So I've started drinking Matcha (ceremonial grade) green tea

food
#1

…and I want to up my ‘dose’, for want of a better word. (What does ‘ceremonial grade’ mean?)
Problem is, the bitter, almost fishy, taste is prohibitive in that respect.

I’ve never ever used sugar or sweetners in hot drinks at any time in my life, and I certainly wouldn’t use sugar now.

Artificial sweetners? I’ve heard bad reports about them as well, tricking the body’s metabolism, affecting insulin production and affecting the gut biome etc. Although on some keto Youtube videos they mention that stevia, a natural alternative sweetner, would be OK health wise and keto wise?

I don’t know. As I said, I’ve never had sweetened tea or coffee previously, so I’m not even sure I want to have sweetened Matcha now either. Just something to add to it to take the bitter tasting edge away from it. Maybe it’s just a question of adapting my taste to it? I know if I have a second cup soon after the first, it doesn’t seem to be as bitter and is more palatable.

Does any one who drinks this have any tips on what they add to it?
All I’m adding at present is unsweetened almond drink/milk.

#2

Just going for my second cup here. Skipping brunch today, so I decided to make a bullet proof version of Matcha.
A heaped tspn of Matcha powder, a healthy dollop of butter, 3 tspns of MCT oil and added unsweetened almond milk.
I blitz in the blender and then the use a frother to finish off.

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I have to say- this tastes much more palatable and creamier!
It’ll probably blow my head off too. :smiley:
Problem is, I don’t want to have to a bullet proof anything every morning, just the occasional morning, maybe once a week (I prefer to get the calories from solid food mainly).
So I’m back to looking for a suitable additive.
Any suggestions welcome.

(Bob M) #3

Can’t help, as I never really liked matcha. I’ve been drinking Pu-Erh tea, but I drink it “straight”.

Also, MCT oil and I don’t get along. I can have it, but I have to have pure C8 or C8 powder.

I would try butter, even other dairy if you can handle that. I’ve been drinking small amounts of raw A2 milk from a local farm, daily. Tastes good and – unlike what many say (milk is made to make us fat) – I seem to be fine.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

It means of suitable quality for use in the tea ceremony.

#5

Yeah…I think after having that bullet proof version, that might be the way to go rather than a sweetner.
Although I would aim to have as little calories/fat in the Matcha so that I can have a cup any time, and keep the fat and calories for my meals.
I could maybe try a hot smoothy blend with something solid, a few blueberries or something…
:thinking:

#6

I see. I’m ignorant of these things, didn’t realise there was an actual ceremony that went on…I’ll look it up. (just thought it was a type of tea)

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #7

There are three main schools of the tea ceremony. Years ago, I used to work in an office down the hall from the U.N. office of the Urasenke tea society, which is one of the three traditions. The character that caught my eye would come to work in his kimono and wooden shoes, carrying a bag on the back of his wrist. He wouldn’t have been so noticeable, except he was a tall, blond Caucasian.

#8

I don’t drink stuff I don’t like but if it’s just the bitterness, I can just make it weaker. Not everyone’s cup of tea, sure but I am good at drinking super watery drinks.

#9

I’ve recently replaced my morning coffee with green matcha tea, I do the latte thing, so mine has a little raw honey and milk in it (ya, those scary things).

I’ve never once had an issue with any artificial sweetener. Like many, I allowed the nocebo effect to get me once and I convinced myself they were screwing with me, I debunked that. I like stuff to taste the way I like them. Not going to remove a taste from life because of some unproven evil. If you don’t like things sweet, don’t sweeten them. But if you dont like the taste of something otherwise, why drink it?

#10

I was told there are health benefits (antioxidants, helps detoxify the body, increases energy levels), plus I was l was drinking too much caffeine with the coffee. I know, Matcha has caffeine too, but not as much.

I’ve had 2 cups so far today, one of them bullet proof. To be honest, I think it’s a taste I could get used to…maybe even train myself to appreciate the bitterness.

I’m going to have another cup later on with a dollop of creme fraiche which I had bought for berries (just for a change from the sour cream).
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(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #11

Many people find that they have a cephalic insulin response to artificial sweeteners. This is documented. However, to judge from reports on these forums, not everyone reacts in the same way to every such sweetener.

#12

Agreed, when I was intentionally trying for it, I got just that, clearly I couldn’t check insulin but I dropped my BG about 20points, but I also chugged 3 sugar free root beers nearly back to back to seal the deal. So on one end, it worked, but in a very unrealistic way. On the other end I bounced right back from it within 30mins, so although it did cause a response it was very much forced, and the recovery was very fast so did it really even matter?

