The Japanese tea ceremony is an ancient tradition steeped in rich culture and history. And when one thinks of this ceremony, it’s impossible not to think of the beloved Matcha tea. This unique tea is more than just green tea; it holds a special place in Japanese culture due to its complex production and distinct fragrance.

Moreover, drinking Matcha is said to have some health benefits. But what exactly are these benefits? And what’s the difference between Matcha and Green Tea Powder? Let’s delve deeper into this fascinating tea and uncover all the wonders it has to offer!

What is Matcha? 

The processes for Matcha production:
Shade Grown→Hand Picked→Steamed and Air Dried→De-stemmed and Graded→Grounded into Matcha

Matcha is a type of green tea that undergoes no fermentation. The tea plants are grown under shade for one month before picking, which reduces their exposure to sunlight and prevents drastic environmental changes, resulting in a less astringent and sweeter flavor. The tea is then harvested and treated with high-temperature steam to kill the cyanine. Finally, the tea is ground using a low-temperature stone mill, which preserves the tea aroma and creates a unique seaweed aroma for the Matcha.

The Health Benefits of Matcha

Matcha is regarded as a healthy green tea is that Matcha contains high-quality “catechins”. Antioxidant catechins can inhibit high blood pressure, prevent diabetes, and slow aging and cancer. Therefore, the main difference between Matcha and ordinary green tea powder lies in the color, fineness, and nutritional value. Some of the main benefits of consuming Matcha include the following:

1. Beauty, anti-aging
Matcha is rich in catechins and tea polyphenols, which have super antioxidant power! In addition to helping beauty and anti-aging, it can reduce cell damage and prevent chronic diseases.

2. Protect the “heart”
The active ingredients in Matcha can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

3. Improve memory
Theanine, catechin, and caffeine can all improve concentration and work efficiency.

4. Eliminate bad breath
It helps keep the mouth fresh and fragrant.

5. Lowers Cholesterol
The nutritional content of matcha tea is similar to that of green tea, which helps regulate blood fat.

6. Reduce Anxiety
Theanine has the effect of stabilizing mood and releasing stress, so it can help relieve Anxiety. Try a cup of matcha tea to see the soothing effect when busy with work and meetings!

7. Weight Loss
Caffeine boosts metabolism.

8. Anti-inflammatory
The powerful antioxidant power helps fight free radicals and anti-inflammation.

What Does Matcha Taste Like?

There are five primary flavors of Matcha: Bitterness, Astringent, Umami, Sweetness, and Grassy. Check out my article here for more details. 

Green Tea Powder vs Matcha

Generally, we can distinguish them from the following four aspects. For a deeper understanding of these differences, please refer to my article here.

1. Color: Matcha is a dark green due to its covering of steamed green tea leaves, and green tea powder has a grassy green hue.

2. Taste: Matcha is made from shade-grown tea leaves, resulting in a smoother and less bitter taste than green tea powder.

3. Fragrance: Matcha and green tea powder have distinct aromas due to tree species, cultivation, and processing differences. Matcha has a seaweed aroma, while green tea powder has a grassy aroma.

4. Fineness: Matcha tea is finely ground to a particle size of over 6000 mesh, equivalent to 2 microns. Comparatively, green tea powder has a particle size of approximately 100-300 mesh.

How to Brew Matcha? 

• Pour hot water into the tea bowl and tea whisk. Gently stir to soften the whisk and warm the cup.
• Place the strainer on the tea bowl. Take 2g of tea powder with a teaspoon and press it through the strainer.
• Add 70-100ml of hot water to a tea measuring cup, then pour it into the bowl.
• For the best tea, vigorously whisk the tea vertically and stir in a W motion.

Matcha Grades

When it comes to cultivating Japanese tea, there are two distinct methods. One involves exposing the tea leaves to direct sunlight, which results in sencha. The other consists of covering the tea garden with black cloth, which reduces the amount of the sun and produces mainly Matcha. Gyokuro, a high-grade tea, is made from the same raw material as Matcha. 

However, authentic Matcha is not simply machine-ground green tea leaves but carefully rolled out through a stone mill. The only way to fully expose the chlorophyll and tea fragrance in Tencha is to grind it using natural stone mills.

In Japan, Matcha is traditionally categorized into: 

• Ceremonial Grade Matcha
• Culinary Grade Matcha

In addition, Culinary Matcha can be divided into the following five grades:

• Premium Grade
• Café Grade
• Classic Grade
• Ingredient Grade
• Kitchen Grade

How Much Caffeine in Matcha?

Matcha is known for its high caffeine content, even higher than coffee and regular green tea. Generally, a regular cup (240ml) of green tea contains roughly 30mg of caffeine. In comparison, 2-4 grams of Matcha contains between 38 to 176mg of caffeine, significantly higher than the average amount in a Japanese green tea bag or green tea leaves.

It’s worth noting that coffee contains about 40-50mg of caffeine, which is still lower than the amount found in Matcha.