Recently, I was asked by Teapigs to try their Matcha Challenge. Matcha is  essentially a concentrated green tea. High in antioxidants, it contains 2 special amino acids said to work with its natural caffeine to give a gentle and sustained energy boost, as well as reducing stress and helping you to stay focused. Not only that, but it is also said to be metabolism boosting! It sounded to good to be true…but was it?

I’m in excellent health, but my family’s busy lifestyle and the fact we travel extensively means that fatigue can be an issue for me. I eat as well as someone who writes about food, lifestyle and travel can, and I exercise regularly, but I’m not always able to get enough sleep. A natural product that could boost energy really appealed to me, as did the idea of a matcha ‘shot’ as, despite years of trying, I just can’t drink green tea by the cup.

All I had to do was take ¼ teaspoon of matcha every day for two weeks and report on the results. I found mixing it with orange juice was the best way to disguise the taste.

Do I think matcha does what it says it will? Well, the two week challenge was up on Saturday, and I’m still taking it regularly!

There’s an immediate energy ‘lift’ on taking matcha that lasted 3 or 4 hours. I found anytime from noon to 3pm was the best time to take my matcha shot, and after a few days of taking it, I noticed a discernible increase in my energy levels on the whole. I now experience far fewer energy slumps than I used to.

A dose of matcha contains caffeine the equivalent of 10 – 15 cups of green tea, but I’m not noticing any of the adverse effects a lot of caffeine normally brings. I’m not sure matcha made me feel any calmer than normal, but it definitely reduced the stress and frustration I feel when I get tired!

As I don’t diet or weigh myself I can’t really be a judge whether it helps with slimming, but matcha was voted ‘slimming product of the year’ by ‘Your Healthy Living’ magazine readers  last year.

On the whole I am very pleased with matcha, and am very likely to continue taking it on a long term basis. Provided you have no outstanding health issues and your doctor approves, I would be very happy to recommend it.

Want to give matcha a try for yourself?  Here’s a great offer!

Just type in MATCHABLOG12 at checkout on the teapigs website and get 20% off matcha until 12th February.