So when we heard that Matcha shots were the “IT” beverage at the autumn winter shows last NYFW, we got curious. Usually anything with the word “shot” attached to it, we take notice, and this was no different.

For those of us who aren’t blessed with front row fashion week seats, here’s the deal; Matcha is like green tea on steroids. Serious steroids. The sort of stuff Arnie was on.

And despite the fact it’s been around for centuries, it’s currently peaking in a big way. When you order a green tea, the leaves are infused, usually in a bag, dunked in hot water and discarded. With Matcha, you’re drinking the actual leaves, which are finally powered and super potent.

At the moment of writing this piece, we clocked 818,820 #matcha Instagram tags, varying from images of tea to ice cream, cakes, smoothies, chocolates, macarons milkshakes and even matcha-flavoured chips. And although we’d love to, we are not here to talk about chips. Sadly.

So what are the benefits? It’s great for your skin. Maybe you’ve heard of the alkaline benefits of chlorophyll? The green pigment produced by plants that makes our green smoothies so good for us? Matcha has loads of this, so there’s one giant tick right there. Beyond that, it comes with all the classic green tea benefits (calorie burning, slow-release caffeine, anti-cancer properties, relaxation-helping amino acids), but turns them up to 11.

Pick it up from most Asian supermarkets or grocery stores. You won’t regret it.