What is Matcha and How is Matcha Made?
What is Matcha?
Simply put, matcha is a type of green tea that is made from powdered, shade-grown tea leaves. Matcha is one of the most premium forms of green tea and can cost over $100 for just 1 ounce of matcha! The quality and the price of matcha both vary significantly between one another, so it is important to get your matcha from a company that you can trust.
Where Does Matcha Come From?
Chinese monks were the first to develop the process of creating powdered green tea, but the art of matcha was perfected in Japan. Powdered green tea can technically be made anywhere, but true, authentic matcha comes from Japan. Japan is deeply rooted in tea culture and has been perfecting the art of growing delicious tea for well over 1000 years.
How is Matcha Made?
The process of making matcha is quite complicated and is one of the reasons why high-quality matcha is expensive and rare. First, the tea leaves must be shade-grown for 20-30 days before they are harvested, a process that can actually kill the tea plant if not done correctly. The shade-growing process forces the tea plant to pull more beneficial nutrients out of the soil and pack the tea leaves with chlorophyll and powerful antioxidants. The shade-growing process is what gives matcha its vibrant green color and sweet, umami taste.
After the tea leaves are harvested, the leaves go through a careful process of steaming and drying to lock in the powerful nutrients and preserve the fresh flavor. Once the leaves have been dried, the stems and veins of the leaves are removed to maximize the sweet, savory flavor of the pure tea leaf. Once the tea leaves make it to this point, the leaves are either stored for later or stone-ground into an ultra-fine, green tea powder.
Some Japanese tea makers claim that the flavor of the tea leaves actually improves as the leaves age, at least for a short amount of time. These stored leaves can then be freshly ground for maximum freshness! There is so much care that goes into the tea leaves prior to this process, and we encourage you to continue to learn about the farmers that are creating the tea we love.
Why is matcha so expensive?
One of the first things that you will notice when searching for the best matcha to buy online is the wide price range of matcha. Depending on the quality and origin of the matcha, the price of matcha can range from $10 or less to well over $100 per ounce of matcha! High-Quality, Ceremonial Grade Matcha typically ranges from $25 - $40 per ounce. There is certainly not a shortage of “matcha” available on the internet, but it is important to remember that not all matcha is the same. If fact, there are countless factor that determine the flavor and quality of matcha.
High quality matcha has more than 10x some of the beneficial properties as traditional green tea, making it an excellent addition to your daily wellness routine. Matcha is somewhat of an acquired taste, but you can easily add matcha to your favorite smoothie or baked goods to help compliment the sweet, grassy flavor of matcha. If you are looking for the highest quality matcha available, make sure that the matcha is:
- Ceremonial Grade Matcha
- Product of Japan
- Vibrant Green with Little Bitterness
- Made from Shade-Grown Tea Leaves
- Stone-Ground Matcha
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