If you’ve prepared Matcha tea, you are already familiar with at least one type of tea powder. But are there other types of tea powder and do they have benefits and practical uses? How long do they stay fresh? When I incorporated Matcha tea into my daily routine (and loved working with a tea powder), these are some of the questions I found myself asking. If you’ve ever wondered these things as well, read on. I’ll take you through what I’ve learned. So, let’s find out: what exactly is tea powder?
Tea Powder is tea that is processed and crushed to a fine consistency that resembles powder. Because the entire tea leaf is ingested, powdered tea offers important health benefits There are several kinds of tea powder, including black, white, green, matcha, and herbal. Tea powders can be used in drinks, cooking, and capsules.
While the basics are pretty straightforward, there is actually a lot more you might be interested in knowing about tea powder, including how it’s made, how long it lasts, and what other uses it has.
Why Should You Use Tea Powder?
Tea powder is not necessarily new or trendy, although it can seem that way.
Tea powder has been used in Japan for years and can potentially come in any variety of regular or herbal tea. Using a tea powder may release the heath benefits of the leaves, and it offers a more “instant” version of your favorite tea.
In fact, you can even make your own tea powder using tea leaves and a grinder. Making your own tea powder gives you an opportunity to grind your own combination of tea leaves, herbs, dried flowers, spices, and even add powdered cacao, protein powder, dried milk, and natural sweetener such as Monk Fruit. It’s a creative way to make your own healthy instant tea-based drink, and I’ll cover some basic steps and ideas later in this article.
How is Tea Powder Made Commercially?
Tea Powder is created through a fairly lengthy process and multiple steps. There are two primary methods for creating tea powder, so let’s take a look at each.
Here is a breakdown of the steps involved from farm to the shelf.
Method 1 for Producing Tea Powder: Costly and Lower-Quality
This is method of creating tea powder is costly and the quality of the powder is usually low. However, I did want you to know about it.
- 1. Tea leaves are harvested
- 2. The tea leaves are processed and dried
- 3. Processed tea leaves and the dust from processing is also gathered.
- 4.The liquids are extracted from the tea to create a concentrated brew of the leaves and dust.
- 5. A spray/freeze drying process leaves behind the powder after the liquid has been removed.
Method 2 for Producing Tea Powder: Efficient and Better-Quality
This new method for creating tea powder produces a better quality product, and is more efficient and economical.
- 1. Tea leaves are harvested via plucking from the plants
- 2. The tea leaves are crushed and pressed to extract the juice
- 3. The extracted juice from the leaves undergoes a fermentation process according to very specific conditions
- 4. After fermentation, the juice is steamed and centrifuged
- 5. The juice is freeze dried to create powder
- 6. To avoid waste, the leftover leaf residue is fermented and dried, then processed similarly into tea granules, which are of a more coarse texture than the powder.
How Can You Make Tea Powder at Home?
Making tea powder at home is a straightforward process of grinding high-quality tea leaves and sifting through a sieve. As part of the grinding process, you can also grind dried herbs, flowers, and spices. Additionally, you can add powdered milk or protein or cacao powder.
Sifting your creation together with a natural, dried sweetener such as Monk Fruit results in a ready-to-go drink…just add hot water.
Steps for Making Tea Powder at Home
- Grind high-quality tea leaves in a tea grinder
- Add herbs, spices, dried flowers of your choice
- Grind all together
- Add additional powdered ingredients such as cacao or protein powder, or powdered milk
- Grind all together
- Sift everything through a sieve to remove larger pieces
- Store in an airtight container
Making tea powder and your own custom tea-based drinks at home may not result in as fine of a powder as the Matcha tea you might be used to.
However, the process is relatively easy and the customization options give you endless opportunities to experiment.
In addition, making powdered tea from your favorite high-quality leaves offers yet another way to unleash the health benefits.
“The leaves in tea bags are edible and safe, although they may not be of the highest quality.”
TEA CROSSING
Is Tea Powder Good for Your Health?
Speaking of health benefits, current thinking is that tea powder made from only high-quality teas result in a powdered form that releases untold benefits. When you ingest tea leaves, you reap the health boost the entire leaf has to offer. Powdered tea allows you to easily ingest the entire leaf and gain the wide spectrum of benefits.
Please ensure that you are not simply buying instant powdered tea that most likely contains a variety of unhealthy additives.
The first powdered tea that comes to mind is Matcha tea. Matcha tea is prepared from green tea leaves and the resulting powder is a bright green color. This is the healthiest powdered tea, and the benefits are immense.
Here are the reported health benefits of Matcha tea:
Boosts Immune System
The catechins and polyphenols that are found in green tea powders including Matcha, promote a stronger immune system that helps to ward off infections and disease. These are powerful antioxidants that lessen cell damage and help your cells to repair themselves and to regenerate more quickly.
Contains Anti-Cancer Properties
The unique class of antioxidants (catechins) found in powdered match tea are believed to help fight cancer and to prevent its development. The specific catechin that fights cancer is called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG for short.
Encourages Weight Loss
Powdered tea, at least the green varieties, are known to help aid the process of weight loss and weight management.
Offers Heart, Diabetes, and Overall Health Benefits
Powdered tea is also believed to help prevent heart disease as well as preventing Type 2 Diabetes. Some studies found that there are association between better health in people who drink tea and the who do not.
