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Lesson Info

Post Type
Article
Level
Level 3 / B1
Published
Title
Is Matcha Caffeine Different?
Webpage
https://eslnewsstories.com/articles/2026-03-20-is-matcha-caffeine-different/

In this lesson:

  • Warm-up Prediction task and general discussion questions.
  • Vocab List Useful words and meanings.
  • Reading Read the main text.
  • Listen and Fill Gaps Listen for missing words.
  • Main Idea Choose the overall message of the text.
  • True or False Check understanding.
  • Multiple Choice Check understanding.
  • Words That Go Together Connect words and collocated phrases from the lesson.
  • Discussion Builder Think about how ideas relate to each other to choose connecting expressions.
  • Sentence Unscramble Reorder mixed phrases into correct sentences.
  • Discussion Questions Open speaking questions for discussion (or writing practice).
  • Answers Answer key for the printed tasks.

Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?

a) Matcha is made from black tea leaves.

b) A cup of brewed coffee has around 100 milligrams of caffeine.

c) Matcha has no caffeine at all.

Green powdered matcha tea on a teaspoon and spilling over the sides onto a white background.
Matcha tea powder

Ask: (1) What drinks have you had today? (2) Do you like tea? Why or why not?

VOCAB LIST

crash (n.) ā€” A sudden drop in energy.
milligram (n.) ā€” A very small unit used to measure weight.
caffeine (n.) ā€” A substance in some drinks that helps people feel awake.
anxious (adj.) ā€” Worried or not fully calm.
shade (n.) ā€” An area away from direct sunlight.
stress (n.) ā€” Mental or physical pressure.
leaf (n.) ā€” The flat green part of a plant.
shaky (adj.) ā€” Not steady, often from too much caffeine.
chlorophyll (n.) ā€” The green substance in leaves.

Reading

Many people on social media say matcha gives a calm kind of energy. They claim its caffeine enters the body more slowly than the caffeine in coffee, so people stay awake without feeling shaky or having a sudden crash. Scientists have started to test this idea.

Matcha is green tea powder. Farmers grow the tea plants in shade for several weeks before picking the leaves. Because they get less sunlight than tea plants grown in the sun, the leaves contain different amounts of natural substances. One of those is chlorophyll, the substance that makes leaves green. People prepare matcha by mixing the powder into hot water, so they drink the whole leaf, not just tea made by letting the leaves sit in hot water.

This changes how much caffeine is in the cup. Regular green tea has about 30 milligrams in one cup, while brewed coffee has around 100. A matcha drink made with one teaspoon can have about 38 to 88 milligrams. For some people, that middle range may feel like a better balance.

But there is still not much research on matcha. In one 2018 study with 39 university students, the matcha group felt a little less anxious than the group that drank a similar drink without matcha, though their stress levels did not change. In a 2017 study with 19 young adults, researchers saw no mood difference between days with matcha and days without matcha. If you want to find out, try matcha and notice how your own body responds.

Is Matcha Caffeine Different?

Level 3 Source: nytimes.com

Warm-up ā†’ Read & Listen ā†’ Check Understanding ā†’ Language ā†’ Use It

Green powdered matcha tea on a teaspoon and spilling over the sides onto a white background.
Matcha tea powder

Many people on social media say matcha gives a calm kind of energy. They claim its caffeine enters the body more slowly than the caffeine in coffee, so people stay awake without feeling shaky or having a sudden crash. Scientists have started to test this idea.

Matcha is green tea powder. Farmers grow the tea plants in shade for several weeks before picking the leaves. Because they get less sunlight than tea plants grown in the sun, the leaves contain different amounts of natural substances. One of those is chlorophyll, the substance that makes leaves green. People prepare matcha by mixing the powder into hot water, so they drink the whole leaf, not just tea made by letting the leaves sit in hot water.

This changes how much caffeine is in the cup. Regular green tea has about 30 milligrams in one cup, while brewed coffee has around 100. A matcha drink made with one teaspoon can have about 38 to 88 milligrams. For some people, that middle range may feel like a better balance.

But there is still not much research on matcha. In one 2018 study with 39 university students, the matcha group felt a little less anxious than the group that drank a similar drink without matcha, though their stress levels did not change. In a 2017 study with 19 young adults, researchers saw no mood difference between days with matcha and days without matcha. If you want to find out, try matcha and notice how your own body responds.

Speaker: British Male  Duration: 1:51  Watch on YouTube

Two ways to use this audio:

  • Method 1: Listen for the main idea: what is the article about in one sentence? Listen a second time for more details, then try the Understanding activities below.
  • Method 2: Read the article first to learn the vocabulary and ideas. Then look at the gap-fill sentences to see what to listen for, and listen to fill them in.

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:

Many people on social media say matcha gives a (1) kind of energy. They claim its caffeine enters the body more (2) than the caffeine in coffee, so people stay awake without feeling shaky or having a sudden crash. Scientists have started to test this idea.

Matcha is green tea powder. Farmers grow the tea plants in shade for several weeks before picking the (3) . Because they get less sunlight than tea plants grown in the sun, the leaves contain different amounts of natural substances. One of those is chlorophyll, the substance that makes leaves green. People prepare matcha by mixing the powder into hot water, so they drink the whole leaf, not just tea made by letting the leaves sit in hot water.

This changes how much (4) is in the cup. Regular green tea has about 30 milligrams in one cup, while brewed coffee has around 100. A matcha drink made with one teaspoon can have about 38 to 88 milligrams. For some people, that middle range may feel like a better balance.

