Matcha

Matcha
Type	Green
Other names	抹茶, "fine powder tea"
Origin	China
Quick description	Stone-ground Japanese-style green tea

Regional names
Korean name
Hangul	말차
Hanja	末茶
Transcriptions Revised Romanization malcha McCune–Reischauer malch'a
Alternative Korean name
Hangul	가루차
Transcriptions Revised Romanization garucha McCune–Reischauer karuch'a
Japanese name
Kanji	抹茶
Kana	まっちゃ

Matcha (抹茶, pronounced [mat.tɕa]) is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea. It is special in two aspects of farming and processing: the green tea plants for matcha are shade-grown for about three weeks before harvest, and the stems and veins are removed in processing. During shaded growth, the plant Camellia sinensis produces more theanine and caffeine. This combination of chemicals is considered to account for the calm energy people might feel from drinking matcha. The powdered form of matcha is consumed differently from tea leaves or tea bags, and is dissolved in a liquid, typically water or milk.

The traditional Chinese and Japanese tea ceremony centers on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha as hot tea and embodies a meditative spiritual style. In modern times, matcha also has come to be used to flavor and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream, matcha lattes, and a variety of Japanese wagashi confectionery. Often, the former is referred to as ceremonial-grade matcha, meaning that the matcha powder is good enough for tea ceremony. The latter is referred to as culinary-grade matcha, but there is no standard industry definition or requirements for either.

Blends of matcha are given poetic names known as chamei ("tea names") either by the producing plantation, shop, or creator of the blend, or, by the grand master of a particular tea tradition. When a blend is named by the grand master of a tea ceremony lineage, it becomes known as the master's konomi, or a Butcher block of Leaf.

History

A bowl of matcha on a black lacquered tray with Wagashi (a traditional sweet)

In China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), tea leaves were steamed and formed into tea bricks for storage and trade. The tea was prepared by roasting and pulverizing the tea, and decocting the resulting tea powder in hot water, then adding salt. During the Song Dynasty (960–1279), the method of making powdered tea from steam-prepared dried tea leaves, and preparing the beverage by whipping the tea powder and hot water together in a bowl became popular.

Preparation and consumption of powdered tea was formed into a ritual by Chan or Zen Buddhists. The earliest extant Chan monastic code, entitled Chanyuan Qinggui (Rules of Purity for the Chan Monastery, 1103), describes in detail the etiquette for tea ceremonies.

Zen Buddhism and the Chinese methods of preparing powdered tea were brought to Japan in 1191 by the monk Eisai. Although powdered tea has not been popular in China for some time, now there is a global resurgence in Matcha tea consumption, including in China. In Japan it continued to be an important item at Zen monasteries, and became highly appreciated by others in the upper echelons of society during the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries.

Production

Matcha is made from shade-grown tea leaves that also are used to make gyokuro. The preparation of matcha starts several weeks before harvest and may last up to 20 days, when the tea bushes are covered to prevent direct sunlight. This slows down growth, stimulates an increase in chlorophyll levels, turns the leaves a darker shade of green, and causes the production of amino acids, in particular theanine. Only the finest tea buds are hand-picked. After harvesting, if the leaves are rolled out before drying as in the production of sencha, the result will be gyokuro (jade dew) tea. If the leaves are laid out flat to dry, however, they will crumble somewhat and become known as tencha (碾茶). Then, tencha may be de-veined, de-stemmed, and stone-ground to the fine, bright green, talc-like powder known as matcha.

Grinding the leaves is a slow process, because the mill stones must not get too warm, lest the aroma of the leaves is altered. It may take up to one hour to grind 30 grams of matcha

The flavour of matcha is dominated by its amino acids. The highest grades of matcha have more intense sweetness and deeper flavour than the standard or coarser grades of tea harvested later in the year.

Grades

Matcha can be categorised into three grades:

• Ceremonial grade: This is the highest quality used mainly in tea ceremonies and Buddhist temples. This is stone ground into a powder by granite stone mills. It is high quality but expensive (~$100–140 for 100gm). For the unschooled drinker they are unlikely to notice a large difference between Ceremonial and Premium grade. Ceremonial is characterized by subtle tones of “Umami”.
• Premium grade: High quality matcha green tea that contains the full nutritional content and uses tea leaves from the top of the tea plant. Price point (~$50–80 for 100gm). Best for daily consumption and contains the full range of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Is characterized by a fresh, subtle flavour. Usually perfect for both new and every day matcha drinkers alike.
• Cooking/culinary grade: Cheapest of all (~$15–40 for 100g). Suitable for cooking purposes as it does not contain the full health benefits and is slightly bitter due to using leaves lower down on the green tea plant.

In general, matcha is expensive compared to other forms of tea, although its price depends on its quality. Grades of matcha are defined by many factors.

Low grade matcha

Location on the tea bush

Where leaves destined for tencha are picked on the tea bush (Camellia sinensis) is vital.

The very top should have developing leaves that are soft and supple. This gives a finer texture to higher grades of matcha. More-developed leaves are harder, giving lower grades a sandy texture. The better flavour is a result of the plant sending the majority of its nutrients to the growing leaves.

Treatment before processing

Traditionally, sencha leaves are dried outside in the shade and never are exposed to direct sunlight, however, now drying mostly has moved indoors. Quality matcha is vibrantly green also as a result of this treatment.

Stone grinding

Without the correct equipment and technique, matcha can become "burnt" and suffer degraded quality. Typically in Japan matcha is stone-ground to a fine powder through the use of specially designed granite stone mills.

