High quality Matcha tea
Hey, we are the Friends of Tea and we are big Matcha fans! Here you can find high quality and sustainably grown Matcha teas from Japan. Matcha 抹茶 is Japanese and means ground tea. So Matcha is a green tea which has been processed into a very fine, soft powder.
In recent years Matcha has made its way from the land of the rising sun to the West. At least since the fitness and health industry got wind of the magic green powder Matcha has become a big trend. Matcha has a lot of caffeine, which is why it can be used as a wonderful stimulant. Unlike coffee, however, Matcha does not make you nervous but triggers an intense but pleasant feeling of wakefulness. Furthermore, matcha is said to have a number of positive health properties!
The origin of matcha tea
Original matcha always originates from Japan. Its historical origin is in the region of Uji, Japan. Matcha is the oldest tea variety in Japan and it is said that people have been drinking Matcha in Japan since 800 AD. Nowadays, however, excellent matcha is also produced in many other regions of Japan.
The production of Matcha tea
The basis for brilliant Matcha teas is always high quality green tea which is harvested in the first plucking period in spring, the so-called Ichibancha (一番茶). A few weeks before the harvest the vital tea leaves are covered with opaque nets. As a result, the tea plants start to form more chlorophyll and a mixture of different amino acids, which gives the Matcha its deep green colour and characteristic umami.
After harvesting, the tea is steamed with water to stop the oxidation of the leaves. In the following step the leaf stems are separated from the leaf tissue so that only the leaf tissue remains.
This leaf tissue is called Tencha (碾茶). It forms the basis for the production of Matcha tea in traditional granite mills, where it is ground to finest tea powder. It is important that the stone mills do not grind too fast, otherwise too much heat is generated and the fine tea leaves lose their quality. For the production of 30g of Matcha a traditional mill needs over an hour!
The right Matcha preparation
We have written a long blog post about the correct preparation of high quality Matcha tea, so grab your chasen and your Matcha bowl and let's go to our Blog! The preparation of Matcha tea is not difficult! A visit to our blog is also worthwhile to learn about exciting recipes or to learn how the traditional tea ceremony works.
Why is Matcha tea so expensive?
High-quality Matcha, including ours, costs almost as much as good caviar and the question you might ask yourself is: why is that? This bright green drink is considered to be very healthy because of the ingredients and the production is very complex and requires a lot of skill, dedication and knowledge from the producers. Moreover, Matcha is in high demand which also has an impact on the price.
Where do we get our Matcha tea?
Our premium Matcha tea comes from the city of Uji in Japan. Both our Superior (Ceremonial Matcha) and our beginner Matcha are sourced from the Takezawa Tea Farm.
