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Culture
文藝版塊
World in a dish
盤中世界
The glass is greener
杯子變綠了
Why matcha, made from green tea, is the drink of the moment
為什么抹茶（綠茶制品）成為當下時尚飲品。
It was a freezing winter’s day in London as patrons jostled in a poky outpost of Blank Street, a coffee-shop chain.
那是倫敦的一個寒冷冬日，客人們擠在“空白街”咖啡連鎖店的一個狹窄分店里。
You might have expected them to pick up a warming cappuccino.
你可能以為他們會買一杯熱乎乎的卡布奇諾。
Instead, many placed orders for iced matcha lattes, which arrived in shades of green, cream (white-chocolate flavour) or purple (blueberry).
相反，許多人點了冰抹茶拿鐵，這種拿鐵有綠色的、奶油色的（白巧克力味）、紫色的（藍莓味）。
Such is the craze for matcha that fans are willing to risk frostbite to get their hands on one.
人們對抹茶就是這么狂熱，粉絲們甘愿冒著凍傷的風險也要端一杯在手中。
Blank Street claims that it sells some form of the green-tea-based drink “every four seconds” from its 80-odd shops in Britain and America (though it refuses to say how much that adds up to).
空白街咖啡店聲稱，其在英國和美國的80多家門店“每四秒鐘”就會賣出某種以綠茶為基底的抹茶飲料（但空白街拒絕透露總共賣出了多少）。
In Japan, the world’s leading producer of matcha, the export value of tea in 2023 rose by 33% from the previous year.
日本是世界上最主要的抹茶生產國，日本2023年的抹茶出口值比前一年增長了33%。
The global market for matcha-based products is worth around $4.24bn and will grow around 53% by 2029, predicts the Business Research Company, a consultancy.
商業研究咨詢公司預測，抹茶產品的全球市場價值約為42.4億美元，到2029年將增長約53%。
Matcha is big on social media: videos tagged #Matcha on TikTok have more than 15bn views.
抹茶在社交媒體上很火爆：TikTok上帶有“抹茶”標簽的視頻瀏覽量已超過150億次。
Fans share recipes and teach their followers how to tell a high-quality matcha powder from a shoddy one.
抹茶粉絲們分享食譜，并教關注者如何區分高質量的抹茶粉和劣質的抹茶粉。
(Apparently they should look for “ceremonial grade”, which has a vibrant hue, fine texture and higher price tag.)
（顯然，他們應該尋找“禮儀級”的抹茶粉，這種抹茶粉顏色鮮艷，粉質細膩，價格也更貴。）
Asia is responsible for more than 40% of matcha consumption: as well as going into bottled, pre-mixed drinks, the powder is used in ice cream, biscuits and mochi (rice cakes).
亞洲的抹茶消費量占全球的40%以上：除了用于瓶裝預調飲料外，抹茶粉還用于冰淇淋、餅干和麻糬（一種米糕）中。
Matcha is made from ground leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.
抹茶是用磨碎的茶樹葉子制成的。
Tea culture developed in China during the Tang Dynasty.
茶文化在中國唐代發展起來。
Myoan Eisai, a Japanese monk, came across it while travelling there in the 12th century; he brought seeds back to Japan and wrote a book extolling green tea’s benefits, describing it as “the elixir of the immortals”.
日本僧人明庵榮西在12世紀赴唐游歷時偶然遇到了茶，他將茶樹種子帶回日本，并寫了一本書贊美綠茶的好處，稱其為“仙人靈藥”。
Matcha later spread through Japanese polite society with the rise of chanoyu, or the tea ceremony.
抹茶后來隨著日本茶道的興起而在日本上流社會中傳播開來。
What explains the drink’s newfound popularity outside Asia?
是什么讓抹茶在亞洲以外的地區重新受到歡迎？
Matcha mavens tout it as a healthier alternative to coffee.
抹茶內行們將其標榜為比咖啡更健康的替代品。
Some studies suggest that green tea’s antioxidants can help stave off cardiovascular disease, improve gut health and speed up metabolism.
一些研究表明，綠茶的抗氧化劑有助于預防心血管疾病、改善腸道健康、加快新陳代謝。
It also gives a steady boost of energy, compared with the surge and crash of a cup of joe.
抹茶還能穩定地提神，不像咖啡那樣會讓人快速亢奮又疲憊不堪。
A coffee contains around 100-200mg of caffeine; a matcha contains around 70mg, as well as l-theanine, an amino acid, which together improve concentration and alertness.
一杯咖啡含有大約100至200毫克的咖啡因，一杯抹茶含有大約70毫克的咖啡因，以及一種叫做茶氨酸的氨基酸，這些物質能共同提高注意力和警覺性。
Gen Z and millennials—who drink less coffee than their elders, spend more time online and care about wellness—are seeking it out.
Z世代和千禧一代比長輩喝咖啡更少、上網時間更多，也更關心健康，他們要找的正是這種飲品。
The irony is that much of matcha’s growth in the West is driven by flavoured matcha lattes, which are crammed with sugar.
具有諷刺意味的是，抹茶在西方的流行主要是由風味抹茶拿鐵推動的，而這些拿鐵中含有大量的糖。
The future may not be all that sweet, however.
然而，抹茶的未來可能并不那么甜蜜。
Tea production in Japan is decreasing, as is the area of land being used for cultivation; farmers are retiring and are put off by rising prices for fertiliser and other essentials.
日本的茶葉產量正在下降，用于種茶的土地面積也在減少，農民正在退休，并因化肥和其他必需品價格上漲而不愿種茶。
Lovers of the trendy iced beverage may soon feel a chill when it comes to their bill.
喜歡喝這種時髦冰飲的人可能很快就會在結賬時感到一陣寒意。
