Matcha tea is the sole well-known and widely consumed form of powdered green tea. Though the practice of grinding green tea leaves into a fine powder actually began in China it is usually regarded as an especially old Japanese convention. The word itself, matcha, translates as 'rubbed' or 'ground tea'. Drinking green matcha tea powder is augmenting in popularity for its taste, health benefits and tendency to create a feeling of tranquility.
During the 7th to 10th centuries in China, tea became more popular as systems of better preservation; more efficient storage and simpler transportation across the country were improved. In this time, tea cakes of pressed tea leaves were made after the leaves were dried, pressed firmly into the form of small cakes and then baked for preservation. When preparing green matcha tea powder from pressed cakes, one must break off pieces then crumble the pressed leaves into a grinding receptacle. It is then ground to a fine powder. Over time, the method of whisking the tea powder in a bowl with hot water became ritualized and still is a part of the practice to prepare matcha tea currently.
It was not until the 12th Century that matcha green tea powder was exported to Japan. As it gained in popularity in Japan, it lost its place in Chinese tea drinking practices. The process of whisking green tea with hot water has remained popular to this day in Japan, and the Japanese have customized their own complex cultural and ritualistic practices to form what's now known as the Japanese tea ceremony.
Since green was tea introduced to Japan it has become a leading producer and exporter of green tea. Uji in Kyoto has the best climate, geology, soil and altitude for growing green tea. This area's mild climate composed from warm days and cool nights are perfect for tea gowning.
Matcha green tea powder is produced by the same techniques as normal tea farming up until the final 3 weeks of its growth. Three weeks before its harvest, Matcha green tea plants would be shaded by reed or straw screens or in modern huge scale farming this is frequently replaced by black tarpaulin sheeting. This serves to restrict the daylight reaching the leaves which has several effects. The reduced sunlight causes the leaves to turn a brighter vivid shade of green due to increased chlorophyll concentration.
Levels of a selected amino acid called L-Theanine which is totally unique to green tea, are also increased. This leads on to a better taste and more health benefits. This is the compound which is thought to give this tea its stress reducing effects promoting a calm yet focused alertness. After this shading period is complete, the best quality matcha will be produced from the outermost leaves of the plant, the unopened tip and 2 topmost leaves. The handpicked tips are then steamed to stop oxidation, maintaining freshness and nutrient content.
At this stage the tea now a finished tea in its own right. For matcha production the fibrous stem and vein structure is then stripped from the leaves leaving small irregularly formed parts of the tea leaf which can finally be stone ground into the end product. It is thought that hand milled matcha remains the best and it is certainly its production is like the normal teas of ancient Japan and China. Nowadays industrial strategies can guarantee larger consistency in the plants due to stringent temperature regulation, grinding precision and larger grinding power and speed all thanks to mechanisation.
During the 7th to 10th centuries in China, tea became more popular as systems of better preservation; more efficient storage and simpler transportation across the country were improved. In this time, tea cakes of pressed tea leaves were made after the leaves were dried, pressed firmly into the form of small cakes and then baked for preservation. When preparing green matcha tea powder from pressed cakes, one must break off pieces then crumble the pressed leaves into a grinding receptacle. It is then ground to a fine powder. Over time, the method of whisking the tea powder in a bowl with hot water became ritualized and still is a part of the practice to prepare matcha tea currently.
It was not until the 12th Century that matcha green tea powder was exported to Japan. As it gained in popularity in Japan, it lost its place in Chinese tea drinking practices. The process of whisking green tea with hot water has remained popular to this day in Japan, and the Japanese have customized their own complex cultural and ritualistic practices to form what's now known as the Japanese tea ceremony.
Since green was tea introduced to Japan it has become a leading producer and exporter of green tea. Uji in Kyoto has the best climate, geology, soil and altitude for growing green tea. This area's mild climate composed from warm days and cool nights are perfect for tea gowning.
Matcha green tea powder is produced by the same techniques as normal tea farming up until the final 3 weeks of its growth. Three weeks before its harvest, Matcha green tea plants would be shaded by reed or straw screens or in modern huge scale farming this is frequently replaced by black tarpaulin sheeting. This serves to restrict the daylight reaching the leaves which has several effects. The reduced sunlight causes the leaves to turn a brighter vivid shade of green due to increased chlorophyll concentration.
Levels of a selected amino acid called L-Theanine which is totally unique to green tea, are also increased. This leads on to a better taste and more health benefits. This is the compound which is thought to give this tea its stress reducing effects promoting a calm yet focused alertness. After this shading period is complete, the best quality matcha will be produced from the outermost leaves of the plant, the unopened tip and 2 topmost leaves. The handpicked tips are then steamed to stop oxidation, maintaining freshness and nutrient content.
At this stage the tea now a finished tea in its own right. For matcha production the fibrous stem and vein structure is then stripped from the leaves leaving small irregularly formed parts of the tea leaf which can finally be stone ground into the end product. It is thought that hand milled matcha remains the best and it is certainly its production is like the normal teas of ancient Japan and China. Nowadays industrial strategies can guarantee larger consistency in the plants due to stringent temperature regulation, grinding precision and larger grinding power and speed all thanks to mechanisation.
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