Matcha mania: How much is too much?

GREEN DRINK TRENDING ON TIKTOK IS NOW AN INGREDIENT IN EVERYTHING FROM ICE CREAM AND CAKE TO PANCAKES

- BY KARISHMA H. NANDKEOLYAR

Twenty-four-year-old Egyptian expat Shahenda Elsayed wasn't impressed with her first sip of matcha, which has been touted as green gold for some time.

"I felt like I was drinking blended seaweed," she laughs. "But I learned to distinguish between high quality [ceremonial grade] and low quality matcha, and now I love it!"

Matcha is a fine powder made from green tea leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant. It's grown in the shade before being harvested, steamed, dried, and ground up. The lack of direct sunlight allows the plant to develop extra chloroplasts. The result is powdered tea leaves, rich in antioxidants.

The name itself comes from the Nipponese words matsu, which is 'to rub, to daub, to paint', explains Britannica, and cha, which translates to tea.