In conversation with Lisa Mueller
Lisa Mueller is a dancer, athlete, chef and creative mind behind Active Food and Lisa Mueller Matcha. In this interview we are talking all things matcha, the philosophy and ritual behind drinking matcha, quality and health benefits, Lisa's journey into matcha ceremony 10 years ago in New York City and the recent launch of her own matcha brand. Lisa is such a beautiful and passionate soul and we are so excited to share this conversation with you.
On the origins of the history of tea and tea culture in Japan/ the philosophy behind drinking matcha tea…
It all started around 800 years ago when the Buddhist monk Eisei brought the idea of a tea ceremony to Japan therefore he can probably be called the founder of the tea ceremony as it is practiced today traditionally in Japan. He wrote a book not only about how to drink green tea but also about various health benefits and positive effects on the human body, called the kissa yojoki or “On Drinking Tea for One’s Health”. The very first sentence of Eisai’s book states the following: «Tea is the ultimate mental and medical remedy and has the ability to make one's life more full and complete.»
This ritualized and focused way of making and drinking matcha had spread to Japanese nobles and samurai by the 16th century, who often employed tea masters to take part in the art of tea. Sen no Rikyu became the tea master of a famous samurai and infused the ritual of drinking tea with four main principles: HARMONY, PURITY, TRANQUILITY and RESPECT.
How do you know it’s a good matcha (quality, age, origin)?
The best way to find out is to ask the company selling the matcha exactly all these questions: region, grinding date and method. Unfortunately it became really challenging to know what’s good and what’s not (buying it off the shelf) and as a lot of commercial brands jumped on the “matcha superfoods” bandwagon which most of the time it is not of the highest quality. Good matcha is grown in one of the main regions in Japan, like ours coming from Uji, Kyoto and produced traditionally. The main points in traditional production methods is that it is shaded for 40 days, grown to be handpicked, dried and refined (destemmed and deveined) and ground in stone mills. Traditionally, only this is called “matcha” in Japanese, and everything else is “processing matcha”. (This unfortunately can not be labelled outside of Japan therefore you can sell almost anything as “matcha” that is ground green tea leaves). The harvest of matcha is only once a year in spring. Our matcha is never older than 3 months, meaning that our powder is ground to order and always as fresh as possible.
Matcha is the perfect fuel before or after workouts. It increases the blood flow to muscles, protects the heart and improves the availability of the critical muscle fuel called glycogen.
What are the health benefits of drinking matcha?
Matcha is the perfect fuel before or after workouts. It increases the blood flow to muscles, protects the heart and improves the availability of the critical muscle fuel called glycogen. Also, the potent antioxidants reduce exercise-induced oxidative stressors, which are known to make recovery take longer.
The concentration of physiologically active amino-acids like L-theanine and EGCG have positive influences on our neurochemistry. These compounds in matcha are known to act on our serotonin and dopamine systems and are linked to a general feeling of contentedness and wellbeing by reducing stress, and promoting a sense of peaceful focus which has long been the perfect aid to meditation.
How did you become interested in matcha ceremony?
It actually took me a few years before I attended a real / traditional matcha ceremony as I didn’t really know where and how to access it. I started to prepare my first matcha lattes in New York, 10 years ago. I needed a way to start my day SLOW and with some intention and a peaceful mindset and the preparation of the matcha as well as the nourishing and warm drink itself gave me all of this and more.
This is how I started to drink it daily, share it with friends and family, offer it later in my restaurant in Berlin and eventually teaching it to the public and within the sports / yoga / meditation context. I love to see how really everyone can benefit from it and can make it THEIR OWN “ceremony”- its such a powerful tool that needs and wants to be shared.
What does ritual mean to you?
To me, rituals mean stability, consistency and a sense of safety. Something I can control and direct myself before I open the door (and emails) to the “Real Life”, where nothing seems to be really stable and certain situations can feel overwhelming and stressful. I feel way more grounded and able to manage the outside world when I had the time to start the day slow, peaceful and connected to myself and my intentions.
How do you stay centered and sane during these unpresendented times?
Luckily I have kind of prepared myself for this already the past year :-) I was already working from home (small town on the Atlantic coast in the SW of France) as a freelancer, trying to make myself as independent and autonom from having to use (public) transports daily or going to the supermarket. A lot of my life and work happens at home and in the kitchen - the only thing that has drastically changed is the fact that I cant travel to teach and host workshops - which was one of my main income, joy and focus over the past 3 years. But luckily I could adjust and adapt to an online platform and with the launch of my matcha brand me and my partner set new term and structures to operate mostly online. Up until today the only real challenge is the current law that doesnt allow us to go to the beach or in the water surfing. I think this drove us all a bit “insane” at times.
You just launched your own matcha brand Lisa Mueller Matcha. Tell us more…
For me its still a bit unreal but also a dream come true. I always wanted to share new food discoveries, recipes and REAL LIFE moments with my community. And as I know how hard it is to find really good matcha that works for your personal preferences (pure or as a matcha latte), my focus was on simplicity, quality, transparency and authenticity. No bullshit.
We are currently selling two different powders - a “Morning Ritual” - best enjoyed as a matcha latte and a “ Heritage Premium” - an award winning premium quality that tastes exception and best pure. We are also selling bowls by BRSG Keramik as well as purple bamboo whisks that come in a set and can help make your ritual more meaningful and fun!
A personal LMMatcha moment you would like to share…
My personal LMMatcha moment is definitely the days when I have to get up early for a 7 am yoga class or training, know how much work is awaiting for me and need a mental and physical “base" to start the day. This is where my matcha ritual helps me to be fully present for my practise, work and my partner / family.
These are really the moments I want to share with others!
Lisa is offering our readers a 10% discount on the first order with code LACP on her website.
Website: www.lisamueller-sen.com instagram: @lisamueller_matcha
