For full disclosure purposes, I received the teapigs Matcha Set for free in return for an honest review. I was not paid to write this review and all opinions of the product received are my own.

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So, a while back on my social media, I shared that I would be taking part in a 2 week Matcha Challenge in association with teapigs. They kindly sent me one of their Modern Matcha Kits which included a 30g tin of teapigs matcha green tea, an aerolatte electric hand whisk, a shot glass, matcha badge, a little spoon and a matcha info leaflet.
The challenge involved having half a teaspoon of their mighty Matcha powder everyday for two weeks in different forms and then report back with how I  got on and how I felt!

So, it's actually been about a month since I started the Matcha challenge, I did the challenge for the full two weeks and still had lots left over to continue taking the matcha for a while(on and off).

So, What is Matcha?
" Matcha is essentially a very concentrated form of green tea. The way it's grown and consumed means that it's packed full of essential vitamins and minerals. Matcha tea bushes are grown under shade which dramatically increases the chlorophyll and amino acid content of the leaf – lots of good stuff.
When you drink regular green tea, you throw away the leaves afterwards which a bit like boiling spinach, throwing away the spinach and just drinking the water – you’ll get some of the nutrients, but you’re throwing away the best bit. Matcha is drunk as a fine powder diffused in liquid so you actually ingest the whole leaf, consuming every little bit of lovely green tea good stuff. "
Quoted from teapigs

To find out more about how it's made, see HERE.

What are the health benefits? Did I notice any changes?
With the high amount of caffeine in the Matcha Powder, I definitely noticed a difference in my energy levels when I had a matcha shot in the morning and sometimes before a workout/run for a boost of energy.
I'm not a coffee person, so I usually don't get a caffeine boost of any sort in the morning until I had a cup of tea so I actually appreciated the higher energy levels that I got from having a matcha shot in the morning!

Matcha also contains a naturally occurring amino acid called L-Theanine. Along with caffeine, the combination is said to increase alertness and improve concentration.

Matcha contains 137 times the anti oxidants of green tea and 70 times the amount in orange juice!

According to teapigs, 60% of people who have previously taken the matcha challenge noticed an improved condition in their hair, skin and nails.I personally don't have many problems with my skin and didn't notice any major changes in any of these whilst doing the matcha challenge.

Drinking Matcha each day can also help to naturally boost your metabolism and drinking a shot before a workout can increase fat oxidization(helping you burn fat faster).

In terms of weight loss, I didn't see any difference, however, I've mentioned for a while now that I've been kinda stuck with my weight so I didn't expect this to help much in that regard.

How can you use Matcha?
Well, you can drink it the typical way, which is to have half a teaspoon of the matcha powder and mix with water in a shot glass and just down it in one. This was the typical way that I had matcha in the mornings, it was quick and simple and done in a minute.

Matcha just has very strong green tea taste, which can take some getting used to but when you take it in a shot or when you mix it with other ingredients such a s in a smoothie, it's really not bad at all.

A matcha latte that I made with 1 serving of matcha mixed with some hot water and added to some skimmed milk, I warmed the milk up and used the aerolatte to froth the milk up. It was pretty good!

You can use Matcha in cookies, in smoothies, have it with some fruit juice or even make a matcha Latte, I tried the matcha latte and I quite enjoyed it but didn't try any other ways to incorporate it.

You can find some simple recipes that use Matcha HERE.

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Overall, it was a great experience to find out the benefits of taking matcha over the two week period. I definitely appreciated the extra energy boost that the matcha gave me when I took it in the morning and it's definitely something that I'm considering continuing(maybe not everyday) but every once in a while, maybe when I need an extra little boost.

Thanks again to teapigs for allowing me to be a part of the challenge!

Question: Have you ever tried Matcha or anything Matcha flavoured? What did you think of it?