the.com/matcha
the only tea you eat whole, grinding the leaf into edible green lightning
means Matcha is finely ground green tea powder, made from specially shade-grown leaves, that you whisk into water rather than steep and strain.
from From Japanese 抹茶 (matcha), literally 'ground tea' — 抹 (matsu/ma) meaning 'to rub, grind, or powder' and 茶 (cha) meaning 'tea.' Both characters were borrowed long ago from Chinese, and indeed the practice of whisking powdered tea began in Song-dynasty China before fading there; Japan kept the custom alive and wove it into the tea ceremony. So the very word 'cha' is a traveler — the same root that gives English 'tea' (via a different Chinese dialect's 'te') and 'chai' across much of Asia.
- shade-grown
- Plants kept in dark to boost chlorophyll
- slow grind
- One hour of stone milling per 30 grams
- monk fuel
- Zen monks drank it for hours of meditation
- caffeine plus
- L-theanine smooths the jitters into calm focus
- whisk ritual
- Bamboo chasen whips it, never stirred
uji matcha — premium green tea powder from uji, kyoto, japan, designated as protected geographical indication
ceremonial grade matcha — highest quality matcha used in japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu), stone-ground from shade-grown leaves
encha matcha — commercially popular organic matcha brand from nishio, aichi prefecture, japan