Why Fresh Leaves are Better than Matcha

Why Fresh Leaves are Better than Matcha

5 Reasons to Use Millennia Fresh Leaves Instead of Matcha

The differences between fresh leaves and matcha are significant enough to make one much healthier for you. Matcha is made by processing the leaves from the Camellia sinensis, but isn’t fresh always best? Yes, plant-based foods are most nutritious when fresh. Explore what scientific evidence has to say and discover why using fresh tea leaves is best.

 

5 Reasons Why You Should Switch to Fresh Leaves Instead of Matcha

  1. Fresh leaves are more nutritious than dried.
  2. Including stems offers important nutrients.
  3. Processing leaves destroys nutrients.
  4. Using fresh leaves does not require cooking.
  5. Organic fresh leaves are high quality.

 

 

Is Tea Processed?

All teas come from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis. How the leaves are picked and processed, creates different types of teas. Like all plants, the more processed the leaves are the fewer benefits to your health.

 

How Different Teas are Created (from most processed to least):

  • Oolong Tea – pick, wither, heat, oxidize, dry.
  • Black Tea – pick, wither, oxidize, dry.
  • Matcha – pick, heat, dry, grind.
  • Dried Green Tea – pick, heat, dry.
  • Fresh leaves – pick, freeze.

 

 

How is Matcha Made?

Matcha is made by heating, drying, and finely grinding tea leaves (no stems) from the Camillia Sinensis plant. The bright green colour comes from shading the plant a few weeks before harvesting, which elevates the chlorophyll (green colour) and amino acid levels in the leaves, according to research.

 

How is Millennia Tea Superfood Cubes Made?

Hand-picked young tea leaves and stems are harvested in the tea fields, then immediately flash frozen to protect and retain the maximum amount of the fresh leaves’ nutrients.

 

MILLENNIA is fresh. MATCHA is dried.

1. Fresh Tea Leaves are More Nutritious than Dried.

Drying plant-based foods reduce the amount of essential nutrients by up to 70%, compared to fresh produce, according to scientific evidence. Namely, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and vitamin C content declined. The research found it didn’t matter what way it was dried (vacuum, infrared, convective) the foods lost most of their nutrients. Leaves from the tea plant are rich in phenolic compounds, including the famous epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG). Fresh leaves contain the highest amounts of EGCG – up to 15x more when eaten as fresh whole leaves (add to a smoothie, sauces, salsa) than compared to dried green tea conventionally steeped.

 

 

 

MILLENNIA is fresh leaves and stems. MATCHA is made with dried leaves.

2. Stems Offer Important Nutrients.

Matcha uses the leaves of the tea plant. Millennia Tea’s Superfood Fresh Tea Cubes include both the leaves and the stems. Tea plant stems contain important nutrients, such as theanine. (A lot of research has gone into what parts of the plant offers which nutrients.) Theanine has been linked with better abilities to manage stress and anxiety levels in over 9 peer-reviewed studies.

 

 

MILLENNIA is a fresh whole food. MATCHA is processed dried leaves.

3. Processing destroys nutrients.

There’s no doubt that some processed foods are found in most people’s kitchens as time-savers when preparing meals, but from a nutritional standpoint, processed foods are less healthy. Even minimally processed foods contain fewer nutrients: during processing, nutrients can be destroyed or removed. According to researchers, the nutrients in fresh produce, stored at room temperature, decline quickly: carrots lose 27% of their vitamin C which is better than spinach (100% loss in 7 days). Spinach, which is similar to tea leaves, have delicate thin structures, can lose moisture, and are more susceptible to oxygen and heat, resulting in rapid nutrient degradation compared to a denser plant, like a carrot. However, there’s a solution to protecting and saving the nutrients in delicate leaves – flash freezing! Flash freezing fresh leaves at the time of harvest, Millennia Tea Superfood Tea Leaves can retain the maximum amount of nutrients possible. The researchers noted that compared to the fresh produce, frozen vegetables contain more nutrients in many cases, as they are frozen quickly after harvesting, preventing nutrient degradation.

 

MILLENNIA is eaten fresh. MATCHA is boiled or cooked.

It’s well known that cooking alters the nutritional value of fresh vegetables, including green leafy plants, such as tea leaves. To make matcha you add boiling water. Alternatively, using fresh leaves requires no cooking. Put those fresh leaves into the blender! Laboratory analysis shows eating Millennia Tea Superfood Cubes offers about 15 times more EGCG than when boiled.

 

 

MILLENNIA is organic. MATCHA grades can vary.

 

Healthy compounds found in high amounts in tea are higher in organic crops than conventionally grown ones, according to scientific evidence. Millennia Tea Superfood Cubes and Chopped Leaves are certified organic.

 

Watch for different grades of matcha as it can influence taste and nutritional benefits. Ceremonial matcha is considered the highest quality and uses the best tea leaves from the top of the plant (same as Millennia Tea) giving it a fresh delicate flavour. Premium matcha is typically more bitter with a stronger taste, making some want to mix it with a juice. Culinary grade matcha is used in cooking as it is made from less desirable leaves of the plant

 

 

Get Fresh! Millennia Tea Superfood is fresh leaves from the tea plant that can be enjoyed in many ways! Fresh tea leaves are a delicious and nutritious addition to your smoothies, salads, soups, and even salsas. Available at your favourite retailer. Or, ship it straight to your door when you order online.

 

 

 

References:

 

How much do process parameters affect the residual quality attributes of dried fruits and vegetables for convective drying? Food Bioprod Proc 2022 Jan; 131:176-190.

 

Health benefits and chemical composition of matcha green tea: a review. Molecules 2021 Jan; 26(1): 85.

 

Effect of different cooking methods on the content of vitamins and true retention in selected vegetables. Food Sci Biotechnol 2018 Apr; 27(2): 333-342.

 

Antioxidant activity and phenolic content in organic and conventional vegetables. Food Sci Tech (Campinas) 2010 Jun; 30(2): 501-506.

 

Metabolic dependence of green tea on plucking positions revisited: a metabolomic study. J Agric Food Chem 2011 Oct 12;59(19):10579-85.

 

The effect of green tea amino acid L-theanine consumption on the ability to manage stress and anxiety levels: a systematic review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 2020 Mar; 75(1): 12-23.