In America and Europe, organic foods are usually perceived to be of higher quality. Based on the volume of enquiries we receive on the topic of organic matcha, it does seem that there’s a market need for more organic matcha. Yet, most matcha companies do not offer many organic blends. We ourselves only have two …
Why it is hard to find good organic matcha from Japan Read More »
More than 70% of all tea plants grown in Japan are genetically identical. This is because they were propagated using cutting rather than growing from a seed. This is a “cultivar”, and it allows farmers to standardize quality and output year after year. Certain tea plant cultivars are said to be better for making matcha …
What are tea cultivars and should you pay any attention to them? Read More »
The search results on Google suggest that matcha tea is either thin matcha tea (usucha), or a thick matcha tea (koicha). The key difference between the two being the matcha powder used and different amounts of hot water. This is seen as the “proper way” in most of the guidance available on how to prepare …
In the first week of May each year, there’s a palpable energy in the tea growing regions of Japan. It is time for the annual first harvest, and it is the busiest time for the entire industry. Farmers rush to harvest the tea within specific windows and the manufacturers and retailers process the tea for …
What is the first harvest and why is it so important? Read More »
Making matcha is a process which requires skilled labor at each stage. The tea plants must be cared for, then properly shaded before being processed in specific methods. After that, a tea master will sample processed tea leaves (tencha) and create blends out of the tencha from different tea gardens or harvests. The blended tencha …
As an ingredient, matcha is quite a finicky ingredient. Expose it to light and the atmosphere too long, it will oxidise and lose flavor. Use the wrong temperature water to mix it up, it may become unpleasant and bitter. Try to stir it using only a spoon? You are likely to end up with a …
Troubleshooting matcha – 3 common errors and what you should do instead Read More »
With its brilliant green color, matcha just looks healthier even if you have no idea why. But how does it taste? If you’ve tried matcha before and loved it, then you have probably tried to describe the taste to friends. That’s where the difficulties begin and that’s what we’ll try to clarify in this article. …
Simply put, matcha is a type of green tea. Both come from the same plant, “camilla sinesis”, but matcha is a specific type of green tea. Because of how it is produced, it has quite different characteristics from other types of green tea such as “sencha” (煎茶) or “genmaicha” (玄米茶). 1. Differences in the manufacturing …
What is the difference between matcha and green tea? Read More »
Simply put, matcha is a type of green tea originating in Japan. Matcha is made of finely ground tea leaves grown under shade for a few weeks prior to harvesting. While matcha has a similar taste to green tea, there are several key differences. The big difference is that matcha powder is made by grinding …
Kagoshima was historically the source of cheap “filler” teas that big, traditional tea houses in Uji would use to blend and balance out teas. This slowly changed in the late 1980s as the regional government sought to increase the brand recognition and quality of its tea product. History of Kagoshima tea Today, Kagoshima is an …
Why you need to start paying attention to matcha from Kagoshima Read More »