Matcha Tea Facts

Matcha is fashioned by milling green tea into a fine powder. Suspended rather than steeped in liquid, matcha creates a brew that is vegetal, smooth, and grassy-sweet. These days, matcha is used to flavor food, enhance tea blends, and as a natural dye, though it’s been enjoyed for over a thousand years as part of traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.

Matcha Tea Origins and Varieties

There are many grades of matcha, and not all are created equal. We carry two types: the highest grade of Ceremonial Japanese Matcha, to be enjoyed by itself, and a Culinary Chinese Matcha, to be used in cooking, baking, and lattes. It can also be enjoyed in blends, like our Genmai Cha with Matcha. As it is with all green teas, matcha is full of antioxidants which studies have shown are highly beneficial to our health. Some also credit matcha with boosting brain function. Because matcha powder is concentrated, it is very high in antioxidants, but one should be aware of its increased caffeine content as compared to its loose-leaf parent.

Matcha Tea Brewing Temperature & Time

Traditional matcha is whisked with a Bamboo Matcha Tea Whisk (chasen) and enjoyed by adding 1 - 1.5 tsp into a wide mouth vessel and adding a small amount of water to blend into a paste. Once a paste consistency has been achieved, add approximately 5 to 7 ounces of between 175℉ - 185℉ and blended until frothy. When matcha is savored as part of a blend as in our Genmai Cha with Matcha it is steeped as a traditional green tea in an infuser for 2 to 3 minutes.