Latest news with #PerfectTed
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
I'm a shopping writer and these ceremonial-grade matcha pods that cost 54p a cup are a confirmed hit
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more The world has gone matcha mad and if you can't get enough of the green stuff, you'll want to try these ceremonial-grade matcha pods from Perfect Ted. A survey from Orion Market Research showed that sales of matcha-type drinks surged 202 percent year on year in 2023, and the green-tea based drink has only grown in popularity since then, with many choosing to ditch their daily coffee for the drink - largely due to the reported health benefits of matcha. The drink can be quite costly, however, and your daily matcha fix can soon add up. If you want to recreate the drink at home but haven't mastered the art of matcha making quite yet (the drink is typically created with a bamboo whisk and bowl), these pods are the answer you've been looking for - and customers can't get enough. 'This matcha is part of my morning routine now!', wrote one shopper. 'I love having it iced over coconut milk'. Remember to push the espresso button twice to dispense. It's a subtle taste and doesn't require sweetening for me. Good value pack and will last me another month!'. 'These matcha pods are a gem for any matcha lover who owns a Nespresso machine,' wrote a second user. 'They offer the convenience of a quick pod with the rich, smooth taste of ceremonial-grade matcha. Each cup has a signature earthy, slightly sweet taste and a beautiful bright green colour that matcha fans will appreciate'. 'Great quality and good value,' added a third customer. 'The pods are easy to use and work well with my Nespresso machine. The matcha tastes amazing and has a nice, smooth texture. I enjoy adding a little honey to the matcha for a nice afternoon pick me up'. Working out at just 54p per cup (compared to upwards of £4 for a takeaway drink), the Perfect Ted pods are compatible with the Nespresso Original machine, which means it's never been easier been easier to make a barista-style drink from the comfort of your own home. As well as a hot matcha, the pods can also be made to make an iced drink by pouring over ice and topping up with a dash of cold milk. And, in even better news, for those with a sweet tooth, the pods also come in additional flavours, too, including Vanilla and Salted Caramel. Matcha connoisseurs will love the ceremonial-grade, high-quality flavour that the pods provide, as all matcha from Perfect Ted is sourced from single-origin farms in Uji, Japan - often touted as the matcha capital of the world. A great caffeine-alternative for those who suffer with post-caffeine jitters or want the energy boost without unwanted side effects, matcha is an antioxidant said to help fight inflammation, speed up metabolism and help reduce cholesterol. When using these pods, you'll be in good company - several UK cafe chains use Perfect Ted matcha within their drinks, including Joe and the Juice, Crosstown Doughnuts and SOHO Coffee, and its been rumoured that Blank Street uses its matcha powder, too. Each pack contains 60 all-natural, gluten-free matcha pods, meaning if you have one cup of matcha per day, the pods will last you well over a month. And if you love them as much as we do, you can even get them on a subscription-basis on Amazon, meaning you won't have to go without when you run out.
Cosmopolitan
4 days ago
- Health
- Cosmopolitan
Matcha is the trending drink of the moment: The truth on its side effects as shortage panic kicks in
Has anyone else noticed... that things are looking pretty green of late? It seems that matcha, a type of green tea, in all its various forms (be it an iced latte from Blank Street to an infused doughnut or a homemade recipe on TikTok) is everywhere. So much so, there is even rumoured panic about a shortage of the green tea in some popular chain stores, including (according to one distressed Reddit thread) some Starbucks cafés. This shortage is something that experts are warning could become a bigger problem when Trump's now-infamous tariffs fully kick in and due to Japan – where matcha originates – struggling with intense heat that is damaging some crops. Plus demand for matcha globally has soared 7% in the last year alone and according to data from Grand View Research, the market is set to be worth over $7 billion (£5 billion) by 2030. But where has all this hype around the Japanese green tea suddenly come from? And is its cult status as a wellness ingredient that's better for you than coffee actually legitimate? We asked two experts in the matcha field for the full truth on our newfound obsession… The steadily rising interest in Japan as a tourist destination over the last few years certainly has something to do with it, along with matcha itself being so gosh darn aesthetically pleasing – which lends itself well to social content. Plus, we're living in a world where wellness is more of a priority than ever, leading us to seek out healthier ingredients. Rania Salman, a registered dietitian and nutritionist verified on Doctify, a healthcare review platform, feels matcha's links to wellness are a big draw too. "People are looking for natural ways to boost their health and wellbeing, and [matcha's] striking green colour and links to traditional Japanese tea ceremonies add to its appeal," she explains. "Plus, it's incredibly versatile, from lattes to smoothies and even baking." It's not just a phase either, according to Olivia Minicucci, MS, RD, Dietician at popular matcha brand PerfectTed that launched in 2021, "Matcha isn't a passing fad. It's a habit-forming ingredient that delivers tangible benefits people can feel and as consumers prioritise clean, functional drinks over quick, synthetic fixes, its place in everyday life will only continue to grow." Their products are now stocked in