But there is still not much research on matcha. In one 2018 study with 39 university students, the matcha group felt a little less (5) than the group that drank a similar drink without matcha, though their stress levels did not change. In a 2017 study with 19 young adults, researchers saw no mood difference between days with matcha and days without matcha. If you want to find out, try matcha and notice how your own body (6) .

Main Idea

Choose one answer, then click CHECK to see your result.

Main Idea

Choose one:

  • Matcha may give some people calmer energy than coffee, but scientists still need more research. Correct answer
  • Matcha is made by mixing green tea powder into water, so people drink the whole leaf.
  • Two studies showed that matcha clearly improves mood and lowers stress.
True or False

Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click CHECK to see your results.

  • Matcha caffeine enters the body more slowly than coffee caffeine, according to many social media posts.
    The story says many people online claim matcha caffeine enters the body more slowly than coffee caffeine.
  • People make matcha by letting whole leaves sit in hot water and then removing them.
    The story says people mix matcha powder into hot water and drink the whole leaf.
  • In the 2018 study, stress levels changed for the students who drank matcha.
    The story says the matcha group felt a little less anxious, but stress levels did not change.

True or False

1. Matcha caffeine enters the body more slowly than coffee caffeine, according to many social media posts. TRUEFALSE True

2. People make matcha by letting whole leaves sit in hot water and then removing them. TRUEFALSE False

3. In the 2018 study, stress levels changed for the students who drank matcha. TRUEFALSE False

Multiple Choice

1. Why do some people say matcha gives a better balance?

   a) Because it always has less caffeine than green tea.

   b) Because one teaspoon can give a middle caffeine range.Correct

   c) Because it has exactly the same caffeine as coffee.

   d) Because it has no caffeine at all.

2. What do farmers do before picking leaves for matcha?

   a) They dry the leaves in full sun.

   b) They wash the leaves with hot water.

   c) They grow the plants in shade for several weeks.Correct

   d) They freeze the leaves before harvest.

3. What did researchers find in the 2017 study with 19 young adults?

   a) No mood difference between days with matcha and days without matcha.Correct

   b) A big drop in stress levels after one cup of matcha.

   c) Higher anxiety in the group that drank matcha.

   d) Better sleep on days when people drank matcha.

Words That Go Together

Loading vocabulary activity...

Words That Go Together

Match each word with the words it goes with:

1. Givef) energy

2. Entere) the body

3. Haved) a crash

4. Growc) tea plants

5. Pickb) leaves

6. Mixa) powder

a) powder

b) leaves

c) tea plants

d) a crash

e) the body

f) energy

Discussion Builder

Discussion Builder

Choose the best phrase for each gap:

  1. Matcha can have less caffeine than coffee, people may still feel awake after drinking it.

    because / but / so

    Matcha can have less caffeine than coffee, but people may still feel awake after drinking it.

  2. Some people choose matcha they want energy without feeling shaky.

    because / but / and

    Some people choose matcha because they want energy without feeling shaky.

  3. The studies in the story show mixed results. we still need more research on matcha.

    Also, / Because of that, / For example,

    The studies in the story show mixed results. Because of that, we still need more research on matcha.

Sentence Unscramble

  1. A. in the afternoon B. I usually choose C. tea D. because E. coffee feels F. too strong G. for me.

    I usually choose tea in the afternoon because coffee feels too strong for me.

  2. A. than B. Matcha may be C. a large cup D. of coffee. E. a better balance F. for some people

    Matcha may be a better balance for some people than a large cup of coffee.

  3. A. I write down B. after tea C. or coffee. D. For example, E. each day F. how I feel

    For example, I write down how I feel each day after tea or coffee.

Discussion Questions

  1. Would you like to try matcha? Why or why not?
  2. What do you usually drink when you need energy?
  3. Can we get good information from social media? Or is it mainly opinions?
  4. Do you choose drinks by taste, price, or effect on your body?
  5. Matcha is very green. Is color important when choosing food and drink?
  6. Do you like strong coffee or energy drinks that have a lot of caffeine? Why?
  7. What can a person do to calm down when they feel shaky?
  8. Do you prefer being in shade or being in sunlight? Why?
  9. What kinds of tea have you tried?
  10. Some matcha drinks have a lot of sugar in them. Can they still be healthy?

Answers Is Matcha Caffeine Different? / Level 3

Think Ahead: b

Listening: (1) calm, (2) slowly, (3) leaves, (4) caffeine, (5) anxious, (6) responds

Main Idea: Matcha may give some people calmer energy than coffee, but scientists still need more research.

True or False:

  1. True. The story says many people online claim matcha caffeine enters the body more slowly than coffee caffeine.
  2. False. The story says people mix matcha powder into hot water and drink the whole leaf.
  3. False. The story says the matcha group felt a little less anxious, but stress levels did not change.

Multiple Choice: b, c, a

Vocabulary:

  1. Give: energy
  2. Enter: the body
  3. Have: a crash
  1. Grow: tea plants
  2. Pick: leaves
  3. Mix: powder

Discussion Builder:

Hints: 1) Contrast. 2) Reason. 3) Result.

  1. but
  2. because
  3. Because of that,

Sentence Unscramble:

  1. I usually choose tea in the afternoon because coffee feels too strong for me.
  2. Matcha may be a better balance for some people than a large cup of coffee.
  3. For example, I write down how I feel each day after tea or coffee. Alternatives: For example, each day I write down how I feel after tea or coffee.

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