Matcha Project's Guide to Japanese Tea
by Chase Hitchens
Have you ever wondered how a tea leaf is turned into a brilliant green matcha?
We're going to explore this together below!
But first...
Hi, this is Chase, the founder of Matcha Project.
In 2018 I had the opportunity to move to Japan to live & work on a tea farm in the small tea town of Wazuka, Japan.
I got to study Japanese tea, including matcha at the source -- I learned SO much.
Below is everything that I learned and more. This is a working document and will continue to grow in time.
If you have any questions after reading our guide, let us know: support@matchaproject.com
What is matcha?
Matcha is a Japanese green tea. It comes in the form of a fine powder. Generally, the matcha powder will be mixed with slightly hot water in order to create matcha tea.
Alternatively, using milk in place of water and adding a sweetener like honey is a popular way to drink matcha. It can also be used in cooking and is often found in pastries and desserts.
Where is matcha produced?
Looking at the map of Japan above, the areas in green are the areas known for tea production. However, the major areas where matcha is coming from are Shizuoka, Kyoto, Aichi, and Kagoshima.
Have you ever been to any of these places? Did you see the beautiful lush green tea fields?! There's a decent chance those bushes were going to be turned into matcha!
How is matcha produced?
Without going too deep into the details, we wanted to give you a basic idea of how matcha is made.
It all starts in the tea fields of Japan. During the last month before the tea leaves are harvested, the farmers will "shade" their fields with massive covers. This will change the chemical structure of the leaf (increase amino acids/sweetness, decrease catechins/astringency).
When it is time to harvest, they will remove the covers and begin to harvest the leaves. The most common method of harvest is by a two person handheld machine, but the leaves can also be hand picked.
From here the leaves are sent to what is called a “tencha factory”. Here the fresh tea leaves will go through several different stages where they will be steamed, dried, and then have their stems removed.
From there, the remaining leaf-matter is collected (now referred to as tencha) and sent off to a matcha-grinding factory. Sometimes the tencha and grinding facilities are together, but this is not always the case.
At the matcha grinding factory, the leaves are fed into grinding machines.
Once the tencha goes through the grinders it comes out as a powder, which is then packaged up and sent off to resellers and ultimately to you!
What is the history of matcha?
The Japanese have been drinking matcha for around 800 years. It's been around a long time! It is said that Samurai would drink matcha before battle in order to get a calm energy. Monks in Japan have historically drank matcha for that same reason, a calm energy.
Accordingly, the Japanese have perfected the method of grounding special tea leaves and turning them into this incredible tea powder. Though it has been around in the Eastern world for such a long time, it is just now catching on in the Western world.
What are the health benefits of matcha?
The answer to this question is what gets us really excited!
Matcha is packed full of antioxidants. Have you heard green tea is good for you? Matcha has been found to have 137x the amount of antioxidants as a cup of green tea.
Umm, what are antioxidants? Great question. Antioxidants are compounds found naturally in nature (plants, our body, etc.). Without getting too technical, antioxidants protect the cells of the body from harmful molecules that naturally build up over time and help eliminate them from the body. So antioxidants are good? Check.
You also get certain vitamins which are essential for your body health.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is essential for your health, supporting cell growth, immune function, fetal development and vision.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all body tissues.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that may help reduce free radical damage and slow the aging process of your cells.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is important in bone health and wound healing.
Additionally, matcha can act as a Metabolism booster, helping to burn calories.
Matcha can be good for heart health, as it can potentially help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
Science aside, we know how it makes us feel, that is why we feel the need to share our love of matcha.
** We must advise that we are not Doctors or medical professionals and the above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please keep that in mind.
What different types of matcha are there?
Ceremonial Matcha
Ceremonial matchas are the top grade of matcha that is made (though there are levels inside this category.) They come from the highest quality of leaves - the first harvest. These matchas are known to be very rich and complex in flavor, with lots of umami, elements of sweetness, varying degrees of astringency, and different vegetal notes. They are best enjoyed with just water, but can also be blended into mixed drinks providing good flavor.
Premium Drinking Matcha
Premium matchas are a slightly lesser quality than Ceremonial matchas, being harvested just a little later in the season. While they are still very nice, the do lose some of the complexity that a ceremonial matcha would have. They generally are a little more bitter, and as a result are commonly blended with sweeteners or creams, in order to round out the overall flavor. This matcha works wonderful for matcha lattes and other blended matcha drinks. This is what will be commonly found in many cafes.
Culinary Matcha
Culinary matchas are harvested the latest in the season (after the really good stuff.) They are considered lower quality and generally are used as an ingredient in a recipe. They offer a very robust, earthy, and bitter flavor/taste. Like an unsweetened chocolate, you wouldn't really want to consumer this by itself. However, culinary matchas really shine when mixed with sweeteners and other ingredients, like baked goods!