Picture this. It’s early Monday morning and you’re at work. You’re still recovering from the weekend and you’d rather be in bed. How do you motivate yourself to get to work.

For most people, the answer is a strong cup of coffee, specifically because of the effect that it can have on our senses.

Coffee makes us feel more awake and improves our concentration because of its high concentration of the compound, caffeine. Caffeine increases the production of noradrenaline in the brain, a chemical neurotransmitter that makes you feel alert.

But coffee comes with some draw backs. The unique way that our body processes the caffeine in coffee means that we can easily become addicted to it and experience withdrawal effects after an initial boost and too much caffeine in one hit can cause increase or irregular heart beat and irritability.

Matcha green tea is also naturally high in caffeine, but the caffeine is processed in a different way to that in coffee.  Firstly, the caffeine in green tea is released slowly, so there are no spikes and troughs. And secondly, the presence of the amino acid L-Theanine in green tea, is known to promote relaxation without sedation, which calms the mind, whilst staying alert.

The distinctive green colour of matcha tea is due to the high levels of chlorophyll— a green pigment that converts sunlight into energy that plants can use. Thanks to the presence of chlorophyll and its naturally high amounts of antioxidants catechins, flavonoids and polyphenols, matcha is favoured by many non-coffee drinkers to be the drink of choice. This could help to reduce the intensity of withdrawal effects that come with consuming caffeine.

So if you’re looking for a natural pick me, or a boost that won’t leave you feeling as drawn out, replacing your daily coffee with a cup of delicious matcha green tea could help.