Health benefits of Japanese matcha tea winning over consumers in Morocco

Morocco is known around the world for its delicious mint tea but that traditional beverage is facing stiff competition from a Japanese import: the powdered green tea, matcha.

Unlike regular green tea, matcha is grown in the shade, a process that boosts its chlorophyll content and enriches it with L-theanine, an amino acid known for its calming effects.

And that's proving a hit with consumers.

“I’ve heard a lot about matcha, so I included it in my daily routine," one young woman says. "It has many benefits and contains vitamins that I usually take every day.”

A 2017 study involving found that consuming 200 mg of L-theanine improved mental performance and attention, with even stronger effects when paired with the naturally occurring caffeine in matcha.

And that balance of relaxation and alertness risks making matcha a victim of its own success: demand is now so strong that there were reports this year that supplies are running low.