There is no other crafted beverage as globally enjoyed as tea; even beer plays second fiddle to tea. The tradition of cultivating, drying, and steeping tea leaves originated in Chinam and then via trade routes to the rest of the world. There is archeological evidence of tea cultivation and consumption up to 5,000 years ago.
A lifelong fan of a strong black tea, I struggled to appreciate the milder flavors of green tea, but during a bucket list trip to Japan I found out how much there is to love about matcha. Move over Earl Grey, there’s a new tea in town!
What is Matcha?
The “easy” answer is that matcha is a finely ground powder of Camellia sinensis leaves that are grown in shade to stunt plant growth and stimulate extra production of chlorophyll. Shaded from sunlight, the leaves grow darker green and produce theanine, an amino acid that lends a savory umami flavor to the tea. At harvest, the green tea leaves are laid flat to dry and crumble after which they are destemmed and deveined and stone ground to a talc-like consistency.
Matcha flavor is largely dependent on how many amino acids formed during the tea leaves’ growth. Higher concentrations correlate to higher quality; the finest grades of matcha have an intense sweetness.
There are three grades of matcha:
Ceremonial grade is appropriate for use in formal tea ceremonies, such as those in Buddhist temples. This grade must be able to be used in koicha ("thick tea") that is a high proportion of powder to water.
Premium grade is high-quality matcha made from young tea leaves. Its subtle but “fresh” flavor makes it agreeable to new matcha drinkers or for everyday use.
Cooking/culinary grade is the cheapest and best used as a flavoring agent due to a slight bitterness found from leaves lower down on the tea plant, the time of harvest, or its manufacture.
According to research published in a Japanese tea research journal, chemical analysis of various grades of matcha showed that concentrations of caffeine, free amino acids, theanine, and vitamin C decreased as the tea grades decreased.
Close Encounters of the Matcha Kind
Appropriately, I had my first glass at a matcha-specific tea salon on our first full day in Tokyo last December. We’d spent the morning touring and visiting a Buddhist temple to witness a fire purification ceremony when jet lag (17 hour time difference from Seattle) hit us after lunch. Unlike my coffee-centric hometown, there were precious few coffeeshops to be found, but our guide adeptly steered us to a beautiful shop with a broad selection of matcha beverages. I opted for a non-traditional iced matcha, while my husband set his sights on a matcha affogato.
I’ve been largely disappointed by green teas in the past with flavors that ran the gamut from bitter to weedy to fishy, so I’ll admit that I had incredibly low expectations. But when I took my first sip of the cool, jade green matcha - what a revelation! Instead of boiled seaweed, this matcha was bright and herbal with a flavor that toed a fine between sweet and savoury. It was just… refreshing, and I started to better understand what I’d been missing.
A few days later, we toured the incredible Tsukiji Outdoor Market where we found new kitchen knives; snacks composed of dried seaweed, dried sweet beans, wasabi-coasted peas; packets of dashi; $20 grapes (worth it!); and lovely shop devoted solely to matcha. Buoyed by my experiences, I selected a premium matcha set consisting of a tea bowl, whisk, spoon, and tea to bring home. The shopkeeper smiled broadly at my purchase and told our guide that she was happy to see that foreigners were interested in Japanese tea customs. I smiled in return and promised to do my best. On our way out of the store, her husband offered us a sample of one of his better grades of matcha tea that promises good health and long life to its drinker. I told him that I’m counting on his promise - and for that moment we were just people enjoying the common language of tea.
Matcha Outside the Glass
I am hardly the first American to discover matcha; it’s made quite an impression in the culinary scene from lattes to cheesecake to ice cream to chocolate and beyond. I’m mostly happy to discover that I enjoyed something that I previously believed that I didn’t like. Perhaps I should revisit other disliked foods and beverages prepared in new ways.
Have you ever hated a dish or an ingredient that you later grew to love? How did that come about for you?
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