Monday, April 29, 2024

🍵 Friend, Mike Harney Spills the Tea—All About Matcha

Matcha has become a real phenomenon in the US. View in your browser.

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Matcha has become a real phenomenon in the US. So much is being drunk and bought from Japan that it is reshaping the Japanese tea business. Fields are being converted. People understand the health benefits and are drinking more and more matcha. There are matcha bars in several cities. Crazy!

Since matcha has now taken its place in the global teascape, I thought it might be helpful to better understand this sometimes under-appreciated but wonderful powdered green tea. So, let's dive in!

Mike Harney Spills the Tea: All About Matcha

What Is Matcha?

Matcha can come from many different tea plants. Traditionally, it comes from Japan, but there are Chinese versions nowadays.

As the tea plant grows in the spring, the growers slowly cover it over. The plant reacts by making more green chlorophyll and develops special chemicals to try and adjust. Eventually, the plant is almost completely shaded. Then they are harvested; in the better matcha grades, it is hand harvested. Next the tea leaves are dried in air tunnels (sort of like those fake parachute tunnels). Later the dried tea leaves (tencha) are ground up.

The Japanese use many tea plant varieties: asahi, saimidori, and yabukita to mention a few. We get our matcha from ground tencha leaves from around the Uji area, which is close to the old imperial capital of Kyoto. While not many people drink tencha that isn't powdered, Harney & Sons is one of the few that offer it. It is an unusual green tea because it is only air dried, which makes for a light vegetal flavored brew.

When it comes to matcha's origin story … the mists of history make the origins a bit foggy. However, it seems that the Chinese would make a cake of compressed green tea, then pulverize it and blend it with hot water. The Japanese refined the process. It became the basis for the Japanese Tea Ceremony (the Way of Tea or Chado).

What Are the Different Types of Matcha, and What Can You Do With Them?

Harney & Sons offers several grades of matcha. The different grades depend upon the season, growing location, and production method.

The best matcha is defined as one that has lots of umami. "Umami" means "essence of deliciousness" in Japanese. Who would not want that? The source of that umami comes from high levels of the amino acid l-theanine – that's what creates a mouth-filling and slightly sweet brew. Shade-grown teas (matcha, tencha, and gyokuro) have more than twice the amount of amino acids as regular sencha.

Another quality definition is the color of the leaves and the brew – the darker the leaves, the higher the quality. Also, when farmers cover the leaves, they develop a special aroma. That aroma, which used to be called 'rice straw' aroma, is actually a derivative of sulfur and smells similar to asparagus. Shade-grown matcha has more than 10 times that wonderful aroma. The best grade we offer (Unjonotomo) has twice as much of the lovely aroma as the Everyday Organic Matcha.