The two grades of matcha

There are broadly two grades used in food and drink. Ceremonial grade is made from the youngest, most tender first harvest leaves (called ichibancha), shade grown for three to four weeks before harvest, and stone milled into an extremely fine powder. It is a vibrant jade green, naturally sweet, with minimal bitterness. Culinary grade is made from older leaves and later harvests, is not shade grown, has a duller green colour and a stronger, more bitter taste, and is designed to hold up against other flavours in cooking and baking.

Why shade growing matters

Shade growing, covering the tea plants for three to four weeks before harvest, is what makes ceremonial grade matcha distinctive. With less direct sunlight, the plant produces more chlorophyll, which gives matcha its vivid colour, and more L-theanine, an amino acid naturally present in green tea. Without shade growing, you get a different product.

How to tell if your matcha is ceremonial grade

Colour: ceremonial grade is a vivid, almost electric jade green, while culinary grade is more olive or dull.

Smell: sweet, fresh and slightly marine, like spring grass. 

Taste: naturally sweet with vegetal depth and no bitterness when prepared correctly.

Price: genuine ceremonial grade costs more to produce, so a matcha priced very cheaply for a large quantity is almost certainly not ceremonial grade.

What Aceae uses

Every Aceae blend uses first harvest, shade grown, stone milled ceremonial grade matcha from Japan. We then add Australian native botanicals, Lemon Myrtle, Strawberry Gum, or Vanilla and Honey, for a genuinely Australian flavour profile. Real ingredients. No shortcuts.