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Matcha tea is the only well-known and widely consumed type of powdered green tea. Although the practice of grinding green tea leaves into a fine powder actually commenced in China it is sometimes regarded as a really old Japanese convention. The word itself, matcha, interprets as \’rubbed\’ or \’ground tea\’. Drinking green matcha tea powder is accelerating in acceptance for its taste, health benefits and tendency to create a feeling of tranquility.
During the 7th to 10th centuries in China, tea became more popular as systems of better preservation; more efficient storage and less complicated transport over distance were perfected. During this time, tea cakes of pressed tea leaves were made after the leaves were dried, pressed firmly into the shape of small cakes and then baked for preservation. When preparing green matcha tea powder from pressed cakes, one must break off pieces then crumble the pressed leaves into a grinding receptacle. It is next ground to a fine powder. Over time, the process of whisking the tea powder in a bowl with hot water became ritualized and still is a part of the practice to prepare matcha tea currently.
It was not until the 12th Century that matcha green tea powder arrived in Japan. As it gained in popularity in Japan, it lost its place in Chinese tea drinking rituals. The process of whisking green tea with hot water has remained popular to this day in Japan, and the Japanese have customized their own complicated cultural and ritualistic practices to form what is now known as the Japanese tea ceremony.
Since green was tea introduced to Japan it has become a leading grower and exporter of green tea. Uji in Kyoto has the perfect climate, geology, soil and altitude for growing green tea. This area\’s mild climate composed of warm days and cool nights are perfect for tea gowning.
Matcha green tea powder is produced by the same techniques as conventional tea farming up until the final 3 weeks of its growth. Three weeks before its harvest, Matcha green tea plants would be shaded by reed or straw screens or in modern large scale farming this is frequently replaced by black tarpaulin sheeting. This serves to restrict the sunlight reaching the leaves that has several effects. The reduced daylight causes the leaves to turn a brighter clear shade of green due to increased chlorophyll production.
Levels of a specific amino acid called L-Theanine which is unique to green tea, are also increased. This leads directly to a better taste and more health benefits. This is the compound which is believed to give this tea its stress reducing effects promoting a calm yet focused awareness. After this shading period is complete, the best quality matcha will be produced from the outermost leaves of the plant, the unopened tip and two topmost leaves. The handpicked tips are then steamed to stop oxidation, maintaining freshness and nutrient content.
At this point the tea now a finished tea in its own right. For matcha production the fibrous stem and vein structure is then stripped from the leaves leaving small irregularly shaped parts of the tea leaf which can finally be stone ground into the end product. It is thought that hand milled matcha is still the best and it is definitely its production has a resemblance to the traditional teas of traditional Japan and China. Nowadays industrial methods can guarantee larger consistency in the plants due to tough temperature regulation, grinding precision and bigger grinding power and speed all thanks to mechanisation.
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