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One of the unexpected side effects of writing this blog is the amount of freebies I get offered. Whilst it’s tempting to accept everything (who doesn’t like free stuff?) I didn’t start the site to write about biscuits or egg cups so i’m fairly selective about what i’ll accept.
Every now and again though I receive an offer I just can’t resist. Like recently when I was contacted by Teapigs and asked if i’d be interested in taking part in their ‘Matcha Challenge’. I had no hesitation in accepting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, i’m already a fan of the brand and believe their green tea to be the best around. Secondly, i’ve read a lot about Matcha tea and the only thing stopping me trying it already has been the price.
Matcha is a super strength Japanese green tea ground down to a powder which has been drunk by Buddhist monks for over 900 years. It’s been big in the world of health and fitness for a couple of years now thanks to it’s impressive effect on metabolism and the huge amount of antioxidants it contains, helping to improve skin and aid weight loss. You can read more about the health benefit here.
Until recently Matcha was only available in Japan but Teapigs have brought it to the UK and with it the Matcha Challenge. Not that it sounded particularly challenging; they sent everything I needed so all I have to do is take a shot of it each day for 14 days and see how I feel.
Matcha is traditionally drunk whisked into hot water to make a smooth green tea but the important bit is getting the tea inside you so it can also be mixed with juice, smoothies or even yoghurt and porridge. Personally I like the taste of green tea so was happy to have it in an intense shot and simply mixed it with 30mls of hot water using the electric whisk provided.
This was my first time so i’m not jumping to any conclusions yet but I genuinely felt more awake and alert for several hours after drinking it. It’s quite possibly psychological but it seems like a great start and i’m looking forward to seeing if it continues.
I’ll make another post in two weeks once the challenge has finished so check back then to see how I got on. You can also follow me on Twitter where i’ll probably tweet about it most days.
Disclaimer: Teapigs kindly provided the matcha green tea powder and equipment needed for the challenge. However I was under no obligation to write anything at all, let alone positive. All thoughts are my own honest and genuine opinions.
