Green Tea Feature Part 5: Want to be healthy? Use the power of catechin in Japanese green tea!

Green tea represents the soul of traditional Japanese culture. It is also enjoyable for the pronounced sweet and bitter tastes that belie its simplicity. And its reported positive effects on both health and beauty make it a very popular souvenir. However, you may well feel somewhat lost when choosing the right green tea product. With that in mind, I have decided to introduce the charms of green tea in all six upcoming issues.

This is my 5th issue, so this time I will introduce you to one of the many beneficial factors of green tea.
Green tea has so many components which contribute to health. One of the components which has had recent coverage is “Catechin”. It's a type of polyphenol that is only found in green tea. In winter we are prone to getting sick. Japanese people drink green tea as a part of their everyday routine. Shizuoka prefecture is famous for their tea plant production. One elementary school there made gargling with green tea mandatory for all students in order to maintain health. They are using the traditional wisdom of Japan and they are benefiting as a result.

Drinking green tea daily is an easy custom to keep because you can easily buy green tea as a powder or in a bag.
Don’t worry if you have never made proper green tea.
If you want to take green tea home as a souvenir from Japan then the powdered type is a good idea.
I recommend Ito En’ s “ Oi Ocha with powdered Matcha”. Only 100% locally grown tea leaves are used in this product and the taste is as good and as natural as loose leaf green tea made in a pot. It’s so handy and tasty which makes it really popular in Japan. It dissolves in hot and cold water, how simple and convenient is that?!

“Oi Ocha with powdered Matcha” comes in 80g or 40g packages. If you buy the 80g bag you will enjoy roughly 100 cups of green tea. If you buy the 40g bag, you can enjoy about 50 cups of green tea.
If you want to take advantage of the power of catechin, you will have to drink green tea regularly. I recommended you fill the extra space in your luggage with green tea before going home.