Japanese Matcha Tea Important Part of Island’s Embrace of Ceremony

Vivid green powdered green tea now popular worldwide

A cup of matcha green tea and a bamboo matcha whisk


People across Japan this month enjoyed the Obon Festival, one of the island nation’s biggest celebrations. 

This ancient Buddhist custom dates back more than 500 years, and while aspects of the event are jovial, it revolves around something rather somber: commemorating deceased ancestors.

People hang paper lanterns called chochin, to guide ancestral spirits. They perform Obon dances. Families gather and visit graves, and offer their relatives food at temples and altars. 

Matcha green tea in a clay cup in a person's hands
Matcha green tea is traditionally prepared in misshapen and handmade clay cups.

The celebration, which normally takes about three days, concludes with toro-nagashi, when families place floating lanterns in rivers, oceans and lakes. The idea: The water carries the spirits back to their world.

We honor Japanese culture and tea at Ku Cha. Japan nurtures a wide variety of excellent teas, and we carry a range of them. Gen Mai Cha, which is Japanese sencha tea combined with roasted brown rice. Hoji Cha, a low-caffeine, late-harvest green tea that is roasted, giving it a rich taste and unforgettable aroma.

And of course a Japanese tea many have encountered — matcha. We are certain a fair amount of hot and cold matcha (as well as sake) was consumed during the Obon Festival. 

China invented powdered tea. Japanese created matcha

Let’s explore matcha, a tea unlike any other in the world.

Japan made matcha famous. But it first was manufactured and widely consumed in China, beginning during the Tang dynasty (618-907). Back then, artisans steamed tea leaves, and formed them into bricks for the sake of storage and transportation. People would then roast and grind the tea leaves, pour hot water over them, and even add salt.

At its core, this is matcha: green tea ground into a powder and prepared by decocting in hot water.

But the Japanese, who first encountered powdered tea in 1191 thanks to a monk called Eisai, took matcha to a new level. Zen monasteries fully embraced the tea, incorporating it into elaborate tea ceremonies.

matcha green tea used in a slice of cake
Matcha green tea is used for a variety of culinary purposes, including flavoring and coloring cakes.

Now, matcha is ubiquitous across Japan. Nearly every beverage vending machine in the country, for example, will have cold matcha tea for sale. Meanwhile, matcha has returned to popularity in China, as well as around the world. And not just as something to sip. Ice creams, cakes, chocolate bars and much more are infused (and colored) with matcha. And it has become a coffeeshop staple in latte drinks.

Matcha Green Tea result of unique techniques

Matcha, which is vivid green, involves a unique method for growing and preparing tea leaves.

One key is shade. Several weeks prior to harvest, farmers cover tea bushes to protect them from sunlight. The weeks of shade, among other things, boosts levels of chlorophyll, which turns the leaves dark green. 

These leaves are used to make a tea called gyokuro (jade dew), considered the highest grade of Japanese green tea. We carry this gorgeous tea in the shop. But they also are laid out to dry, resulting in a tea called tencha. For the final step, tencha is deveined, destemmed and stone-ground. The resulting product is finely powdered and vivid green: matcha.

The shade portion of the process produces an abundance of amino acids in matcha, far more than are found in standard tea. It is those amino acids that give matcha such rich flavor, known in the culinary world as umami. Mushrooms, soy sauce and other types of foods are prized for their umami.

Ku Cha’s matcha teas perfect for sipping and cooking

We carry two styles of matcha at Ku Cha House of Tea: standard and premium

Standard matcha is delicious as tea, and perfect for non-tea recipes, like lattes and cookies. Premium matcha is primarily used for tea ceremonies. It tastes creamier, and sweeter.

Tea drinkers don’t need whisks and special bowls to prepare matcha. Even a stirred spoon works fine. But we advise making the small investment in the matcha accessories. When whipped with a bamboo whisk, in a misshapen clay bowl — the bowl is used to signify the harmony that results from embracing life’s opposites —  we think matcha is spectacular.

It also pairs well with sweeteners, especially cane sugar and honey. The tea has a hint of a bitter bite, which is part of its attraction. But a little bit of sweetener helps balance that bite.

Green matcha latte in a cup
Green matcha tea has become popular in latte drinks.



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