Matcha vs. Coffee: Pros and Cons of Each
If you like to start your morning with a cup of joe, you’re not the only one — about 66 percent of Americans, opens in a new tab drink at least one cup of coffee a day. With so many people drinking coffee, you might be wondering if there are any health benefits to it.
If you’ve been looking for a coffee alternative, you may have stumbled upon matcha. How do these two drinks compare? Read on to learn all about the benefits and side effects of each.
What Is Matcha?
You might know matcha as the popular green drink on Instagram, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Matcha is a special type of green tea that originally came from China but eventually took Japan by storm. By the 16th century, matcha powder was as important to Japanese culture as coffee is to American culture now.
This fine green powder is made from the same plant as regular green tea, which is formally known as Camellia sinensis. However, matcha tea plants are grown in different conditions and only the youngest, highest-quality leaves are picked. These two differences combine to create a drink that is brighter, sweeter, and more rich in certain nutrients than regular green tea.
Instead of steeping the tea leaves in hot water, which is how typical green and black tea are made, matcha is made by grinding the leaves into a fine powder and then mixing that powder with hot water. With the former, you’re basically drinking water that has the flavor of green tea and some of the nutrients from the leaves. With the latter, you’re actually drinking the leaves and getting all of the nutrients.
What Is Coffee?
This might seem like a silly question — we all know what coffee is, right? However, coffee is a little more nuanced than you might think.
Coffee comes from plants in the Coffea genus, which contains about 100 species of coffee plants, opens in a new tab. However, most of the coffee sold today comes from either the Arabica or Robusta species of coffee.
These plants produce cherries, which contain coffee beans. These beans start out green and must be roasted before they develop that rich coffee taste we know and love. Light roasts often have notes of citrus and tend to have the most caffeine, while dark roasts often feature more earthy flavors and are lower in caffeine.
What Are the Benefits of Matcha?
Matcha is high in L-theanine, opens in a new tab thanks to its unique growing conditions. This amino acid can support cognitive function and relieve feelings of stress and anxiety.
This green powder is also high in antioxidants, which can support overall long-term health. Specifically, matcha contains epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG), a compound that has powerful antioxidant properties, opens in a new tab and can support heart health, brain health, and immune health.
Matcha also contains about 70 milligrams of caffeine, opens in a new tab per cup, which is only slightly less than coffee. However, while caffeine on its own can lead to stress and jitters if you consume too much of it, L-theanine may actually help minimize the negative side effects of caffeine, opens in a new tab.
What Are the Potential Side Effects of Matcha?
Although matcha contains both L-theanine and caffeine, it’s still possible to get caffeine jitters if you drink too much matcha. Experts recommend that adults don’t drink more than 400milligrams mg of caffeine a day, no matter what source it’s from — but we don't recommend going there.
Luckily, you can drink about five and a half cups of matcha before you hit that limit. It’s also possible that drinking matcha on an empty stomach may cause an upset stomach, so make sure you enjoy your matcha with a hearty breakfast.
What Are the Benefits of Coffee?
There’s more going on in your cup of joe than you might think — coffee is rich in compounds like flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids. These compounds are responsible for the rich taste that makes coffee a universal favorite.
When it comes to benefits, these compounds combine to offer many health-supporting effects. For instance, drinking coffee can encourage healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which play a major role in heart health and weight management.
Coffee can also support brain health and is another great source of antioxidants. This combination can support long-term brain health and general wellness.
Finally, coffee also contains an average of 96 milligrams of caffeine, opens in a new tab per cup, which can help you feel energetic and focused. The actual amount of caffeine in your cup depends on how strongly it’s brewed, how long the coffee beans were roasted, and where the beans were grown.
What Are the Potential Side Effects of Coffee?
Everyone has their own caffeine tolerance, and it’s possible to overdo it on caffeine. When this happens, you might experience a jittery feeling and feelings of anxiety. You might feel sweaty, your heart might race or feel like it’s skipping a beat, and you might find it hard to focus.
You might also feel nauseous or have indigestion. Coffee tends to be very acidic, which can cause an upset stomach or heartburn in some people.
Coffee also tends to result in a caffeine crash later in the day as the caffeine wears off. And although you’ll wish you could sleep, you might not be able to. Drinking too much coffee can also affect your sleep/wake cycle, as can drinking coffee too late in the day.
Matcha vs. Coffee: Which One Is Best?
So, you might be wondering which is best, coffee or matcha? In order to choose which way to fuel your morning, it’s important to consider all of their differences. Read on for all the tea (pun intended) on matcha vs. coffee and our personal preferences.
Caffeine Content
First, let’s look at the reason most people start drinking these beverages to begin with. Caffeine makes the world go ‘round, and many people rely on it to get through a busy work day or a long night of studying.
Instead of reaching for an energy drink, you could opt for either matcha or coffee. However, one of the biggest differences between the two is how much caffeine they contain. A serving of matcha typically has less caffeine than coffee, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
If you’re looking for a giant kick of caffeine to get you through an all-nighter, coffee is the obvious choice. However, if caffeine tends to give you jitters and anxiety, you may want to reach for matcha instead of coffee.
