Product Code Database
抹茶]] is a finely ground powder of green tea specially processed from shade-grown tea leaves. Shade growing gives matcha its characteristic bright green color and strong umami flavor. Matcha is typically consumed suspended in hot water.
Matcha has its origin in Japan, where, Muromachi period in the 16th century, tea farmers developed the technique of shade-grown cultivation. This innovation constitutes the essential process that defines matcha and distinguishes it from earlier forms of powdered tea. Most matcha is produced there today. (2025). 9781607741725, Ten Speed Press. ISBN 9781607741725 The traditional Japanese tea ceremony, typically known as 茶の湯 or 茶道, centers on the preparation, serving and drinking of matcha as hot tea, and embodies a meditative and spiritual practice.
Matcha is also used to flavor and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream, , and a variety of Japanese wagashi confectionery. For this purpose, matcha made green by instead of expensive shade-grown matcha is often used.
Both definitions require that matcha must be:
The Japanese food labeling standard requires the tea leaves to be shaded for 2–3 weeks before harvesting using covering materials such as yoshizu, komo, or cheesecloth. Tea leaves after processing the first three steps are called 3=tencha in this standard. ISO 20715:2023 allows matcha to be made from tender leaves, , or shoots, but Japanese food labeling standard allows it to be made only from leaves.
Inexpensive green tea, 3=hunmatsucha, made by crushing non-shade grown tea leaves, is sometimes sold under the name of "matcha" although it does not satisfy the above definitions. The cheaper alternative is used to flavor and dye foods.
The characteristic bright green color is due to the increased that the plants need to collect more light in the shade. The flavor of matcha is dominated by its amino acids. The ooikou aroma is due to the matcha's dimethyl sulfide content.
Green tea is more umami oriented than black tea and the matcha form is particularly rich in umami flavor with twice the amino acids (the source of umami) as sencha green tea. The , theanine, succinic acid, gallic acid, and theogallin are the primary contributors to matcha's umami flavor. The growing of tencha, which serves as the material for producing matcha, relies on the tencha plant being grown in shade, therefore, not breaking down the content of theanine on the leaves. Shading increases the amount of caffeine and total free amino acids but also reduces the accumulation of in leaves.
Matcha tea contains , including high amounts of chlorogenic acid.
| +Japanese powderly green tea ! !3=matcha !3=hunmatsucha !3=konacha !3=instant tea |
The use of matcha in modern drinks has also spread to North American cafés, such as Starbucks, which introduced "green tea lattes" and other matcha-flavored drinks after they became successful in their Japanese store locations. As in Japan, it has become integrated into , iced drinks, , and smoothies. This increase in matcha-based drinks in the U.S. is driven by a rise in consumer interest in healthier beverage options, with many opting for matcha due to its perceived health benefits and lower caffeine content compared to coffee.
In 816, by imperial order, tea plantations were established in the Kinki region. However, public interest in tea soon declined.
The term matcha (抹茶) does not appear in Chinese sources from the Song or Yuan dynasty dynasties, nor in Eisai's writings. In Japan, illustrations of “ matcha jars” (抹茶壺, in this case referring to tea caddies) appear in the Kundaikan sōchōki (君台観左右帳記, literally “Record of Appraising Objects for the Lord’s Viewing Stand”), a Muromachi period manual on art connoisseurship and interior decoration compiled by the art connoisseurs Nōami and Sōami for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. The “Nōami-bon” (1476)* and “Sōami-bon” (1511) versions of this text both include such illustrations, indicating that the term matcha (抹茶) was already in use in the late 15th century. Furthermore, in the oldest surviving manuscript of the Sōami-bon, the “Tōhoku University manuscript” (dated to 1559, the second year of Eiroku), the characters 抹茶 are glossed with the phonetic reading “Surichatsubo” (スリチヤツホ), indicating that the word may originally have been pronounced suricha rather than matcha.
The characters for matcha (抹茶) also appear in the Japanese dictionary Unpo Iroha Shū (1548), compiled during the Muromachi period. The Book of Agriculture (1313) by Wang Zhen ( 1290–1333) of the Yuan dynasty includes the terms mòchá (末茶) and mòzichá (末子茶). One theory suggests that these words were adopted and transformed into the term "matcha" in Japan. However, as this book was published about a century after Eisai, no documentary evidence confirms whether these terms were introduced to Japan or evolved into "matcha" by the 16th century.
