For centuries, Matcha green tea has been the source of health and vitality for tea drinkers across the globe. 

But not all Matcha is created equal. The cultivation of Matcha is really a unique process which leads to its delicate and fresh umami (flavour) and preserves its extraordinary nutrients. The best way to tell Matcha from green tea powder is the colour. Ceremonial Grade will look more vibrant and deep green in colour. Lower grades will be more yellow in colour and in some cases even brown. There are three grades of Matcha Green Tea:

This is the best tasting and highest quality Matcha available. Usually Ceremonial Grade Matcha is whisked with hot water and drunk without additional flavours or blends. Enriched with a huge number of health benefits, ceremonial Grade Matcha is ‘the’ tea of traditional tea ceremony. It has a fresh, delicate flavour and which means it can be enjoyed by itself without being sweetened or added to anything.

Not quite as sweet as Ceremonial Grade and not quite as intense as Culinary Grade, Premium Grade Matcha contains all of the goodness and nutrients found in Ceremonial Grade, but the crop is likely to come from the second harvest which means that it will be stronger in taste and slightly more bitter than Ceremonial Grade. But some of the people can still drink

Culinary matcha are harvested during third harvest. Tea leaves that are exposed to the sun for longer tend to have a richer, bolder flavour. On appearance. On the tongue you’ll notice higher levels of astringency and even some bitterness. This is not necessarily a bad feature either. Like the name suggests, culinary matcha is suitable for baking and cooking where you may want those distinct earthy flavours of matcha powder to shine through. 

I guess you know how to choose the matcha now 🙂