A WOMAN is promoting a Japanese cup of tea and will be taking part in an international online sale.

Katherine Swift says it is the "champagne of green tea".

The 48-year-old, who lives in Hove, started drinking matcha in 2010 after her mother Elizabeth was diagnosed with cancer.

She researched food and drinks that might improve her mother's health. Matcha, like other green teas, contains antioxidants called catechins and is high in one called epigallocatechin gallate, which is believed to have cancer-fighting effects. Antioxidants can prevent or slow damage to cells in the human body.

The Argus: Katherine Swift and her mother ElizabethKatherine Swift and her mother Elizabeth

Elizabeth has now been given the all-clear, and Katherine said this inspired her to start her business, OMGTea, selling matcha online.

She said: "Matcha is not just another type of green tea, it is the champagne of green tea. Matcha comes from the same plant as all tea, camellia sinensis but the way it is cultivated and processed is what makes it so special.

"Real matcha comes from Japan and is made from the finest shade-grown leaves stone-ground to a fine powder."

The Argus: OMGTeaOMGTea

Translated from Japanese, matcha means "powdered tea". Regular green tea is infused in hot water, so 85 to 90 per cent of the nutrients are discarded with the leaves. However, with matcha, you are drinking the entire leaf, so your body benefits from all the soluble and non-soluble elements of the tea first-hand.⁠

Katherine wants to spread the word about the "power of green tea" and has started selling her products on Amazon.

​She said: "We are a tea business, but if you cut us in half you would see health and research are at our core."

She is taking part in Amazon Prime Day, which offers customers a variety of deals and runs until Sunday.

Amazon UK country manager John Boumphrey said the event supported small businesses.