The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Matcha

Matcha is a special type of powdered green tea from Japan. Despite its recent increase in popularity, it was actually the original method of tea consumption in Japan. Unlike most teas which are infused into water, matcha powder is mixed directly into water. Because of this, matcha is incredibly unique in the world of tea. It has a powerful flavor and plenty of health benefits, but there is so much more to matcha than meets the eye. In this episode, we're going to take a deep dive into the history of matcha, how it is made, and how it has been used in Japan over the last 800 years. Japanese monks would often travel to China to learn about Buddhism from the Chinese monks. In addition to bringing back knowledge and insights, they often brought back tea as well. Tea was used by the monks to enhance their concentration during meditation. Just like with coffee, tea contains caffeine which can energize the mind through long periods of study and concentration. Unlike coffee, tea also contains an amino acid called L-theanine which induces a more calming effect on the brain. The result is a calm, alert feeling that is perfect for meditation. In fact, drinking tea can boost the alpha brainwave activity, the same brainwaves stimulated during meditation. This can lead to creativity, relaxation, and reflection. In 1191, a monk by the name Eisai brought back tea seeds from China and planted them on the grounds here at Kozanji temple. It was here that the Japanese monks began cultivating tea of their own. At the time, tea leaves were ground into a powder and then mixed into water. This method was inherited from the Chinese who saw tea as a medicinal drink that can improve mental and physical health. And so the consumption of Japanese tea began, starting with the monks and later on branching The samurai saw it as a way to improve their concentration on the battlefield and the upper classes used it to showcase their status and sophistication. While these early tea ceremonies were simply an excuse for the wealthy to showcase their rare teas and utensils, a man known as Senorikyu came along with a more humble vision for the tea ceremony. Instead of hosting the tea ceremonies in opulent tea houses around Kyoto, he opted for a more rustic tea house in the countryside. The idea of this tea ceremony was to promote a strong bond between the host and their guest as two equals enjoying a cup of tea in silence. One of the ways this was accomplished was through the small entranceway. This made it so that the guests, no matter who they were, had to bow in order to enter. Emperors must bow, samurai must bow, commoners must bow. Inside the tea house, all guests are equal, regardless of their status outside. The tea master then prepares a beautiful bowl of matcha according to a strict set of rules and principles. It was here in the tea ceremony that matcha really became a fixture of Japanese culture. Now tourists come from all over the world to take part in these Japanese tea ceremonies in places such as Uji, considered to be the birthplace of matcha tea. Alongside the development of the tea ceremony, the tea itself began to undergo improvements as well. Research and experimentation on tea started to yield even better results. Perhaps the most important innovation was the discovery of shading. You see, matcha isn't made from just any tea leaves. These leaves are shaded prior to the harvest to improve their sweet and savory flavor. In Japan, it was common for tea farmers to cover the tea plants to protect them from the cold, but what they found was that this actually improved the flavor and color of the tea. We now know that this is because when the tea plant is cut off from sunlight, it produces more chlorophyll and theanine. Theanine is what is responsible for that sweet and savory flavor that Japanese green teas are known for. After the tea plants are shaded, the farmers then select only the top leaves to be used in the matcha. The top leaves and buds of the tea plant are the youngest and therefore contain the highest concentration of nutrients. The older, more mature tea leaves are thicker and slightly more bitter, making them less than ideal for matcha. This careful shading and selection of the tea leaves is what separates high quality from low quality matcha. The high quality matcha has a beautiful jade green color, a smooth flavor, and is loaded with nutrients. The low quality matcha has a more unappealing color, a more bitter flavor, and less nutrients. This low quality matcha is often sold as culinary grade matcha and is used in desserts all around the world. These matcha desserts are quite common in Japan and are made by mixing low quality matcha with cream and sugar to disguise the bitter taste. High quality ceremonial grade matcha is naturally sweet and smooth, meaning that it can be mixed with water and drunk plain. Within ceremonial grade matcha, you also have first and second harvest. First harvest is even higher quality matcha made from the fresh tea leaves picked in the springtime. The tea plant is typically harvested between early spring and mid-fall so that during the winter, the tea plant has a long recovery period where it can absorb nutrients from the ground and store them in its leaves. These more nutrient dense leaves are then picked in the early spring, so the first harvest is far more flavorful than later harvests. After the leaves are picked, they are processed in a similar way to most Japanese green teas. The leaves are steamed to prevent oxidation. If this step is skipped, the tea would oxidize and turn into a black tea. The steaming process locks in the flavor and is the main reason why green teas retain these strong vegetable notes. After the tea leaves are steamed, they are then dried and then they have their stems removed. After the stems are removed, the tea leaves are referred to as tencha and they are only one step away from becoming matcha. The leaves finally need to be ground into a fine powder so that they can be mixed into water directly. This is done with a special type of stone mill. It takes a full-size matcha mill to produce the perfect matcha powder. This grinding process takes about an hour just to produce 50 grams of precious ceremonial grade matcha. Once the matcha powder is created, it can then be whisked into water using the chasen tea whisk. This process aerates the matcha and gives it a creamy texture and a smooth finish. Matcha is not only enjoyed in the tea ceremony, but now it is easier than ever to prepare this special drink in your very own home. We suggest going to neoteas.com and trying out our ceremonial matcha sampler. This is a great way to try all sorts of different matcha from all over Japan. You can try four different tea varieties from five different tea farms and see which matcha you like the most. We also have the matcha whisk available if you want to practice preparing matcha the traditional way. We would really appreciate you helping support our mission of finding the best green teas in Japan and sharing them with the world. Thanks so much for joining us. We'll see you next time.