As we mentioned earlier, the L-theanine in matcha has a sort of synergy with caffeine. Basically, when you drink matcha, you can get all of the benefits like high energy levels and focus without any of the side effects.
That said, you don’t have to give up coffee entirely if you’re looking to lower your caffeine intake. You can enjoy the same taste of coffee without the crazy high caffeine levels — just opt for an option that’s lower in caffeine.
For instance, our Mushroom Coffee+ blend features only 45 mg of caffeine per serving. It’s just enough to help you feel an energy boost but not enough to trigger the jitters.
Stress Reduction
Let’s be honest — no one drinks coffee to feel less stressed. In fact, we’ve probably all experienced those horrible moments where skyrocketing stress levels indicate we’ve had too much coffee.
It might feel like caffeine and relaxation don’t mix, but that’s just because you haven’t tried matcha yet. Not only can L-theanine dampen the side effects of caffeine, but the L-theanine content in matcha can also specifically support feelings of relaxation and minimize feelings of stress.
Research suggests that L-theanine can support our brain’s production of alpha waves, which are specifically linked with relaxation, focus, and sleep. Coffee doesn’t have anything like this, so it’s pretty clear which one comes out on top in this category!
Mental Health Benefits
Whenever you’re feeling particularly down or stressed, what usually helps you feel better? Many people tend to feel better after a good night’s sleep, some downtime to focus on self-care, or time to focus on their hobbies.
Between matcha and coffee, which one sounds more like it will help in this category? Not that an iced coffee can’t provide a little pick-me-up when you take that first sip of syrupy goodness, but matcha is clearly better situated to support your mental health.
L-theanine comes to the rescue again, thanks to its ability to support mental health. In one study, this amino acid lowered self-reported depression and anxiety scores in healthy participants. Yet again, this Japanese green tea wins out when it comes to mental health benefits.
Glowing Skin
We’re not saying you can tell matcha drinkers apart from coffee drinkers simply by looking at them, but we are saying that one of these drinks can significantly support skin health (hint: it’s not coffee).
Matcha’s antioxidants (more on that in just a minute) can help support glowing, vibrant skin from within as well as any skincare routine. If you drink matcha a few times a day, you can truly say “I woke up like this.”
On the other hand, if coffee tends to make you feel stressed out and sweaty, that will probably show up in your pores. High levels of cortisol can actually increase your skin’s oil production, which can make you break out and develop an oily sheen to your skin.
Antioxidant Power
Free radicals are molecules that are missing an electron, and they’ll steal electrons from the nearest molecules to stabilize themselves. Unfortunately, this just creates more free radicals, which creates a ripple effect. As the free radicals spread, so does free radical damage.
This damage, called oxidative stress, can affect everything from heart health to brain health to our very DNA. It’s one of the biggest causes of major health concerns and degenerative conditions. Antioxidants are molecules that contain an extra electron, which enables them to neutralize free radicals.
Coffee has tons of antioxidants, which makes it a great option to help defend your body against oxidative stress. Matcha also contains several antioxidants. In fact, matcha contains a specific catechin called epigallocatechin-3 gallate, which is known for its extra-powerful antioxidant properties. Both drinks have antioxidants and can support your health, but matcha maintains the edge in this category.
Detoxification
When you hear the word “detox,” you probably think about plain salads and lemon water. However, detoxing can be a lot more fun (and delicious) than that.
In fact, detoxing can be as easy as drinking a cup of matcha. This green drink contains very high levels of chlorophyll — in fact, this compound is what gives ceremonial grade matcha its iconic green color.
Chlorophyll can actually bind to heavy metals and other toxins and help guide them out of the body. Unfortunately, coffee doesn’t contain chlorophyll, so it doesn’t share these powers.
Versatility
Finally, we come to the matter of versatility. In this area, coffee is a clear winner.
Matcha green tea powder may come out on top in other areas, but it can really only be enjoyed on its own, as a matcha latte, or in a smoothie. Of course, you can make matcha-flavored foods and desserts, but doing so is hardly convenient.
On the other hand, coffee beans can be used to make espresso, which opens up an entire menu of drinks. You can use espresso to make a breve, latte, cappuccino, or frozen coffee. You can also easily order coffee in almost any dining establishment. While coffee shops typically offer matcha, it’s usually only one item on a menu full of different coffee items.
The Bottom Line
Matcha is a type of powdered green tea that originated in China. Many centuries later, matcha is one of the most popular teas on the block. Meanwhile, coffee is a staple of most Americans’ morning routines.
Both drinks have solid health benefits, which means there isn’t exactly a clear winner between the two. Ultimately, which one is best for you simply comes down to what benefits you’re looking for at the moment. If you want to try the deliciously sweet flavor of matcha for yourself, try our Mushroom Matcha+ Starter Kit today!
Sources:
Coffee consumption hits record high in US | Food and Beverage Insider, opens in a new tab
What is Coffee? | NCAUSA, opens in a new tab
Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review | PMC, opens in a new tab
The Important Health Benefits Of Matcha Tea | Piedmont Healthcare, opens in a new tab
Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more | Mayo Clinic, opens in a new tab
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