What is matcha tea?

Matcha is a type of green tea made by taking young tea leaves and grinding them into a bright green powder. The powder is then whisked with hot water. This is different from regular green tea, where the leaves are infused in water, then removed. Drinking brewed green tea “is a bit like boiling spinach, throwing away the spinach and just drinking the water,” says Louise Cheadle, co-author of The Book of Matcha and co-owner of the tea company teapigs. “You will get some of the nutrients, but you’re throwing away the best bit.” With matcha, you’re drinking the whole tea leaves.

What does matcha taste like?

“A good quality matcha is bright green and smooth. An average matcha will be yellow and grainy to touch—the tougher leaves of the tea bush,” says Cheadle. The quality of leaves impacts the taste. “A good matcha will not taste bitter at all; there will be a slightly sweet taste.”

How do you make matcha tea?

Matcha powder and hot water should be whisked together. It’s recommended that you use a tea strainer to sift the matcha into a bowl to avoid clumps. Then, add warm water and whisk it. (Traditionally this is done with a called a bamboo whisk called a chasen.) The whisking creates a foamy tea that can be poured into your cup. Some people add the powder to other hot liquids, like milk, to make a Bright Green Latte. Here is the video of how to make traditional Matcha Tea. “

Matcha is known worldwide as a popular ingredient in sweets. But originally, matcha is green tea leaves pulverized into micron-sized powder and mixed into hot water to make tea. From the video by NHK World-Japan — Matcha “Trails to Oishii Tokyo”, they visit Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, a place where matcha is traditionally cultivated and produced, and learn how matcha is used in the tea ceremony, which is considered to encapsulate the spirit of Japanese culture and hospitality.

Article by ALEXANDRA SIFFERLIN (Time.com); Photo & Video by Y93 KITCHEN (y93sushicrave.com); Premium Matcha by MATSU KAZE TEA (matsukazetea.com)