We’re all different in our levels of insulin sensitivity, but the amount of time you spend under that curve is really what matters, we go by thing like A1C’s to see averages because we know how we spend most of our time is what matters, but then obsess about an acute BG rise (or drop) that’s barely a fraction of our day.

I say if your A1C is good, your LP-IR is good, then there’s your answer, don’t worry about it. As long as people don’t use that as an excuse to be stupid, that should be enough to have one less thing to measure or worry about all the time.

#13

OK. The day has flown by and I haven’t had a bite to eat yet! It’s 16:22 here…

However, just made my third Matcha tea, this time bullet proof (3 tspns MCT, 2 tspns butter, some unsweetened almond milk…only this time I added 3 healthy dollops of creme fraiche. Frothed up better:

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Tastes the best yet! But obviously will have the most fat and calories as well…which can be useful at times too, just not all the time.
just checked my ketone levels:
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I was 6, not 6+ this morning.
Which is pretty good, because last night I was 1, not in ketosis, and probably have been for the last couple of days (I let myself go for the Jubilee).
I was clearing out some ‘diet’ bars from a previous fad diet called ‘NewWeigh’ from my cupboards.
I had 3 or 4 NewWeigh Dark Chocolate Orange Bars with about 20gms carb each, so I knew I was going to get kicked out of keto, especially coupled with all the protein I was taking.
Hey, at least I know I’m fat adapted. Went from zilch to highest acetone/ketone level after an overnight fast. (And no, mouthwash or alcohol played no part in this- I’m presently on call until Tuesday night, so I’m stone cold sober!)
Feel quite alert actually, and not hungry yet. I would fast on into tomorrow if I didn’t have these meatballs to eat in the fridge. They could probably keep until tomorrow right enough. :thinking:
I’ve a bit of hedge trimming to do anyway, now that the temperature has dipped a bit (down to 16 degrees C…anything 20 degrees or above is considered tropical for us over here!).

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

A very good point, thank you.

(Allie) #15

I’ve found the knack with green tea if any sort is to get used to how to make it without the taste being too strong. Can’t have tea me, not at all, green or black, sets off interstitial cystitis, as does black coffee, cola, anything sweetened with sucralose… and all sorts of other stuff.

#16

Yeah, I was looking to actually increase my dose, so that I can have a strong (but palatable) one in the morning if I am heading out to various sites around the country- so I don’t have to cart Matcha ingredients with me.
But yes, If I’m at home all day I could just reduce the dose and have a few rather than one large.
I think I’ll get used to the taste anyway- i think maybe adding sour cream, double cream or creme fraiche is the way forward…seems to mellow the underlying acridness of that first sip.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #17

I’m curious: if you don’t like the taste, why drink it? What benefits does this drink confer that black tea doesn’t, or coffee, for that matter? And I take it that the matcha has to come from a specific region of the world, or be made from a specific hybrid, because Chinese green tea seems very mild, almost tasteless, compared with my favourite black tea blends and herbal teas.

The article I read suggested that the tea plants are supposed to be covered for a couple of weeks before picking, to promote the growth of leaves with a specific taste, and the leaves need to be hand-picked, too, to get the right-tasting ones, apparently. Could that be the source of the bitterness?

Guess I should have grabbed hold of that guy from the tea-ceremony organisation, years ago, and made him tell me what he knew, lol!

#18

It’s not so bad- I think it’s worthwhile putting up with the initial bitterness if the health benefits claims are to be believed.

As I said before:
“I was told there are health benefits (antioxidants, helps detoxify the body, increases energy levels), plus I was l was drinking too much caffeine with the coffee. I know, Matcha has caffeine too, but not as much.”

Someone told me there may be evidence that there are anti cancer properties too- but I haven’t looked into this. I remember, many years ago, when my dad was suffering from oesophageal cancer, he was advised to drink it. No way of knowing if it helped him, but after surgery (top 3rd of stomach and lower third of gullit removed) and radiotherapy treatment he was told to expect around 3 years.
He lasted 5 years.

So even if it has a placebo effect on me I’ll be happy enough.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #19

I don’t want to rain on your parade, so I’ll just say that if you think it’s helping, then carry on!

#20

Probably a load of bollocks half the claims, but there are at least anti oxidants in there, plus less cafeine than coffee…so that to me is good alternative to coffee.

I take it you’re not a fan of it then?