, which occurs around June.
• Known to be less nutrient-dense and, depending on the year, not quite as vibrant in color. This grade is slightly bitter with a more rounded sweet grassy smell. It is often used for baking, smoothies, and lattes because it has a bolder, less nuanced flavor designed to stand up to other ingredients.