Moreover, whether read as matcha or suricha, the term 抹茶 literally means “tea that has been ground”. In contrast, the terms 末茶 (mòchá) and 末子茶 (mòzichá) mean “tea reduced to powder,” and thus differ not only in characters and pronunciation, but also in meaning.
Eisai's disciple, the monk Myōe (1173–1232), received a tea urn containing seeds from Eisai and established a tea plantation in Togano'o, Kyoto, by sowing them there. During the Kamakura period (1185–1333), Togano'o tea was known as , while teas from other regions were referred to as . Togano'o tea gained the highest reputation at the time. Myōe also established tea plantations in Uji, Kyoto, which subsequently became Japan's foremost tea-producing region.
During the Muromachi period (1336–1573), tea spread among the general public. Among the elite, it became fashionable to drink tea using expensive Chinese ceramics known as . In the 16th century, however, tea masters such as Murata Jukō and Sen no Rikyū emphasized simplicity, giving rise to the Japanese tea ceremony. This practice prioritized introspection over ostentation and came to favor simple utensils. The wabi-sabi aesthetic, which finds beauty in modesty, simplicity, and imperfection, became closely associated with the tea ceremony.
It was long believed that the practice of growing tea plants under shade by covering them with straw or reeds began in Japan in the late 16th century. For example, the Portuguese missionary João Rodrigues Tçuzu, who arrived in Japan in 1577, wrote about shaded cultivation in his 1604 work, History of the Japanese Church (Historia da Igreja do Japão). However, recent soil analyses of Uji tea plantations suggest that the practice began in the first half of the 15th century at the latest.
This technique, originally intended to protect tea sprouts from frost damage, led to the development of a unique Japanese matcha (tencha) that was bright green and had a distinctive aroma and flavor. By limiting exposure to sunlight, photosynthesis in the leaves is inhibited, preventing the conversion of theanine—a component responsible for umami—into , which cause bitterness and astringency. As a result, the tea leaves retain a higher umami content. Shaded cultivation also increases the concentration of chlorophyll in the leaves, resulting in a vibrant green color. Until then, matcha introduced from China was brown in color—hence the Japanese word for "brown", 茶色 (chairo), literally means "tea color".
The oldest known brand of matcha is . "Grandmother" refers to Myōshūni (妙秀尼, d. 1598), daughter of Rokkaku Yoshikata, who married Kanbayashi Hisashige. She was affectionately called "Baba" by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Myōshūni was skilled in tea preparation, and Ieyasu often drank her tea. The matcha made using her method was named Baba Mukashi and was later served to the shogun. According to one theory, the name Baba Mukashi was bestowed by Ieyasu himself.
Other well-known brands included and , both of which were also presented to the shogun. and were also well-known.
At the time, matcha was shipped in tea jars filled with tencha (unground leaf tea), which was later ground into powder using a tea grinder. The event of transporting tea jars from Uji to Edo (now Tokyo) for presentation to the shogun was called the , and even feudal lords were required to stand aside when the procession passed. The tradition continued from 1633 until 1866, near the end of the Edo period.
Tea producers in Uji, who had enjoyed exclusive rights to shaded cultivation and the production of tencha, lost their privileged position in the industry. Until then, only authorized Uji tea masters had been permitted to grow tea under shade and supply the high-quality leaves used for matcha and gyokuro. With the end of these monopolistic privileges, shaded cultivation techniques gradually spread to other regions of Japan, allowing tea farmers outside Uji to produce tencha as well.
Despite this shift, the industry adapted through technological advancements and modernization. One notable development was the invention of the tencha kansōki during the Taishō (1912–1926) to early Shōwa (1926–1989) periods. These machines used radiant heat to efficiently dry steamed tea leaves, significantly improving product quality compared to the earlier hoiro method, which used charcoal-fired hearths and paper supports to dry the leaves by hand.
The establishment of research institutions, such as the 京都府茶業研究所, further contributed to the modernization and quality improvement of matcha production.
Throughout the 20th century, matcha remained central to the practice of the Japanese tea ceremony, preserved by major tea schools such as Urasenke and Omotesenke. Its role in cultural education expanded through school tea ceremony clubs and public workshops, maintaining its status as a traditional beverage in Japan.