the likes of Joe & the Juice and Black Sheep. For some brands and outlets, unfortunately the answer is yes. "Recent months have seen major shortages of ceremonial-grade matcha, resulting in widespread supply issues and the largest price increase in matcha's history," reveals Minicucci, who adds that luckily PerfectTed has remained largely unaffected. Teddie Levenfiche, the brand's co-founder adds, "Matcha supply constraints have been challenging, but we've been able to maintain consistent supply thanks to our efforts in building the strongest matcha supply chain in the world – rooted in long-standing relationships with our farmers and continued investment in strengthening our network." Not just delicious and pleasing to look at, matcha brings with it a whole new set of words, with many touting 'ceremonial grade' as the best option for drinks. But, err, what the heck actually is that? Salman explains that it's all to do with the age of the tea leaves. "Ceremonial grade matcha is made from the youngest, most tender tea leaves. It's finely ground to a smooth powder with a vibrant green colour and a subtle, sweet umami flavour. This type is meant to be whisked with water and enjoyed on its own," the expert notes, whereas culinary grade is derived from older leaves, with a stronger and more bitter taste. As the descriptor 'culinary grade' unsurprisingly notes, this type of matcha is better suited to baking (matcha cookies, anyone?). "While it's more affordable, it doesn't quite match the delicate flavour or the quality of nutrients found in ceremonial grade matcha," Salman says. Ceremonial grade also tends to be sourced more sustainably, so if that's important to you, this is something to keep in mind – however, there's a real lack of regulation in the space, details Minicucci. "Ceremonial grade might sound like a fixed standard - but the truth is, there's no global regulation around what qualifies. Any brand can put it on a label, whether or not their matcha meets the benchmarks that experts actually use to assess quality. That's why it's so important to shop with trusted brands." 'Better' is a pretty subjective word, admittedly, so it depends what you're looking for in a beverage. Much like coffee, matcha contains caffeine so it'll still put a pep in your step, but unlike coffee, it's less likely to cause jitters or an anxiety spike if you consume too much. Minicucci explains, "Matcha and coffee work in different ways due to their distinct caffeine profiles and other compounds. When it comes to caffeinated release, the caffeine in coffee is absorbed quickly, leading to a fast, often intense spike, followed by a potential 'crash' when its effects wear off. "A standard cup of coffee contains around 95mg of caffeine. Matcha, on the other hand, contains less caffeine per serving (about 60mg per cup), but the caffeination it provides tends to be more sustained and gradual due to the presence of L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes relaxation without drowsiness." Salman adds that matcha is also rich in antioxidants "which support cell health and may help reduce stress." On the other end of the spectrum (and in defence of flat whites the world over), coffee has its own great antioxidants that are linked to reduced risks of conditions like Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes, Salman shares. "Ultimately, whether matcha or coffee is better comes down to your personal caffeine tolerance, which effects you want, and your taste preferences." Just a final FYI, how you prep your matcha can make a huge difference to the taste and intensity of it, shares Salman. "Using more powder or hotter water will increase the caffeine content and change the flavour." If you're new to the matcha scene, she advises starting small – and keeping in mind that if you're mixing in syrups, sweeteners or certain milks, the calorie count can jump up pretty easily. Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC's Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women's Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
Daily Mail
08-08-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Heartbroken bride issues urgent warning after routine, pre-wedding 'glow-up' left her 'blind in one eye'
An entrepreneur has revealed how a pre-wedding laser facial treatment left her hospitalised and blind in one eye. Marisa Poster is the founder of PerfectTed, which sells canned matcha drinks in a range of flavours. The native New Yorker, who now lives in London, tied the knot last year in a lavish ceremony. But not all went to plan, as ahead of the nuptials, Marisa underwent a IPL facial, which left her in terrible pain, and left her face so swollen, she was unable to see out of one eye. Speaking to FEMAIL, the 28-year-old said that initially, she was looking forward to the procedure which she had the day after her wedding hair and makeup trial. 'I was genuinely excited,' she said about the laser treatment. 'I've had IPL before and found it super effective for rosacea - it calms the redness and leaves your skin feeling so fresh. 'My facialist recommended doing it about four weeks before the wedding to get the best results in time for the big day. It felt like a smart, routine step.' However, she said, as soon as the treatment began, she knew something was wrong. Marisa explained: 'But the moment the treatment began, I knew something was off. I'd numbed my face for 30 minutes as usual, but the pain was unbearable and far worse than anything I'd experienced previously. 'I asked the technician if that was normal, and they told me the discomfort meant it was 'working.' Spoiler: it very much was not working. 'By the time I got home, my face was swollen, red, and starting to ooze. I remember looking in the mirror thinking, What have I done? Within an hour, I was spiralling, panic set in fast, and I was already thinking about the wedding and how I might have completely derailed everything we'd planned.' And things got worse over the next few hours. 