Matcha Tea
Matcha - Historical Highlight
Around 800 years ago, the monk Eisai returned to his homeland of Japan from a trip to China. In addition to Zen Buddhism, he brought something else with him: matcha – powdered green tea! Matcha quickly gained popularity among Japan's monks, as it kept them awake and focused during meditation.
The great master Sen no Rikyu finally helped matcha achieve its breakthrough in the 16th century; he is considered the founder of the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu). This ritual is still practised in Japan today and is the highest art of tea preparation. Everything revolves around this tea: matcha!
The region around Kyoto, still the cultural centre of Japan today, is considered the birthplace of matcha. Today, matcha is produced throughout Japan. Over the centuries, Japanese tea farmers have perfected the cultivation and gentle processing of matcha, followed by grinding it in stone mills.
Unlike normal green tea, matcha is traditionally whipped into a froth in a matcha bowl (chawan) with a bamboo whisk (chasen) and drunk unfiltered. But matcha can also be enjoyed in a modern way: as a shake, iced tea or delicious dessert. Be inspired by this unique tea, the spirit and heart of Japan!
Characteristics of high-quality Matcha
Shaded Tea
Only the best parts of the tea plant, the pure leaf pulp of hand-picked leaves, may be used for matcha production. The intense green colour is achieved by shading the tea leaves for several days before harvesting.
Labour-intensive grinding process
High-quality matcha is still ground in traditional granite stone mills. It takes the mill one hour to produce 30 grams of matcha (equivalent to one tin). A genuine quality product!
Bright green colour
High-quality matcha has a bright jade green colour. Normal green tea powder, on the other hand, is yellow-brown, as the tea leaves used in its production have not been shaded or have only been shaded for a short time.
Careful Creation
Matcha is often referred to as the ‘queen of teas’ because its cultivation and processing into the finest powder requires years of experience that only a few tea farmers still possess today. The demanding work of tea farmers in Japan begins long before the harvest. Only very specific tea plants are suitable for matcha production. Depending on the quality and grade of the matcha, the plants are shaded for 10 to 28 days in spring. This blocks out up to 95% of sunlight, producing a deep dark green tea leaf – a gift from nature, rich in valuable ingredients such as chlorophyll and antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is no coincidence that matcha is praised around the world as a SUPERFOOD!
After gentle processing, in which the leaves are steamed, dried and sorted, only the pure leaf flesh (tencha) remains. For the highest quality grades, up to 60% is sorted out so that only the best of the tea leaves are used. The finished tea is then stored in a cold store until it is freshly ground. Despite state-of-the-art high-tech equipment, high-quality matcha is still laboriously ground in traditional granite stone mills. The result: 30g per hour! The mills cannot turn any faster, otherwise the heat generated would destroy the unique flavour. This extremely demanding production process, from cultivation to the finished powder, is the reason why matcha today accounts for only 0.0003% of the world's tea harvest. A truly exclusive tea experience!
Traditional Preparation
Step 1 - Measure matcha powder
Place two heaped bamboo spoons of matcha into a bowl. For best results, sift the matcha powder through a sieve.
Step 2 - Add water
Boil water and then leave to cool for approx. 15 minutes until it reaches approx. 80°C. Pour 100 ml of water into the bowl.
Step 3 - whip until frothy
Whip with a bamboo whisk in a zigzag motion until a nice frothy crown forms.
Discover matcha accessories
Japanese tea ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony, known as “Chadō” or “Sado”, is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. It is a meditative practice that promotes mindfulness and harmony and is strongly influenced by the principles of Zen Buddhism. Every step of the ceremony, from preparing the room and selecting the utensils to actually brewing the tea, is precisely choreographed and symbolic.
Learn more about tea ceremonies
In this clip, our tea and Japan expert Lukas Parobij shows some workshop participants how matcha is traditionally prepared in Japan.
Superfood: Matcha works!
Drinking matcha is like ‘eating tea’! Whisk the finely ground green tea leaves and a little water with a bamboo whisk until frothy – and all the antioxidants, amino acids and vitamins in the leaves are right there in your cup. Matcha is just as energising and nutritious when prepared in a shaker, which is child's play.
Whether as a matcha latte, matcha smoothie or in the form of desserts such as matcha pancakes, matcha cheesecake or matcha cookies – there are no limits to your imagination!
Highest standards of quality and purity
As with wine or whisky, the same applies to matcha: quality is key! Although ground powdered tea accounts for only a tiny fraction of the world's tea harvest, there are significant differences in quality.
First and foremost, genuine matcha comes from Japan. Production was perfected here over 800 years ago and continues to this day. However, matcha is not a protected term, which is why you can also find ‘matcha’ from China or Korea. But they usually only have the name in common with the original.
The care taken during cultivation and processing, climatic conditions, soil and altitude determine the quality of the finished matcha. The size of the ground powder and its content of ingredients are also decisive factors in determining the quality grade. Matcha has an intense green colour, smells fresh and slightly grassy, and has a full-bodied and subtly sweet flavour.
When it comes to matcha, trust in tested quality. Before shipping to the UK, our laboratory tests every tea we purchase for possible pesticide residues or radioactivity. Only residue-free teas are accepted. This is one of the reasons why we have decided to use 100% organically grown tea for our matcha. See for yourself!
Rich content, powerful effect
Unlike leaf teas, which are strained through a filter after brewing, matcha is drunk whole. This allows the body to absorb all the valuable ingredients directly and benefit from the richness of the full cup like no other tea.
Careful cultivation, long shading and the careful, slow grinding of the dried tea leaves guarantee a particularly rich content of nutrients. The most important of these beneficial substances are chlorophyll, amino acids (L-theanine), caffeine, vitamins and antioxidants (catechins).
The caffeine in matcha has a much gentler and longer-lasting effect than in coffee, for example. Centuries ago, monks in the Kyoto region used its special effects to meditate for longer and with greater concentration. Today, matcha inspires people in much the same way and is often enjoyed as the espresso of teas.
Studies have shown that matcha has one of the highest ORAC (oxygen radical absorbing capacity) values of any food. This value indicates how many antioxidants are contained in a food. Matcha is therefore THE superfood par excellence – and incredibly delicious too!