Win a matcha kit

To celebrate our month of #MatchaMadness we’re giving away a beautiful matcha kit (including a South Korean matcha bowl, a Japanese bamboo whisk, a tin of Lahloo matcha and two green and silver “matcha madness” badges, RP £50) and two tins of Lahloo matcha (August RP £16, usually £20).

To enter the competition, you just have to answer this question: Where does Lahloo matcha come from? Send your answers to maria@lahlootea.co.uk including MATCHACOMP in the subject.

It could be yours! 

Make the perfect matcha at home!

 

Terms and conditions: 

1. This competition is only open to UK residents.

2. Not open to employees of Lahloo Tea or Lahloo Pantry.

3. Only one entry per person.

4. All entries must be received by midnight of the 31st of August 2012.

5. Winners will be randomly selected and announced on Monday the 3rd of September. Winners will be contacted via e-mail. If the prize winner fails to respond to correspondence from Lahloo Tea or to claim his/her prize within 14 days of receipt of notification, Lahloo Tea shall be entitled to select an alternative prize winner. The prize winner who has not responded won’t be entitled to a prize.

6. The prize will not be transferable to another person and it is not exchangeable for cash.

How green tea can help you focus

What do you do to relax? Some of you, no doubt, will answer “Put the kettle on and have a cup of tea”. There’s something soothing in enjoying a cup of tea. But is it just the comfort provided by an old ritual or is there something else?

Meditating produces alpha brain waves

Some people relax doing some kind of exercise. Kate, for instance, loves spinning. And although being screamed at while pedaling furiously might not be everyone’s idea of relaxation, the subsequent release of endorphines makes up for it. Another popular option is yoga (Maria can’t recommend it enough!). But repeating a chain of standing strength asanas isn’t the hardest part of it… meditating can be a real challenge too!

Research has found that meditation  (practised by humans since ancient times, through different cultures) has a positive effect in mental well-being, bringing calm, clarity, and concentration. Sounds wonderful, right? If you find yourself struggling to focus, blaming the information overload (hello, Twitter) and wishing you could just finish what you started, maybe what you need is a healthy dose of alpha brain waves! 

Our brains always have some level of electrical activity. Beta waves are predominant when we’re working on goal-oriented tasks. During meditation, our brain produces alpha waves, and this is believed to be the ideal state for learning. 

Green tea lovers have an advantage, though, as there are other ways of producing alpha waves. Amino acid L-theanine appears naturally in green tea, particularly matcha. L-theanine stimulates the production of alpha brain waves. By mimicking the positive effects of meditation, it improves your concentration and learning performance and it protects against stress, thereby supporting the immune system. The result is a state of sustained mental clarity, ideal for finishing that assignment, preparing your exams or coming up with a battery of ideas for your next creative project. So now you know -don’t reach for the coffee, drink your greens instead!

Need to finish that assignment? Reach for the matcha!