MATCHA - SEE ALL

Matcha is the most traditional form of Japanese green tea – finely ground into a bright green powder that is whisked and consumed completely. Discover the world of matcha with us, from ceremonial quality to everyday enjoyment!

To produce matcha, the tea plants are shaded for several weeks before harvesting, similar to gyokuro. This causes the plant to produce more of the sweet, umami-rich L-theanine and fewer bitter catechins.

The picked leaves are steamed to ensure fixation, then dried but not rolled – this is called tencha. Veins and stems are removed before the remaining leaf flesh is traditionally ground into a fine, bright green powder using stone mills. The grinding process is slow and elaborate: a stone mill often produces only a few grams of matcha per hour.

A distinction is made between ceremonial grades, which are whisked pure with a bamboo whisk (Chasen) and consumed in the Japanese tea ceremony (Chanoyu), and culinary or everyday grades, which are more suitable for lattes or baking.

Since the entire leaf is consumed with matcha, significantly more ingredients are absorbed than when infusing loose-leaf tea – including caffeine and L-theanine, whose interplay provides the characteristic, calm alertness that many appreciate about matcha.