'Over the following hours, my face was severely swollen,' said Marisa. 'My left eye swelled completely shut. I wasn't crying - my face was literally oozing. My husband Levi was out, and I remember my brother-in-law Teddie looking at me and saying, 'you're turning into a tomato".' The situation got so bad that she ended up in A&E, where she was put on a steroid drip, given an oral steroid called prednisone, and prescribed a topical cream. Marisa said: 'I'd been so excited for the wedding - it was such a deeply personal celebration. As a busy founder, I'd spent so much time thinking through every detail, avoiding the dreaded 'wedding tax' where prices skyrocket just because the word 'wedding' is attached, and choosing to DIY as much as possible, from picking a flexible venue to incorporating our own brand, PerfectTed, throughout the day in thoughtful, intentional ways. 'I'd genuinely tried to plan a wedding that reflected our values and stayed true to who we are, so having something like this happen felt devastating. 'At that point I was laughing and crying at the same time - mostly in shock - because I couldn't believe this was happening to me a few weeks before the wedding.' However, rather than panic, Marisa decided to use the experience to create a new idea called PerfectWed, where her brand gives nearly-weds cans of their matcha drinks, to help reduce the stress of couples, and 'give their guests a healthy, long-lasting energy option on the big day'. Despite seeking medical attention at hospital, Marisa says she never got any clarity as to why she had such a strong reaction to the laser treatment - something she described as 'frustrating'. She added: 'The doctors thought it could've been a sensitivity to the laser itself or one of the products used. Everything was a blur - I was anxious, embarrassed, and honestly just desperate for the swelling to go down. At one point, Marisa feared they would have to postpone the wedding. She revealed that she 'had a complete breakdown in A&E'. She said: 'I'd never experienced anything like this. My face was twice its normal size, one eye was completely swollen shut, and I was terrified I wouldn't look like myself - or even be able to attend. 'It was heartbreaking. You spend so long imagining your wedding day, and suddenly, it felt like it might not happen.' Thankfully, the treatment worked quickly enough that it all just about worked out, and although it was close, Marisa and Levi were able to push ahead with the wedding as planned. But the incident did mean she missed out on precious wedding planning time. Marisa explained: 'For five full days, I couldn't see properly. I wear contacts daily, but I couldn't get them in - my eyes were too swollen. 'My glasses wouldn't even sit on my face. It had doubled in size. I couldn't even work during that time as my face was so swollen I could barely open my eyes.' She said she tried to carry on with wedding planning, but it wasn't easy. 'I remember showing up to my final dress fitting still visibly swollen and telling the seamstress, 'I promise I won't look like this on the day!'. 'Most of the admin ended up moving online or was handled by Levi and my friends while I recovered.' She added: 'The fact that there were no long-term side effects is honestly a miracle.' Marisa described the situation as 'a perfect storm', as she had to work as well as wedding plan, but was in physical pain, and struggling to get things done. Because of her experience, she has advice to share with other brides to be. 'Please don't fall into the trap of doing more just because the wedding industry says you should,' Marisa said. 'As a founder, I'm already constantly doing a million things - I genuinely thought I was being efficient and proactive by slotting in one last 'glow-up' appointment. But in hindsight, it was unnecessary and added way more stress than it was worth. 'There are so many messages out there targeting brides-to-be, telling us to optimise every inch of ourselves. But it's all noise. You are already enough. 'If I could give one piece of advice to brides: do less. Be kind to yourself. And don't try anything new close to the wedding - even if it feels routine or harmless.' She added: 'Even if you've done beauty treatments before, every session can be different. Skin is unpredictable. I thought a month was plenty of time to recover, but clearly, it wasn't. 'If you're going to do anything like IPL, do it months in advance. Honestly, though, I'd skip it altogether. Brides already have enough to think about - you don't need your face literally melting to be one of those things.' Marisa noted that nothing is worth risking your wellbeing in the final weeks before your wedding. She said: 'Just be. Let yourself enjoy it.' Because of the pressure put on brides, she added that it can be 'so easy to get caught up in the noise'. 'That kind of overstimulation and decision fatigue can become completely overwhelming — especially in the lead-up to something as emotional as a wedding,' she noted. 'And honestly, life is already so busy and I say this as a businesswoman and a founder — we launched PerfectTed out of a personal need after coffee and traditional energy drinks worsened my ADHD and anxiety symptoms. 'Now I see that same need again through a wedding lens: to feel calm, clear and connected. PerfectWed may be a campaign, but at its heart, it's about giving something back — helping couples cut through the noise, reduce stress, and focus on what really matters.' When it comes to why she chose to share her story, Marisa told FEMAIL: 'Weddings should be joyful, not full of anxiety over a facial gone wrong. If my story stops even one bride from booking a risky treatment too close to their big day, then honestly, it's worth the embarrassment.'