What Types of Tea Powder are There?
Short of making your own custom tea powder, there are generally five different types of tea powder available.
The most common types of tea powder sold on the market today are black tea powder, green tea, Matcha tea (which is a form of green tea), white tea, and herbal tea (called “tisanes”).
Each tea powder has its own unique properties and are often blended with other ingredients to create variations.
Here are a few examples of the varieties of tea you can find for each type:
Black Tea Powder
Black tea is sold as black tea powder, instant tea, and with added ingredients such as sweetening, or flavorings. Sometimes it is blended with the powders of citrus fruits or spices to create unique tea powders within the black tea category.
White Tea Powder
White tea powder is a variant of black tea. The only difference between white tea and black tea is in the processing after harvesting the leaves.
Green Tea Powder
You can find green tea powder in its pure form. It is also sold in combination with other ingredients to create a variety tea powders.
Matcha Tea Powder
Matcha is one of the most beneficial tea powders. Some are designated as ceremonial quality for use in Japanese rituals and ceremonies.
Herbal Tea Powder
There is a wide range of herbal tea powders available, but most are not considered to be “true” teas because they are not cultivated from the Camellia sinesis tea plant. Herbal and flower teas are called “tisanes.”
Some herbal or flower powders are designated as natural health remedies which can be brewed for drinking, or they can be added to foods, or consumed in capsule form.
Does Tea Powder Expire?
Most food products come with an expiration date on the label, as well as another term that is “best used by.” The latter is a recommendation to get the best results, but does tea powder really expire?
The answer is that tea powder does not expire if it is properly stored in a dark, cool location inside of an airtight container.
It’s important to know that if tea powder gets wet, it can certainly mold very quickly. If condensation develops in the container, the same can happen. If tea powder becomes moldy, it’s no good and needs to be thrown away.
Let’s specifically discuss the shelf life of tea powder and how to effectively store it.
What is the Shelf Life of Tea Powder?
The shelf life of tea powder is determined by length of time that it retains its rich aroma and fresh taste. This begins to dissipate in time. That’s why old tea doesn’t’ taste as good if it’s been in the pantry for years.
The “best if used by” date that is printed on the package only refers to the best flavor and body. The average shelf life of tea powder that is unprepared is between 6 to 12 months if it’s stored in the pantry and up to 2 years if stored in the freezer.
If you ground your own tea powder, check it for freshness after 6 months.
How do you Store Tea Powder?
Tea powder stays fresher longer if you store it in an airtight container and keep it in the freezer. It’s important to store in a freezer-safe container to prevent the tea powder from absorbing any other food odors.
If you store it in your pantry, be sure the temperature is cool and that the tea powder is stored in a an airtight container to keep out moisture. When tea powder is exposed to light or air, it causes the flavonoids to degenerate and this is why you’ll lose the flavor in older tea powder that isn’t properly stored.
“The leaves in tea bags are edible and safe, although they may not be of the highest quality.”
TEA CROSSING
What are Additional Uses for Tea Powder? 5 Unique Ideas
Tea powder is a versatile substance that can be used for a variety of different things. It’s great for making an amazing beverage, either hot or cold. It can also be used for health and beauty regimens, for cleaning, cooking, and more.
Here are 5 things that you can do with tea powder:
Idea #1: Make Your Own Tea-Based Beverages
Tea powder, or instant tea, whether it is black, white, green or any other variety can be combined with water to make either hot or cold teas. You can add other ingredients such as sweetening, or flavorings to make your own unique tea recipes.
Recipe for Iced Tea
- 1/8 tsp tea powder
- 7 ounces cold water
- ice cubes
- lemon slices
Mix the tea powder in cold water and stir until dissolved. Next, add sweetener if desired. Add the ice cubes, then the lemon slices, stir, and consume.
Idea #2: Make your own hair color
Tea has a natural dye that will change the color of your hair. Black tea is recommended for darkening light hair. The longer it is left on the hair, the darker it will become.
Recipe for Tea Hair Dye
- 2 tbsp tea powder
- 1 cup of water
Brew the tea powder in one cup of hot water, then let it cool. Apply the strong tea to your hair. Continue to rinse your hair with the tea about a dozen times, then leave the last rinse on for 20 minutes. You can cover your hair, but it’s not necessary. Shampoo and condition afterward.
Idea #3: Use Tea Powder as a Cleaner
Powdered tea is excellent for cleaning wood floors and furniture. Make a cup of brewed tea, allow it to cool and dip a cleaning cloth in to get furniture and floors sparkling clean.
It cuts the grime so cleaning is easier. It also works well on windows and other glass, just be sure to wipe the tea residue clean.
If you are worried about the effect on any of your furniture, test it on a small inconspicuous place first and check for any damage or discoloring.
Idea #4: Use Tea Powder to Tenderize Meat
Tea is a natural tenderizer and it can turn the toughest cuts of meat into tender delicacies. Simply make a marinade of 4 tbsp tea powder in a cup of warm water, steep for 5 minutes, then add spices to taste.
Let the meat sit in the tea marinade in the refrigerator overnight, or you can cook it in the mixture.
Idea #5: Feed Your Plants
Some of your beloved plants and trees can benefit from a dose of tea powder now and then. Citrus trees, gardenias, and any other plants that thrive on acid can benefit from a bit of tea powder in water now and then. It increases the nitrogen in the soil.