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Matcha tea is 100% natural green tea leaves ground to powder in the most careful manner possible. It has been around in Japan for almost 800-900 years and Japan is the only place in the world where it is produced now. Put simply, Matcha is the purest green tea available in the world. It has all the goodness one needs to look glowing and feel healthy.

A few weeks before harvest, the leaves of Matcha tea are covered to prevent sunlight from reaching them. This ensures that the leaves produce lots of chlorophyll (the element that makes these leaves bright green). Then, only the young leaves and buds are carefully handpicked by highly skilled workers. After that, they are dried and ground slowly to a very fine green powder. To prevent the loss of nutrients, the leaves are grounded between two granite stones in a controlled environment. As soon as the grounding is done, Matcha is packed in a vacuum-sealed tin so that all the nutrients are locked in.

Yes, Matcha tea comes in various grades. The flavour profile of each grade is different. When you buy matcha, the flavour profile is what you pay for. Early in the harvest, fresh, young leaves are plucked which give the delicate, vegetal flavour. More mature leaves that are plucked later in the harvest usually have a coarse texture and an astringent-like taste due to the fact that they are ground with their stems and veins.

Ceremonial Grade

This is the Matcha of the famous Japanese tea ceremony. It’s the highest quality of Matcha tea available. Ceremonial grade Matcha:

• Is rich verdant in colour
  
• Has a very delicate taste
  
• Has an extremely fine texture
  

Made from the youngest leaves of the harvest after removing their veins and stems, ceremonial grade Matcha is suitable for a thick tea. It’s used exclusively for whisking with hot water (the traditional way).  It’s meant to be consumed on its own, without adding sweeteners or anything else. This Matcha is naturally sweet. The nuances of its taste and texture should be felt through all your senses.

How to use it:

You only need about 1 or one and a half teaspoon of ceremonial grade matcha to make a cup of fine matcha green tea. Make sure to whisk it thoroughly. Please refer to our matcha making guide.

How to spot inferior quality ceremonial Matcha:

• If the Matcha smells odd
  
• If it has a yellowish or brownish hue
  
• If it is coarse to the touch
  

This type of Matcha is not fit to be called ceremonial Matcha and may not even be Matcha in the first place.

If you want to buy ceremonial grade Matcha, click here.

Culinary Grade

As the name suggests, culinary grade Matcha is meant to be used in cooking. It is okay to drink culinary Matcha as a tea, as it will be a fine tea. But it won’t have the taste, texture, flavour or health benefits of ceremonial grade Matcha. Do not think of culinary grade Matcha as an inferior quality tea than ceremonial grade. It’s a different grade of tea which is plucked and prepared differently than ceremonial grade.

Flavour profile

The flavour profile of culinary grade Matcha is stronger, more assertive than that of ceremonial grade Matcha. It is a little less sweet and has a bitter aftertaste, which makes it perfect to blend with milk, sugar and other flavours.  It has a grassy smell and is soft to the touch. Culinary grade Matcha isn’t as vibrant green as its ceremonial counterpart but it’s still pretty green.

How to use it:

A number of recipes, both sweet and savoury, can be made using culinary grade Matcha tea. If you want to buy premium grade Matcha that can be used in cooking and baking, click here.

How to spot inferior quality culinary grade Matcha:

• Noticeably less green than ceremonial grade Matcha
  
• Lacking the signature grassy smell
  
• Coarse to the touch/individual grains visible 

Matcha tea, due to its high chlorophyll content, has a creamy vegetal taste. However, the flavor profile of your finished beverage may be influenced by water temperature and other ingredients that you use to make it.

The shelf life of our Matcha is printed on the label and is usually between 12 and 18 months. However, it's a “Best Before” date and not a “Use By” date. Once opened, Matcha tea should stay fresh for a 2-3 months if it is kept sealed and away from moisture, heat and light. 

Matcha tea can be refrigerated if you need to extend the period of freshness once opened.