Daily Mirror
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I tried the viral Strawberry matcha - there's just one issue with it'
Matcha and strawberry are the two of the trending flavours of summer - so what happens when you combine them both? TikTok is full of recipe and new food inspirations - including the viral strawberry matcha which looks like the perfect sweet morning treat. Matcha has really allowed us to up our game for our morning caffeine kick, and a strawberry matcha latte sounds like the perfect drink for a hot sunny day. The viral recipe consists of strawberry jam, oat milk and matcha powder over ice and it couldn't be easier to make at home - so I knew I had to give it a try. Before I get into the review, I have to make a disclaimer for anyone wanting to try the recipe themselves - learn from me and don't wear white, unless you want to be covered in green powder like I did. I opted for my favourite matcha powder the Perfect Ted Organic Matcha Powder, and Oatly Oat Milk for my main ingredients, and then some strawberry jam for the flavouring. I have also seen some people use fresh strawberries or blended strawberries. But for ease, I opted for the jam. I followed the recipe on TikTok closely, and heaped a huge tablespoon of jam into my glass, and then loaded in the ice. I then poured over the oat milk and then whisked up a spoonful of matcha powder and hot water. Many people are put off making matcha due to having to whisk it together and needing the right utensils for it. However if you don't have a whisk, I have seen people using an electric whisk as well which can work just as well. Whisking the matcha, especially for ceremonial grade matcha is important as high quality powder likes to clump - and no one wants it lumpy. When I assembled the drink, first layering the jam and then the oat milk and poured the matcha on top, I gave it a stir and realised the jam was quite hard. I think for next time, I will take the jam out the fridge and left it soften and melt a little as it clumped at the bottom of my glass. Perhaps if the jam was a little runnier it would have mixed easier and given that true strawberry taste, but nevertheless, it was still very tasty. I was impressed by this recipe as it was the perfect mix of sweetness with that true matcha taste still and perfect for summer. Matcha is a green tea powder originating from Japan, and has been used for centuries in Japanese tea ceremonies. Matcha tea leaves are specially shade-grown to produce high levels of chlorophyll, which gives them a vibrant green colour. Matcha powder is also packed with antioxidants and calming amino acids, helping give it a wide range of health benefits. There are numerous different matcha recipes out there, with Perfect Ted making it easier than ever for flavoured drinks. Their range includes vanilla, strawberry and the iconic and viral blueberry powders. While Oatly have also shared some of their own matcha recipes in their lookbook, including the Ube matcha latte, combining green matcha, purple ube and oatly to seriously level up your matcha drink.
Forbes
29-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The U.K.'s Fastest-Growing Startups. What Are Their Growth Secrets?
