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A bowl of bright green matcha beside a folded linen towel in fresh morning light.

Matcha Before a Workout: What the Research Says (2026)

Short answer: yes, matcha is a sensible pre-workout drink, but a gentle one. A 2 g bowl carries roughly 40 to 90 mg of caffeine, well under the dose sports research links to performance gains, so don't expect a coffee-sized...

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A bowl of matcha by a softly lit window in warm late-afternoon light, calm and restful.

Matcha and Sleep: Does It Help or Hurt? (2026)

Short answer: matcha will not knock you out, and honestly, it isn't supposed to. It contains caffeine. What the research suggests is subtler: the L-theanine in matcha may help you feel calmer and more satisfied with your rest, even though...

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A bowl of bright green ceremonial matcha with fresh tea leaves on pale stone, a calm healthy scene.

Matcha and Blood Sugar: What the Research Says (2026)

Short answer: green tea catechins, which matcha concentrates, have been linked in pooled trials to a small drop in fasting blood sugar, on the order of 1 to 2 mg/dL. It's a real, repeatable signal for fasting glucose, but the...

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A bowl of bright green ceremonial matcha beside fresh green tea leaves on light wood, a calm healthy morning scene.

Matcha and Cholesterol: What the Research Says About LDL (2026)

Short answer: green tea catechins, the compounds matcha is rich in, have been linked across multiple clinical trials to a modest but real reduction in LDL ("bad") cholesterol, on the order of a few mg/dL. It's a genuine effect, not...

Read moreabout Matcha and Cholesterol: What the Research Says About LDL (2026)

A bowl of freshly whisked bright green ceremonial matcha with a bamboo whisk on neutral linen, evoking calm and stress relief.

Matcha and Cortisol: What the Research Actually Says About Stress (2026)

Short answer: no study has shown that matcha lowers cortisol. The closest evidence is about L-theanine, the amino acid matcha is rich in. In one crossover trial, an L-theanine drink reduced the salivary cortisol response to a stressful task three...

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Documentary world map of global matcha production with matcha-green markers sized by share β€” largest over Japan, then eastern China, with smaller dots across South Korea, Taiwan, India, Hawaii, US southeast, Australia, and New Zealand

Where Is Matcha Grown? A 2026 Global Production Map

Japan exported 13,125 tonnes of green tea in FY2025, +42% YoY. The global matcha production map: who grows what tier across Japan, China, Korea, and beyond.

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Japanese Tea Producers: 5 Voices Reshaping the Matcha World

Japanese Tea Producers: 5 Voices Reshaping the Matcha World

Meet 5 Japanese tea producers Christian met in 2024: a Frenchman in Kyoto, a Swedish instructor, a Hawaii-born importer, a Canadian master, a 5th-gen farmer.

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Horiguchi Seicha: 300 hectares of Kagoshima tea in one cup

Horiguchi Seicha: 300 hectares of Kagoshima tea in one cup

Inside Horiguchi Seicha in Shibushi, Kagoshima: Daisuke Horiguchi runs a 300-hectare Japanese tea operation with organic and Rainforest Alliance certification.

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Akio-san of Kurihara Seicha holding an engraved wooden Kurihara nameplate with Christian Mauerer beside him outside the family compound in Yame, Fukuoka

Kurihara Seicha: A Yame Tea Maker worth its postcode

A day inside Kurihara Seicha in Yame, Fukuoka, where four generations have been making some of Japan's most respected gyokuro and matcha.

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