The very first time I heard of and tried matcha was on our third trip to Singapore, circa 2008, when my then pesky little sister wanted to try a matcha Blizzard at Dairy Queen because her lifelong crush Nick Jonas was talking about/drinking matcha. We had no idea of the benefits of matcha, and what a gloriously delicious miracle it is, all we knew was that my sister ordered it as an homage to her prepubescent crush, and we decided to hate on it despite the fact that it was pretty darn delicious (especially with the toasted almonds on top…mmm….)

Fast forward to today, 11 years later, and I am completely hooked and obsessed with everything matcha and matcha flavored. I don’t know if it’s because matcha effortlessly became a flavor associated my my childhood (or I guess you could say my teenage), all I know is that over the years my love for matcha has only amplified, and I end up consuming copious amounts of it not because of the benefits of matcha, but simply because I love how it tastes, and how it had become my daily respite, my metaphorical cigarette break, if you may.

Now, I’m hooked onto a straight-up cuppa matcha as a standard start to my day, every single morning. There’s something about that velvety-bordering-on-creamy-without-even-having-any-milk cup of green goodness that feels like a warm hug from the inside (please excuse the coffee cliché) that makes me feel like it’s all going to be ok, and that I’m bigger than the list of unread emails.

What is the difference between matcha and other green teas?

It must be noted that all matcha is a green tea, but not all green tea is matcha. Matcha comes from Tencha leaves, which are most unique because they are grown in shade for 20-30 days before harvest, and therefore have much higher levels of chlorophyll, and thus a stunningly vibrant color. Tencha leaves are steamed and and dried, and never kneaded, which keeps the cell walls of the tea leaves intact. Once Tencha leaves are stoneground into a fine powder, it becomes matcha. Tencha also has high levels of Theanine, which is the source of its smooth and mellow taste. Gyokuro is also grown the same way as Tencha, but is processed differently, more like Sencha (they’re kneaded).

Fun facts:

• It takes an hour to grind 40-70 grams of matcha, which truly makes it a labor of love
• Matcha begins to oxidize and lose it’s flavor very fast, and heat can damage it, so it is best to store it in an airtight container, in a fridge or freezer
• Tea trees for Tencha, Matcha, and Gyokuro are fertilized three times as much as other kinds of tea, in order to create the characteristic deep sweet taste
• Matcha is a super fine powder, similar in texture to eye shadow

How Does Matcha Taste?

It’s hard for me to describe how (good) matcha tastes, because to me it’s incomparable to any other tea and in a league of it’s own. I’d recommend everyone to try it at least once. Those who aren’t fans say it tastes very “green” to them, almost a bit like wheatgrass, but to me that comparison is an abomination. Good ceremonial matcha tastes like luscious, velvety, green tea in it’s purest most unadulterated form, but with a subtle, inherent  sweetness to it.

What are the benefits of matcha?

• It has higher levels of a catechins (type of antioxidant) called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) per gram than green tea. In fact, one cup of matcha has as much antioxidants as 10 cups of green tea.
• Like green tea, it contains caffeine (albeit in higher ratios), but gives you more of a “zen”, calm alertness, like coffee without the jitters
• Because you consume the entire leaf, you consume all the goodness
• It boosts metablosim
• Calms the body and mind
• It’s rich in fiber, chlorophyll and vitamins

What are the different grades of Matcha?

Besides the very obvious difference that culinary matcha is cheaper than the ceremonial matcha, and the fact that the names are a dead giveaway of what each grade is better suited for, culinary matcha also tastes a little different than ceremonial. Even within the ceremonial grade, there are differences in the quality which are sometimes visible from the vibrance of how green the product is. Till now, the best I’ve cups I’ve ever whisked were made from matcha I personally brought back from Wazuka, the heart of where Tencha leaves (which are then processed into matcha) are grown. You can read all our our Wazuka trip here.

Ceremonial grade matcha is the cornerstone of Japanese tea ceremonies, whisked in hot water, and enjoyed straight-up. It is best tasting and highest grade of matcha available. It has a delicate and gentle flavor that is best enjoyed on it’s own, and the highest price per gram which makes you want to truly savor each sip to it’s best potential.

Culinary grade matcha is more intense, slightly more bitter even, which works to it’s favor when it’s being used as a flavoring and getting diluted with other ingredients. A visible difference is the color: culinary matcha is less vibrant than the ceremonial.

Premium grade/cocktail grade matcha is somewhere in between culinary and ceremonial, and is a combination of the first and third harvests.

How do you prepare and enjoy a cup of ceremonial matcha?

• Equipment needed:
  • Chawan: In my experience, the Chasen is strategically shaped so that it helps achieve a frothy, velvety bowl. The wide base and straight walls pull air in and helps prevent any clumping of the fine powder as the Chasen is able to scrape the base of the Chawan.

 

• Chasen: Carved out of a solid bamboo stem, The fine bristles of the bamboo whisk help ensure that the fine matcha powder dissolves and froths up in the water. The curvature of the whisks also removes any matcha stuck to the bowl as you whisk.  Can you use a metallic whisk or brother instead? In my experience, nah. It just doesn’t yield the same results.

 

• Chashaku: This is the curved bamboo spoon used for measuring out the matcha.

• Water temperature: The water temperature should never be over 80 degrees when whisking matcha. Boiling water will damage and destroy the properties and compromise the flavor

• Whisking motion: You must use the whisk in an “M’ shaped motion, and keep your whisk as close to the surface of the water as possible, when trying to build the “froth”

• Wagashi: Wagashi is the general Japanese term for “sweets”. In Japan, you’ll always be served some wagashi alongside your cup of matcha. The traditional practice is to alternate sips of matcha with bites of wagashi

What do you do with cocktail/culinary/any grade lower than the ceremonial?

While you won’t be able to enjoy a whisked cup of the culinary/cocktail grades to the same potential and the ceremonial grade, they’re great (and much cheaper) options for mixing into juices, smoothies and desserts.

Cleaning the equipment:

You must never use soap while cleaning the Chasen, just whisk warm water and it will self-clean. It’s advisable to get a new Chasen after 4 months of use. As for the Chashaku, you must never use even water to clean it, period. Water will make it lose it’s curved shape.

Words of caution: Always buy Japanese matcha, because that’s where it originated from and because the Japan boasts some of the highest standards of quality and discipline. I’ve come to hear that China has also started producing matcha, but I’m wary of that. It’s also important to only consume organic matcha, as the entire leaf is ground up and consumed so I’d want to ensure I’m not consuming any lead or pesticides, and that’s something you don’t have to worry about when purchasing high quality product from a reliable source.

Where can you purchase good matcha? I brought back a lot of matcha from Wazuka, which is the heart of where Tencha leaves are grown, which was without a doubt the best I’ve ever had, but there was no way I could have brought back enough to last me a lifetime so I regularly buy it locally as well. My trusted supplier is Avantcha, and I not only enjoy the quality of their products, but also the ginormous variety of teas and tisanes they have. They regularly host tea tastings at their very trendy retail outlet that’s more of a tea library, and they’ve been kind enough to share a discount code for my readers! Just use HAIYASMATCHAGIFT on avantcha.com, as the promo code during check out and get 10% off on both the cocktail and ceremonial grade till the end of Feb 2019!