What is Matcha?

Matcha has soared in popularity in recent years, but what exactly IS matcha?

Matcha is finely ground green tea leaves, but not just any tea leaves. These tea leaves are grown specifically in Japan under strict conditions. They are shade-grown, which means the tea plants are covered for weeks before harvesting. This forces the plant to produce more chlorophyll to soak in more sunlight & results in a vibrant green color. This process also increases the potency of naturally occurring amino acids, like L-Theanine which provides a slow releasing energy boost without the crash like coffee does. 

The leaves are then steamed to reduce oxidation and preserve the bright green color. The leaves are then stone-ground into an extremely fine powder. 

There are different grades of matcha such as ceremonial & culinary. 

Ceremonial matcha is very broad term that means the powder can be used for "ceremony" purposes. In the western world, we have taken that term to describe First Harvest Matcha - which is the highest quality matcha, made using the youngest tea leaves picked in the first harvest of the year during the spring season. 

Culinary matcha is used to describe lower quality matcha, often used in baking. This matcha can still be used in ceremony but may not be as fresh & flavorful as "ceremonial" matcha.