Matcha lattes, cookies and chia pudding. It's become a staple in kitchens and cafes. And that’s no surprise, thanks to matcha’s impressive list of health benefits (click our link in profile to learn more)!
But matcha is not the invention of modern wellness circles. In fact, its origins can be traced all the way back to around the 10th century, when a powdered kind of tea, resembling what we nowadays call matcha, was commonly used by Chinese monks to
maintain a state of “mindful alertness” during long periods of meditation.
Fast forward to the 12th century in Japan, when a Zen monk purportedly brought back tea seeds he gathered on a study trip to China. Powdered tea was first consumed throughout Japan in Buddhist monasteries, and later also by the military elite.
By the 14 century, more tea gardens began to open in the Kyoto-Uji area. Farmers began to realize that shading and protecting the tea bushes from direct sunlight created higher quality tea, and shade-grown tea became the most favored tea in the country.
Next time you mindfully savor a cup of matcha — a meditation in itself! — see if you can not only feel an alert-calm and taste its umami sweetness, but also sense the history behind this powerful, magical brew 🙏🍵