Matcha antioxidants: what's actually in your cup

Matcha is high in antioxidants. The main ones are a group of plant compounds called catechins, and the most abundant of those in matcha is epigallocatechin gallate, usually shortened to EGCG. Because matcha is the whole leaf in powdered form, one 2g serving delivers more catechins than a typical cup of steeped green tea. This is what people are pointing at when they say matcha is high in antioxidants.

The main antioxidants in matcha are catechins, particularly EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). Matcha also contains chlorophyll, vitamin C, and small amounts of vitamin E.

The dominant antioxidants in matcha are catechins, a class of polyphenol with strong antioxidant activity. Four catechins matter most: EGCG, EGC (epigallocatechin), ECG (epicatechin gallate) and EC (epicatechin). EGCG is the most abundant and the most-studied, and it does most of the heavy lifting when researchers talk about green tea catechins.

Matcha also contains other antioxidant compounds. Chlorophyll, which gives matcha its colour, has its own antioxidant activity. Vitamin C and a small amount of vitamin E come along too. And there is L-theanine, an amino acid almost unique to tea plants, which has been studied for cognitive and stress-related effects rather than antioxidant ones, but adds to the broader picture of what matcha brings to a cup.

Yes. A standard serving of matcha delivers around two to three times the catechin content of a cup of steeped green tea, because you consume the whole leaf rather than discarding it after steeping.

Yes, per serving. The reason is simple: matcha is the whole leaf in powder form. With regular green tea, you steep the leaves in hot water and then discard them, drinking only the water that passed through. With matcha, the leaf itself dissolves into the cup.

A standard serving of matcha delivers around two to three times the catechin content of a cup of steeped green tea, depending on how the green tea is brewed. The exact number varies with leaf quality, grade and serving size, but the whole-leaf advantage is consistent across the research.

No. The 137x figure comes from a single 2003 study comparing one matcha sample to one specific brand of bagged tea under non-equivalent conditions — it does not reflect a general comparison between the two drinks.

No. This figure shows up often in matcha marketing, and it has a real source, but it does not mean what it has been used to mean.

The 137 figure comes from a 2003 paper by Weiss and Anderton in the Journal of Chromatography A. The researchers measured the catechin content of one matcha sample using methanol extraction, then compared it to one specific brand of bagged green tea steeped briefly in hot water. Different leaf, different brewing method, different extraction. The 137 ratio reflects those specific test conditions, not a general comparison between matcha and green tea.

The honest answer is the one above: matcha delivers around two to three times the catechins of a typical cup of steeped green tea, because you drink the whole leaf rather than discarding it. That is the real story, and it is enough.

Matcha typically scores higher in total antioxidant capacity per serving than brewed coffee, though the two drinks contain different types of antioxidants — catechins in matcha, chlorogenic acids in coffee.

The two drinks have different antioxidant profiles, so the question is hard to answer as a single yes or no. Matcha is rich in catechins, particularly EGCG. Coffee is rich in chlorogenic acids and other polyphenols. Both contribute antioxidants to a daily diet, just in different forms.

In total antioxidant capacity measured in the lab, matcha typically scores higher per serving than brewed coffee, but lab antioxidant scores do not always translate directly to how the body uses these compounds. Practically, both are reasonable sources within a balanced diet. The bigger difference between them comes from the caffeine curve, which is calmer with matcha thanks to L-theanine.

They help neutralise free radicals, reducing oxidative stress. The most studied — EGCG — has been linked to cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive benefits in population and clinical research.

Antioxidants help neutralise free radicals, unstable molecules produced during normal metabolism and from external factors like UV exposure, pollution and cigarette smoke. Free radicals contribute to oxidative stress, which over time is associated with cellular ageing and a range of chronic conditions.

For matcha catechins, EGCG specifically has been studied across several health domains. The research is most consistent in two areas.

Heart health

Regular green tea consumption has been associated with lower cardiovascular mortality in large population studies, most notably the Ohsaki study of over 40,000 Japanese adults. The mechanisms researchers point to include the antioxidant activity of catechins, effects on cholesterol, and improved blood vessel function. A closer look at matcha and heart health.

Metabolic support

Green tea catechins have been studied for their effect on energy expenditure and fat oxidation, with the most consistent evidence pointing to a small but reliable lift, particularly when paired with movement. More on matcha and weight management.

Cognitive support

The combination of catechins, caffeine and L-theanine in matcha has been studied for sustained attention and the calm focus people often describe after a bowl. The cognitive research is more about the caffeine plus L-theanine pairing than the antioxidant content itself, but it all comes from the same cup. More on matcha and cognitive function.

EGCG has also shown antimicrobial activity in laboratory studies and is being researched for skin health and inflammation. These are early findings rather than established health claims. The reasonable framing is that matcha is a quality source of catechin antioxidants within a varied diet, not a treatment for anything.

One to two servings per day (2g each) is the practical range — enough for a meaningful catechin dose while keeping caffeine well under 400mg.

One to two servings a day is the practical answer. A serving is 2g of matcha, which contains around 60 to 80mg of caffeine and a meaningful dose of catechins. Two servings keep total caffeine well under the 400mg general daily upper limit recommended for healthy adults, and they deliver a steady supply of catechins across the day.

Matcha is best stored in the fridge to keep its catechins, colour and flavour fresh. Catechins degrade with exposure to heat, light and oxygen, so an opaque airtight tin in cold storage is the way to make sure what is in the tin is also what ends up in the cup.

Yes, though the difference is smaller than it is often made out to be. Higher grades are shaded longer and harvested earlier, which concentrates catechins — but both ceremonial and everyday grades deliver a meaningful antioxidant dose when stored correctly.

Higher-grade matcha tends to contain more catechins per gram, because the leaves are selected from earlier harvests and shaded for longer, which concentrates the compounds in the leaf. Quality of processing and storage also matters: matcha that has been kept cold and sealed retains more of its antioxidant content over time than matcha left on a warm shelf.

For everyday antioxidant value, both ceremonial and everyday-grade matcha do the job. The differences in catechin content between well-stored grades are smaller than the difference made by drinking matcha at all versus not drinking it. If you are choosing, ceremonial gives you a slightly richer cup. Everyday is the practical daily option.

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Matcha is a quality source of catechin antioxidants, particularly EGCG, in a form that is easy to keep in a daily routine. The 137 figure is marketing; the real story is whole-leaf consumption delivering two to three times the catechins of steeped green tea. For a clean, single-ingredient daily option, our matcha is a good place to start.

Browse our matcha.

Sources

• Cabrera, C., Giménez, R., & López, M. C. (2003). Determination of tea components with antioxidant activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 51(15), 4427 to 4435.
• Kuriyama, S., et al. (2006). Green tea consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all causes in Japan: the Ohsaki study. JAMA, 296(10), 1255 to 1265.
• Lobo, V., Patil, A., Phatak, A., & Chandra, N. (2010). Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 4(8), 118.
• Sokary, S., et al. (2023). The therapeutic potential of matcha tea: a critical review on human and animal studies. Current Research in Food Science, 6, 100396.
• Weiss, D. J., & Anderton, C. R. (2003). Determination of catechins in matcha green tea by micellar electrokinetic chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A, 1011(1-2), 173 to 180.
• Williams, J. L., et al. (2022). The cognitive-enhancing outcomes of caffeine and L-theanine: a systematic review. Brain and Behavior, 12(2).
• Taylor, P. W., Hamilton-Miller, J. M., & Stapleton, P. D. (2005). Antimicrobial properties of green tea catechins. Food Science and Technology Bulletin, 2(7), 71 to 81.