The simplest way to describe Matcha is "green tea powder," and indeed, matcha is essentially powdered green tea. In Japanese, it means "Fine Powdered Tea." Due to its literal meaning, phrases like "Matcha Powder," "Matcha Tea," or the seemingly more coherent "Matcha Tea" are unfortunate statements. Although the literal meaning of Matcha is Fine Powdered Tea, not all green tea powders are matcha.
Green tea powder can only be called matcha if it has two characteristics:
- The tea leaves have been protected from the sun.
- The tea leaves have not been shaped for the drying process.
Why are the tea leaves used for matcha protected from the sun?
When tea plants begin to bud, the farmer covers the tea with either a straw roof or a very thick black cloth. Since building the roof takes a long time, some tea gardens prefer to use shading cloth spread directly over the plants. The outer surface of the shading cloth can sometimes have a silver reflective layer to protect the bushes from the sun's heat.
Since the canopy blocks 80-90% of sunlight, the leaves are forced to produce more chlorophyll. As the amount of chlorophyll produced increases, the leaves take on a deeper green color, and the matcha green becomes more intense. Without direct sunlight, the leaves develop amino acids that give the tea "umami," a sweet and savory taste often associated with Japanese cuisine. The tea is protected from the sun for 20-40 days, depending on the farmer and the region.
Why are matcha leaves not shaped?
The leaves used to make sencha and gyokuro are steamed and then shaped. However, the leaves that will become matcha are only steamed. After steaming, the leaves are dried in a tencha dryer without a shaping process, to facilitate the removal of stems and veins. Removing the stems and veins is a key factor in producing fine matcha.
The leaf with its stems and veins removed is called tencha. Tencha, which means "Heavenly Tea" in Japanese, is the best part of the leaf and is broken into pieces approximately 0.5 cm in diameter. Tencha is ground into a chalk-like, very fine powder with the help of a stone mill. The grinding process must be done slowly, otherwise, the increased temperature changes the taste and color of the tea, reducing the quality of the matcha.
Only 30-40 grams can be ground per hour with a stone mill. Larger quantities can be ground in industrial matcha mills, but this matcha is of lesser quality and is called "industrial matcha."
Industrial Matcha Mills
As the quality of the tea leaves increases, the tea becomes fuller-bodied and develops more 'umami' flavor. First-grade matcha, when properly mixed, produces a genuine, creamy, frothy, easy-to-drink tea.
