Stash Blueberry Green Tea Powder

Hello! It was super hot this afternoon and I wanted to make some juice. I am not really a fan of sugary juices anymore. (When I was in high school, I drank 1-2 liters of iced tea on my own when it was hot. I can finish that before my mom finished her lectures on why it's bad for me. I was a bad and unhealthy kid.)

I usually have freshly-squeezed Calamansi juice with a little bit of honey. However, I recently bought Stash Blueberry Green Tea Powder  and I thought it would be nice to put it in my Calamansi juice. The box was still quite full because no one in our house liked it. It's too bland for everyone's taste, and I have to agree.

It just tastes like green tea with ice. Which I suppose was exactly what it is. However, people in my family only really like hot tea. Iced tea, the legit ones not the Nestea ones, are weird for me because they taste like water but less refreshing. It's a tea that's not really sure of itself. Iced tea is a tea experiencing a life crisis.

So instead of honey, I mixed this green tea powder with my juice to sweeten it. And as I thought, it was good. The blueberry smell is also really delicious, however, I couldn't really taste it. I guess I can taste a hint, but maybe it's because I can smell it that my brain tricks me into thinking I am tasting it, I am not sure.

It wasn't mind-blowing good but it made my Calamansi juice even healthier.

Or so I hope. according to Stash:

This unique powdered green tea is made from whole green tea leaves that have been ground into a fine powder. We then add natural blueberry flavor for a refreshing, juicy taste. Just add to cold or hot water and stir, no brewing needed!

You get more of the goodness of green tea, as the entire tea leaf is consumed. Convenient, delicious, and naturally refreshing, make it by the glass or pitcher, or on-the-go by simply adding to bottled water. Shake or stir and enjoy! Each box contains 10 sticks and makes 10 servings, 16 oz each.

Note: Since this product is made from powdered green tea leaves and is not instant, some green tea may be present in the bottom of the glass. Stir well or shake before serving.

Ingredients
Maltodextrin, blended green tea powders, blueberry flavor

Caffeinated
Yes

Each packet only has 10 calories. It has no sugar and 2g of carbs. And yes, I am the kind of person who reads the nutritional value of food.

This product will transform your drink into a superdrink because you can get the awesome benefits of green tea and more, since you are technically ingesting the whole leaf itself. However, the ingredients also include something called "maltodextrin". And it was the first ingredient on the list. This means that there is more maltodextrin than green tea powder.

Say whut???

(Whut?)

Whut is maltodextrin, you ask? Let's research that because I too have no idea before writing this post.

According to Fitness For Travel, maltodextrin is just like Corn Syrup solids but with less sugar. It extends the shelf life of products and is used as thickener and filler. Even if you haven't heard of this, you have ingested this product in your life.

Just like MSG, this product is everywhere. Worse, it is even in  "natural" products. Why? Because it IS natural. It is made from grain starch like corn or rice starch. If you are Glycemic Index (GI) conscious, you should know that Maltodextrin has 130 while sugar only has 65. If it is any consolation, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is a safe food additive.

Food with high GI goes through your digestive system faster which makes this product good to drink after a workout when you need that sugar in your system, fast. It also doesn't absorb much water which means it won't dehydrate you when you drink it during marathons.

However, if you are not exercising, maltodextrin is bad news. Since it travels to your bloodstream very fast, it will turn into fat when it is not used.

I also really don't like that last bit of Blueberry flavoring at the end. What is that, exactly? I couldn't really taste the matcha powder.  So I seriously doubt the health benefits of this product now. Stash is one of the tea brands that I love though so I hope they aren't lying to me. I really hope this is a healthy and good product.

Still, since the maltodextrin has some benefits, this could be a good and refreshing after workout drink? Maybe I'll reserve my Blueberry Green Tea Calamansi juice after workouts?

For a bullet point lecture on maltodextrin, you can visit this site.

Stash Blueberry Green Tea Powder is available in my local grocery stores so if you want to try it, pray to the gods that you have local grocery stores as awesome as mine.

Did that help? No? No?

Okay, bye.