Ya-Ya's Tea Board

Matcha, the Japanese green tea used in the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony chanoyu, is a very special tea in many regards. On one hand, it is made from the highest grade tea leaves that are produced in Japan. On the other hand, it is the only tea that is still, to this day, prepared like all teas were prepared before tea leaves were steeped: it consists of ground tea leaves that are suspended in warm water and then drunk.

Manufacture of Matcha

Matcha is produced from the same leaves that are used for Japan’s other top-end tea, Gyokuro. Before being harvested, the bushes that are destined to produce matcha and gyokuro are shaded for a duration of 2-4 weeks which slows down growth and enriches the leaves in amino acids with results in a concentration of the umami flavour that these teas are famous for. The harvested leaves are then steamed and dried to produce tencha, the raw product from which matcha is produced. The leaves are de-stemmed and de-veined before they are stone-ground into a very fine, talcum-like bright green tea powder – matcha.

Preparation of Matcha

Matcha can be prepared as either usucha or koicha, thin or thick tea respectively. While the viscous, thick koicha is prepared in the Japanese tea ceremony chanoyu (and requires a very high grade matcha to not become bitter), thin usucha is the most commonly consumed form of matcha. Usucha is prepared with more water and requires a slightly smaller amount of tea.

This video demonstrates the preparation of matcha:

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While the chawan (matcha bowl) can be replaced with a large cereal bowl, the chashaku (matcha scoop) with a spoon and the furui (matcha sifter) with a small strainer, there isn’t really any adequate replacement for the chasen (matcha whisk). We’ve tried many methods, but only the bamboo whisk creates the proper froth that is so important for a good matcha. One important thing to know is that you need to whisk the tea in a motion similar to the letter W, rather than stirring in a circular motion – otherwise your foam won’t form.

Health benefits of Matcha

Matcha is unique amongst teas in that you actually consume the whole leaf, rather than drinking an infusion thereof. Prior to the invention of infusing full-leaf teas in the 16th century, all teas were ground and whisked. The Chinese had many poetic terms like ‘thick clouds overflowing the teacup’ to describe the foam of whisked tea and the whisking itself became an art form. But since then, most teas are prepared by steeping the tea leaves rather than suspending tiny leaf fragments in hot water. When you ingest the actual tea leaves, your body is much more capable to extract all the minerals and vitamins from the leaf than plain hot water. That’s the reason why matcha packs a lot more punch per weight of tea than standard leafy teas if you’re simply after health benefits.

We carry an organic high-grade matcha for $22.30 per 50g. Please visit our ordering page if you are interested in purchasing some.