What is Maccha/ Matcha?

“Maccha” means “ground green tea”, not to be confused with “konacha”, “powdered green tea”. Maccha is green tea that has been shade grown, the youngest leaves hand picked, de-veined, de-stemmed, and stone ground into a powder. The shade-grown, hand-picked, premium leaves are called tencha. Gyokuro (premium loose leaf Japanese green tea) and maccha are both made from tencha.

Gyokuro is arguably the highest grade of loose leaf green tea. Tencha is shade grown for the last few weeks before harvest and is hand-picked to reduce bruising. The leaves are not massaged, like sencha ones are, but dried as is. For maccha, the leaves are then de-veined and destemmed. The pure leaf is ground into a powder and dissolved in water for consumption. It is the only tea used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony which has existed for 1000 years.

True VS Fake Maccha

- Maccha must be made from tencha, never sencha, or any other green tea - Maccha must be stone ground, not exploded like a lot of maccha from China - Maccha is a powder, never in leaf form - Never should there be MSG - Never should there be additives

What is “Good” Maccha?

Good maccha is defined by:,

- Skill of growers

The leaves are hand-picked so as not to bruise, taken care of so that direct sunlight does not hit them, shade grown to increase chlorophyll content, 100% deveined and destemmed. The fertilizers chosen will effect the flavour and the blending with other tencha to bring unifor- mity is a common practice.

- Season

The green tea tree is a product of nature. Seasonal variances can have a profound effect on the maccha flavour, colour, texture, and everything.

- Grade

(Check out our grades section) - Stone grinding skill utmost care must be taken to ensure that “burn” does not occur. Burnt maccha is fairly prevalent in the lower grades (we do not carry burnt maccha). Stone grinding is an artisan skill. Modern day maccha often uses the same traditional stone grinders, but are hooked to ma- chines that have been programmed with the utmost care and precision.

- Storage time

Our biggest concern is storage time for our matcha. We always keep it fresh and ask you to do the same. Try to buy only what you will go through in a month. Oxidisation tastes like hay and has the colour profile of mud.

- Storage quality

If your matcha has been stored near strong odours (ie. coffee, bag of onions, in the refridgerator), or in a heated area, its integrity could be profoundly affected (in a bad way). Take good care of it and it will take good care of you.

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