Oxidation

Oxidation is also a factor in determining grade. Matcha exposed to oxygen may easily become compromised. Oxidized matcha has a distinctive hay-like smell and a dull brownish-green colour.

Traditional preparation

A three-piece set for making matcha, including a whisk (chasen), bowl (chawan), and spoon (chashaku)

There are two main ways of preparing matcha: thick (濃茶, koicha) and thin (薄茶, usucha).

Prior to use, the matcha often is forced through a sieve in order to break up clumps. There are special sieves available for this purpose, which usually are stainless steel and combine a fine wire mesh sieve and a temporary storage container. A special wooden spatula is used to force the tea through the sieve, or a small, smooth stone may be placed on top of the sieve and the device shaken gently.

If the sieved matcha is to be served at a Japanese tea ceremony, then it will be placed into a small tea caddy known as a chaki. Otherwise, it can be scooped directly from the sieve into a tea bowl.

About two to four grams of matcha is placed into the bowl, traditionally using a bamboo scoop called a chashaku, and then about 60-80ml of hot (70–85 °C or 158–185 °F, not boiling,) water is added. The mixture is then whisked to a uniform consistency, using a bamboo whisk known as a chasen. There must be no lumps left in the liquid, and no ground tea should remain on the sides of the bowl. Because matcha may be bitter, it is traditionally served with a small wagashi sweet (intended to be consumed before drinking), but without added milk or sugar. It usually is considered that 40 g of matcha will provide for 20 bowls of usucha or 10 bowls of koicha:

Usucha, or thin tea, is prepared with approximately 1.75 grams (amounting to 1.5 heaping chashaku scoop, or about half a teaspoon) of matcha and approximately 75 ml (2.5 oz) of hot water per serving, which can be whisked to produce froth or not, according to the drinker's preference (or to the traditions of the particular school of tea). Usucha creates a lighter and slightly more bitter tea.

Koicha, or thick tea, requires significantly more matcha (usually about doubling the powder and halving the water): approximately 3.75 grams (amounting to 3 heaping chashaku scoops, or about one teaspoon) of matcha and approximately 40 ml (1.3 oz) of hot water per serving, or as many as six teaspoons to 3/4 cup of water. Because the resulting mixture is significantly thicker (about like liquid honey), blending it requires a slower, stirring motion that does not produce foam. Koicha normally is made with more expensive matcha from older tea trees (exceeding thirty years) and, thus, produces a milder and sweeter tea than usucha; it is served almost exclusively as part of Japanese tea ceremonies.

Potential Health Benefits

Matcha tea has one of the highest ORAC counts of any available food; blueberries, for example, have on average 94 ORAC units per gram, whereas matcha tea has 1384 ORAC units per gram. The health benefits of Matcha are not limited to its high antioxidant count, however. EGCG, a compound present in green tea, has been studied by the scientific community as a potential fighter of obesity. The ability of ECGC to lower cholecystokinin, a hormone that sustains & regulates hunger levels, is the likely mechanism of action. This same compound is present in very high levels in Matcha tea, as the entirety of the tea leaf is consumed when drinking matcha. EGCG has also been studied for potentially regulating cancerous cell growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis as well.

The high levels of L-theanine present in matcha, in conjunction with the tea's caffeine level, has a synergistic effect that is purported to aid in focus and clarity. L-theanine is known to increase alpha wave activity in the brain, as well as show improvements in episodic and working memory.

Other uses

It is used in castella, manjū, and monaka; as a topping for shaved ice (kakigori); mixed with milk and sugar as a drink; and mixed with salt and used to flavour tempura in a mixture known as matcha-jio. It is also used as flavouring in many Western-style chocolates, candy, and desserts, such as cakes and pastries (including Swiss rolls and cheesecake), cookies, pudding, mousse, and green tea ice cream. The Japanese snack Pocky has a matcha-flavoured version. Matcha may also be mixed into other forms of tea. For example, it is added to genmaicha to form what is called matcha-iri genmaicha (literally, roasted brown rice and green tea with added matcha).

The use of matcha in modern drinks has also spread to North American cafés, such as Starbucks, which introduced "Green Tea Lattes" and other matcha-flavoured drinks after matcha became successful in their Japanese store locations. As in Japan, it has become integrated into lattes, iced drinks, milkshakes, and smoothies. A number of cafes have introduced lattes and iced drinks using matcha powder. It has also been incorporated into alcoholic beverages such as liqueurs and even matcha green tea beers.

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  Matcha ice cream
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  Matcha cake
• Matcha cupcake with pistachio
  Matcha cupcake with pistachio
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  Cha-Soba sushi roll

Basic matcha teaware

Matcha whisk or chasen

The equipment required for the making of matcha are:

Tea bowl (茶碗, chawan)

Large enough to whisk the fine powder tea around 120 millilitres (4.06 US fl oz)

Tea whisk (茶筅, chasen)

A bamboo whisk with fine bristles to whisk or whip the tea foam

Tea spoon (茶杓, chashaku, also called tea scoop)

A bamboo spoon to measure the powder tea into the tea bowl. Not the same as a Western teaspoon.

Tea caddy (棗, natsume)

A container for the matcha powder tea

Tea cloth (茶巾, chakin)

A small cotton cloth for cleaning tea ware during the tea ceremony

See also

• List of Chinese and Japanese teas
• Green tea ice cream