In recent decades, matcha has seen growing international popularity as a health food, owing to its rich concentrations of antioxidants, particularly catechins and theanine. Clinical and preclinical research supports its health-promoting properties, including stress reduction and cognitive enhancement in humans, as well as potential cardiometabolic and anti-cancer effects in animal models.
It has been adopted into various products such as matcha lattes, desserts, and confections. The term "matcha" has become widely recognized globally, and Japanese producers have promoted exports of high-quality matcha under regional brands, particularly from Uji, Nishio, and Shizuoka Prefecture.
As demand grows, concerns have also emerged about maintaining quality standards and ensuring the authenticity of Japanese matcha. Both the public and private sectors are working to preserve traditional production methods and promote environmentally sustainable cultivation practices.
In recent years, some Kyoto-based tea companies have implemented purchase limits on premium matcha due to supply constraints, particularly of first-flush matcha, which was historically reserved for tea ceremonies but is now widely consumed overseas.
The labor-intensive nature of production, limited grinding capacity, and a shrinking number of tea farmers have added further strain to the supply chain. In response, both government and industry stakeholders are exploring policy reforms, subsidies, and regional diversification to protect traditional cultivation and meet ongoing demand.
In China during the Tang dynasty (618–907), tea leaves were steamed and pressed into compressed tea for storage and trade. According to Lu Yu's The Classic of Tea (760–762), tea was first made by roasting compressed tea over a fire and then grinding it in a wooden grinder called a niǎn (碾, Japanese: yagen), boiling water in a pot, adding salt once it comes to a boil, then adding the tea powder to the boiling water and boiling it until it began to foam.Han Wei, "Tang Dynasty Tea Utensils and Tea Culture: Recent Discoveries at Famen Temple", in Chanoyu Quarterly no. 74 (1993) The tea was also sometimes mixed with green onions, ginger, ziziphus jujuba, mandarin orange peels, Tetradium ruticarpum, and mint.
The most famous references to powdered tea are Cai Xiang's Record of Tea (1049–1053) and Emperor Huizong's Treatise on Tea (1107), both written during the Song dynasty (960–1279). These documents describe the preparation of high-grade compressed tea, such as Lóngfèng Tuánchá (龍鳳團茶, ). The tea was ground into powder using a metal niǎn, then sifted. The powder was poured into a tea bowl, hot water was added, and the mixture was whisked.
According to the Record of Tea, the finer the sieve, the more the tea would float; the coarser the sieve, the more it would sink. This suggests that the powder particles were larger than those of modern matcha. Tea ceremonies at Kennin-ji in Kyoto and Engaku-ji in Kamakura are thought to preserve traditions from the Song dynasty.
The lump tea presented to the emperor was mixed with borneol, a strongly aromatic substance, and coated with oily flavorings to give it a glossy surface—so much so that the tea's original aroma was lost. Cai Xiang criticized such processing.
In addition, the ideal color of tea was considered to be white, rather than green or brown. However, since tea powder could not usually be made white, various processing methods had to be employed to whiten it. For example, tea buds were plucked just after sprouting, repeatedly squeezed, and water was added repeatedly during grinding. A type of white tea called "water buds" (水芽) was also made, in which the leafy part of the sprout was removed, leaving only the veins as raw material.
In the Ming dynasty, the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang issued a ban on the production of compressed tea in 1391. This decree led to the abandonment of compressed tea in China. Instead, a new method—similar to modern tea preparation—in which loose tea is steeped in hot water and extracted, became the mainstream practice.
In Shen Defu's Wanli ye huo bian ("Unofficial Gleanings of the Wanli Emperor Era", 萬厲野獲編), it is recorded:
With the prohibition of compressed tea, the powdered tea associated with it also fell into disuse in China.
In Japan, however, a tradition of powdered tea preparation was preserved. Through innovations such as shade cultivation of tea leaves ( 覆下栽培) and stone-milling, Japan eventually developed what is now known as matcha, which over time was deeply shaped by Japanese aesthetics and cultural principles. (2025). 9781607741725, Ten Speed Press. ISBN 9781607741725
Some historians have pointed out that, as the Ming dynasty emphasized agriculture and held a strong military ethos—and since the Hongwu Emperor himself had risen from the lowest social strata—he may have viewed the elaborate and refined nature of compressed tea with disdain.Shunshin Chin (1992). 402260705X, The Asahi Shimbun Company. 402260705X
|
|
