Matcha is powdered green tea made from tencha — leaf grown under shade for several weeks before picking, then steamed, dried, stripped of stems and veins, and stone-ground. Because the whole leaf is consumed rather than infused and discarded, matcha differs from steeped teas in flavour, texture, and preparation.
Production
Shading the plants for roughly three to four weeks before harvest raises the amino acid content, particularly theanine, and reduces bitterness, producing the sweetness and depth that distinguishes ceremonial grades. Grinding is done on granite mills at a deliberately slow rate to avoid heat damage; producing a small tin can take hours. Uji in Kyoto Prefecture, Nishio in Aichi, and Yame in Fukuoka are the best-known growing areas.
Thick and thin tea
Tea practice uses two preparations from the same powder. *Usucha* (thin tea) uses roughly two scoops to a larger volume of water and is whisked to a foam; it is what most lessons and gatherings serve. *Koicha* (thick tea) uses about twice the powder and less water, kneaded rather than whisked into a consistency closer to paste, and is served in the more formal part of a full gathering. Higher grades are reserved for koicha, where any harshness would be unmistakable.
Outside the tea room
Culinary grades, made from later harvests and ground more coarsely, are used in confectionery and drinks. These are a different product from ceremonial matcha and are not interchangeable with it in tea practice.
Sources
- 抹茶（日本大百科全書 / 飲み物がわかる辞典） / コトバンク
Supports: 抹茶が碾茶を石臼（挽臼）で1〜3マイクロメートルの微細粉に挽いたものであること。覆下栽培（遮光栽培）した若葉を摘み、発酵しないよう直ちに蒸して乾燥させ、石臼で挽いて作ること
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
Tea ceremony descriptions can vary by school and source. Where interpretations differ, this glossary avoids definitive claims and focuses on broadly shared understandings. If you notice an error, please let us know viaContact. To learn about our organization, seeAbout Chaen.
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Related terms
- Chado (The Way of Tea)chado
The Japanese practice of preparing and serving powdered green tea, treated as a lifelong discipline rather than a beverage ritual.
- Wabiwabi
Finding sufficiency of mind within insufficiency and plainness; one of the root concepts of tea practice.
- Ichigo ichie (one time, one meeting)ichigo ichie
The principle that every gathering is unrepeatable, and should therefore be treated as if it will never occur again.
- Senchado (the way of steeped tea)senchado
A separate tradition centred on steeped leaf tea, with its own utensils and its own literati background.
- Tenchatencha
The shade-grown, unrolled leaf that is ground into matcha; never drunk in leaf form.