Marisa Poster says her company identified an unmet need What does a successful British startup look like in 2025? Well, viewed through the prism of VC funding, a typical fast-growth company is probably developing AI solutions or working in quantum computing, climate tech or life sciences. But that's not the whole story. Founders club, For Entrepreneurs By Entrepreneurs (FEBE) has just released a list of 100 rapidly growing businesses, painting an alternative picture of entrepreneurship in Britain today. Styled as the FEBE Growth 100 and produced in collaboration with Virgin , the list draws on a list of metrics - including two-year compound growth, revenue performance and founder involvement - to create a ranking of private companies that are still owned and run by their creators. And while technology ventures certainly do feature, the majority of the companies are consumer-facing and not necessarily tech-driven. A case in point is the company that occupies the 'number one' slot, namely Perfect Ted. Co-founded by Marisa Poster, Levi Levenfiche and Teddie Levenfiche, the business specializes in Matcha drinks, including lattes. Close behind is haircare brand REHAB at number 2, with food delivery service Simmer Eat and party games company, Lucky Egg at positions 3 and 4, respectively. Tech enters the picture at number 5, in the shape of Manchester-based innovation studio Conductr. Elsewhere, you'll find fintechs, restaurant chains, fashion retailers and business service providers. But here's the question. Other than providing a talking point and perhaps also a celebration of entrepreneurship, do lists of this sort provide any insights into business success? Or to put it another way, do they point to any common factors that have helped some very diverse ventures to pile on sales year-on-year? To find out, I spoke to three of the entrepreneurs whose companies are featured. The aforementioned Marisa Poster, Simmy Dhillon of Simmer Eats and Jacyn Heavens of B2B business services platform EPOS Now. Leveraging Personal Experience There were some common threads, perhaps the most obvious being the ability of the founders to identify hitherto untapped demand. 'I'm very happy with our growth so far, and I think it's a testament to serving a need that was unmet,' says Marisa Poster. 'I personally had a problem with the type of caffeine that I was consuming and couldn't find anything that would work with my kind of neurodivergent brain.' If conventional lattes and espressos didn't work, neither did energy drinks, seen by Poster as hyper-masculine. What she did hit upon was Matcha, based on tea leaves and used in Japan for ceremonial purposes. Detecting a gap in the market, Poster launched a drinks brand. It was a play based on personal experience. The same could be said for the thinking behind EPOS Now. As Founder Jacyn Heavens explains, when he launched a restaurant and bar he quickly realised that small businesses can struggle when it comes to administration. 'I really wasn't prepared for how complicated it is to run a small business,' he says. 'I remember when I started our business, I needed to do everything from stock control to employee management, to negotiating with suppliers to figuring out what my prices should be. Literally everything.' EPOS Now started out as a cloud provider of point-of-sale services. Since then, features have been added to the platform, including. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the activities that Heavens found so onerous, the functions include stock control, employee management and pricing advice based on data. Finding Customers Having an idea is one thing, connecting with customers is quite another. Heavens' approach was to use a combination of SEO and Google Adwords. 'I learned AdWords, learned how to build a website, and built it all up in a basic e-commerce site. And off we kind of went.' The model, as he describes it, was to augment SEO marketing with paid ads, with everything feeding through to a landing page and call centre. Simmy Dhillion took a different approach. Simmer Heat started out using a university kitchen to create and then deliver healthy meals that could simply be heated up, with students as a key customer group. The approach the company took was direct. 'It started off me going into university halls and handing out little business cards, speaking to people on the bus,' says Dhillion. Social Media was also important. Simmer Heat asked their customers to post pictures online when they received deliveries. By replying to the posts, the company built a relationship with buyers. In addition, the company has worked with influencers to get the story across. For its part, Perfect Ted has something of a kick start. Following an appearance on the U.K. entrepreneur pitch show Dragons Den - modelled on Shark Tank - the company gained an angel investor (Stephen Bartlett) and a lot of publicity. There was a further boost when supermarkets began to stock the brand. Building Momentum The challenge facing all businesses is to build momentum and how that is done clearly depends on the nature of the business. Working in the B2B market, Heavens says the biggest challenge was to stay ahead of the competition. When the company started, there were very few cloud-based POS providers. Now it is common. To maintain growth, the company expanded the platform into a complete business admin service while also taking a risk on expanding to the U.S. Turnover has now hit £150 million. Dhillon says that building fundamental skills with Social Media have enabled Simmer Heat to grow without a large marketing budget. 'A lot of brands start off with a large budget and they are a bit lazy in terms of thinking 'we can pay to force ourselves in front of customers, so let's just keep paying and paying and paying.' We had to kind of do that the other way in terms of earning our place in front of customers,' says was then augmented by some, but limited paid advertising. Perfect Ted has taken a similar approach. The company uses employee created content on social media. There is some paid marketing, but the budget isn't huge, Is there a secret sauce that helps to underpin growth? For Heavens, the key is listening to the customer and being fanatical about acting on feedback. Dhillion says it's important to test out new things and not be afraid of failing. Poster agrees that it's important to try out ideas even if some fail. Both see it is important to have staff who are themselves entrepreneurial. As Poster puts it:'willing to drive the car.' And of course, there is no common route to success, aside from the drive of the owners, finding a product that resonates with the target market and then finding a means to connect with customers and keep on connecting.
