Matcha Tea Powder
What is Matcha Tea Powder? It is very simple, Matcha is a type of green tea powder that is popular in Japan. Matcha is the tea powder that is used during the Japanese tea ceremony and is also used as the coloring in different foods that appear green like green tea ice cream, mochi and even certain soba noodles. Matcha is not typical green tea powder, therefore when you are buying green tea powder you are not necessarily getting Matcha. Each shop or manufacturer of Matcha has a specific way of making, producing or blending of Matcha. Therefore there are countless specific names of blends of Matcha available for purchase in Japan.
The history of tea powder dates back to the Tang Dynasty which began in 618 AD. This dynasty would bind tea leaves into solid tea bricks for long term storage. Then when it was time for use they would smash and decimate the brick into powder, this powder was then used for the tea. This tradition carried on through several different dynasties in Chinese history. In the 10th century the tradition of using powdered tea was brought to Japan by a Buddhist monk. Over time the Chinese stopped using powdered tea but the tradition held strong in the monasteries of Japan. It even began to be a specialty tea for the wealthy, and Matcha tea powder has been popular in Japan since the early 14th century.
The tea plant from which Matcha tea is made is called the gyoduro plant. This plant is treated in a special way throughout its life in order for it to produce Matcha tea. The gyoduro plant is a shade plant, but more than a partial shade plant, it is actually protected from the sun completely, especially in the last weeks prior to the leaves being harvested. The reason this is done is because it allows the leaves to grow and mature in a special way that causes the leaves to turn to a darker green and the tea to have a sweetened taste.
The leaves are of course dried in the open air but somewhat protected from the sun. They are then processed in such a way as to remove all of the stems and veins from the leaf. After this is done it is ground into powder. This powder is Matcha tea powder. As you can see the entire process is very unique and specific to this type of tea. The unique blends that can be purchased throughout Japan will each have been created by a different Japanese Tea Master, who has developed their own specific blend over the course of many years.
Return to home page 1 Tea
