We are so excited to bring you our new Blue Matcha Powder. Aside from blueberries, there are very few truly vibrant blue foods, unless you count that bubble-gum ice cream we all loved as a child. That is one of the reasons why the Blue Matcha powder has been gaining some serious popularity recently. It is an almost otherworldly totally natural, indigo-colored powder that has been popular on social media in the form of soothing turquoise-toned smoothie bowls and electric blue baked goods. If you have been following food blogs and influencers on Instagram, this probably isn’t the first time you are hearing about the Blue Matcha powder. Among all the stunning photos of teas, juices, smoothie bowls and lattes you might be wondering, what exactly is it?
WHAT IS THE BLUE MATCHA POWDER?
The Blue Matcha Powder is made from micro-milled butterfly pea flower. This beautiful blue powder is finer and more fragrant than anything ground with a standard spice mill. Blue Matcha has a very mild, caffeine-free naturally sweet and lightly floral taste.
Westpoint’s butterfly pea flowers are sourced from a women-run cooperative of over 100 sustainable micro-farms from the rural parts of Thailand. Being micro-farms also limits their access to available resources to afford Kosher or Organic certifications even though they follow organic farming practices. They promote the employment of middle aged women, the elderly and of those that are differently-able.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BLUE MATCHA AND GREEN TEA MATCHA?
The word “Matcha” comes from the Japanese phrase: “ma” which translates to rubbed or ground, while “cha” means tea. Green Tea matcha is the powder form of the camellia sinensis tea plant. One key point to note is that the leaves of the plant are stone-ground to form the fine bright green powder. It also has a slightly earthy taste and naturally contains caffeine because of the qualities of the tea plant. Our Green Tea Matcha is made from fresh young buds and leaves from the first spring harvest, they are dried and steamed and finally made into a powder form. Learn more about our Green Tea Matcha here.
Our Blue Matcha is made from the flowers of the butterfly pea flower. The flowers are hand-picked, dried and micro-milled. Other than its mild tastes and being naturally caffeine-free, since they both come from different plants the antioxidant profiles of the two are completely different as well. Did you know that we also carry the Butterfly Pea Flower? Blue Matcha and Butterfly Pea Flower has been seen to improve memory and have a calming effect, perfect for a nightcap.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE BLUE MATCHA POWDER?
Butterfly Pea has been well known and used for thousands of years in traditional medicine from various parts of Asia like India, Thailand and Indonesia. It has a calming effect on the body and helps to reduce stress. It also has a high antioxidant content which helps to reduce free radical damage and increase blood flow to the eyes, skin and hair.
HOW DO YOU USE IT?
The Blue Matcha Powder blends very well with whole milk, almond milk, yogurt and lemonades. As Blue Matcha is made from butterfly pea flowers it has no bitter taste and makes for perfect use to create beautiful indigo-shade lattes. The indigo-blue colour of the ingredient is being used to make beautiful blue chia chocolate recipes, mermaid smoothie bowls, and delicious blue cheesecakes. The ability of the powder to change colours upon adding acidic ingredients helps make insta-worthy rainbow coloured matcha drinks as well.
In parts of Asia, the Blue Matcha Powder is being used in a rice dish called Nasi Kerabu, to give the rice a beautiful sky-blue colouring. This gorgeous powder works perfectly as a food dye. As it has a delicate flavour, it does not alter the taste of your recipes. You can start by using it to add a natural blue-dye to smoothie-bowls, electric-blue cupcakes and puddings as you need very little to obtain that vibrant colour.
