Fake Matcha: What’s In Your Matcha Drink? Plus Prebiotic Foods For Gut Health

Plus gut-healthy prebiotic foods

Happy Wednesday! Today, we are doing a deep dive into the controversy around fake matcha tea. Matcha is one of our favorite beverages, and its recent surge in popularity has led to shortages, and unfortunately, the rise of counterfeit matcha. Find out more about what fake matcha is and our tips for spotting it. Plus a guide to matcha tea: Why it's so healthy, what to look for when buying it, how to prepare it, and three different matcha recipes!

We’re also covering prebiotic foods - a cornerstone of gut health. We highly recommend adding more of these foods to your diet. Find out what foods to choose, tips on how to eat more prebiotic foods, and more. Enjoy.

We want to know: Do you drink matcha tea? Let us know in the comments!

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Have You Been Drinking Fake Matcha?

Dr. Weil's Take:

No doubt you’ve been reading about the shortage of matcha.

Worldwide demand for Japan’s prized powdered green tea has increased so much that it now exceeds available supply, and prices have gone up accordingly. Japanese farmers are trying to convert cultivation of sencha (ordinary green tea) to production of tencha, the shade-grown tea that is the raw material for matcha, but that will take time. Tea retailers in Japan are limiting sales to one 30-ounce tin per customer per day.

Whenever demand for a luxury product exceeds supply and costs escalate, it is a certainty that the market will be flooded with adulterated or counterfeit versions of the real thing. That is now the case with matcha. There is a lot of fake stuff out there. Buyer beware!

How can you be sure you’re getting genuine matcha? How can you spot the fakes?

Here are some guidelines:

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Real matcha comes from Japan, and is made only from tencha. Shading of tencha for several weeks before harvest increases the chlorophyll and flavor components of the leaves, giving them an intense green color and smooth umami flavor with no bitterness. After steaming and drying, the leaves are stone-ground and protected from heat and oxidation. Highest quality matcha is expensive: from $500 to $900 or more per kilogram.

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Fake matcha designates a range of inferior and deceptive products that include: