Let's admit it, for those coffee lovers, you're addicted to coffee. But have you found yourself thinking "I need to stop drinking or cut down on coffee? You're not wrong, and you're at the right place to start thinking about cutting down coffee.
Caffeine is readily absorbed by your gut within 45 minutes of consumption - which explains why you get a 'pick me up' so quickly. You'll feel your heart start racing and a surge of energy but at the risk of increasing your blood pressure. Studies show that side effects of caffeine involves "restlessness, nervousness, and irritability, and progressing to delirium, emesis, neuromuscular tremors, and convulsions."
To give you a background on how matcha is made - Matcha (Cameillia sinensis) comes from the same green tea plant used for regular steeped green tea. The difference is in the way it's harvested and prepared. Matcha plants are shade covered three weeks prior to being harvested. By protecting their leaves from direct sunlight, L-Theanine and caffeine in the young leaves levels remain high - young leaves contain more caffeine than mature leaves. Matcha also contains catechins, which are antioxidants, however they are lower in levels due to being protected from the sun - Catechins need sunlight to be created.
Does the quality of matcha matter? Yes, it does. A fine balance of L-theanine, catechins and caffeine determine the quality of matcha green tea - the higher the amino acids, the more 'umami' your matcha will be. A high grade tea, will be rich in L-Theanine and Caffeine but lower in Catechins compared with steeped green tea.
Enter L-Theanine, an amino acid naturally present in green and black tea. It's known to help with relaxation with causing drowsiness. When you pair up caffeine with L-Theanine, it counteracted the rise in blood pressure normally caused by coffee. So this induces a sense a calmness but alertness that isn't present when drinking coffee.
Caffeine is know to put our body in fight or flight mode by stimulating your adrenal glands to produce cortisol. Your body naturally produces cortisol after awakening usually between 6am - 8am. and by drinking coffee you are adding unnecessary stress to your adrenal glands. Timing of when you ingest caffeine is ideal to avoid the peaks and troughs of your energy levels.
Cortisol is an essential hormone that controls our blood sugar levels, blood pressure, memory formulation, reduces inflammation and salt/water balance - so a very crucial hormone! By having too much cortisol over a long period of time can lead to Cushing' syndrome which symptons include weight gain, high blood pressure, weakening of bones and muscles, skin changes, mood swings and increased urination. If you have high levels of cortisol, try switching to matcha as L-theanine reduces cortisol levels.
Our co-founder Enna, has been pretty much coffee free for the past year! Occasionally she would flirt between coffee and matcha but has since made the move to drinking matcha daily. Due to feelings of anxiety, sweaty underarms and restlessness, she made the move to completely cut coffee and doesn't miss it. Thought the smell of coffee beans is irresistable, it's the side affects that that makes it easy to cut it out of her diet.
The information available on or through this website is intended to provide general information to the public, and is not intended to diagnose any health issues or concerns. All reasonable measures have been taken to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information available on this website. Always consult your health professional for any concerns or questions.