What is Matcha?

Matcha is a finely ground powder made from specially cultivated and processed green tea leaves. Unlike regular green tea, where the leaves are steeped and then discarded, matcha is fully dissolved in water and consumed whole. This means everything the tea leaf contains, including its amino acids, natural caffeine, and the antioxidants present in the leaf, goes directly into your cup.

It is one of the oldest and most revered drinks in Japanese culture, and one of the most misunderstood in the world of wellness. Most of the matcha people encounter, in a supermarket tin or a fast food chain, is not what matcha is at its best. Understanding the difference starts at the beginning.

Where matcha comes from

Matcha originates from Camellia sinensis, the same plant that produces all green, white, black, and oolong teas. What makes matcha different is not the plant, but everything that happens to it.

The story of matcha begins in China during the Song dynasty, when powdered tea was first prepared by grinding dried leaves and whisking them with hot water. The Buddhist monk Eisai brought this practice to Japan around 1191, where it developed into something entirely distinct. While powdered tea culture eventually faded in China, it flourished in Japan, evolving over centuries into the formal tea ceremony, the chanoyu, and into the drinking culture that has now spread across the world.

Today, the finest matcha still comes from Japan, with Uji in Kyoto, Nishio in Aichi, and Shizuoka among the most celebrated growing regions. Each produces matcha with a distinct character, though all ceremonial grade matcha shares the same rigorous production process.

How matcha is made: from shade to stone

The quality and character of matcha is determined above all by two processes: shade-growing and stone-grinding. These are not optional refinements. They are the reason matcha is what it is.

Shade-growing

Three to four weeks before harvest, the tea plants are covered with screens that cut out 70 to 90 per cent of direct sunlight. This deliberate deprivation changes the plant's chemistry. Without full sunlight, the plant produces significantly more chlorophyll, the compound responsible for matcha's vivid jade green colour, and substantially more L-theanine, an amino acid produced in the roots and transported to the leaves. L-theanine is the amino acid most associated with matcha's character, and it contributes to the deep umami flavour that separates ceremonial grade matcha from cheaper grades.

This technique, known in Japan as Ooishita saibai, was originally developed to protect tea plants from frost. The discovery that it transformed the flavour and chemistry of the leaf was one of the most consequential moments in the history of tea.

Harvesting

Only the youngest, most tender leaves from the top of the plant are harvested. For ceremonial grade matcha, this means the first flush of the season, known in Japanese as ichibancha, or first harvest. These leaves are softer and more nutritionally dense than later leaves. They are picked carefully and immediately steamed to stop oxidation, preserving their colour and chemistry.

Tencha and stone-grinding

After steaming, the leaves are dried without rolling, producing a flat dried leaf called tencha. The stems and veins are removed, leaving only the finest leaf material. This tencha is then stone-ground into matcha.

Stone-grinding is slow and precise. Traditional granite millstones rotate at low speed, typically 30 to 40 rotations per minute, producing roughly 30 to 40 grams of powder per hour. The slow rotation prevents heat that would damage the delicate compounds in the leaf. The result is a powder so fine that it dissolves completely in water, with no gritty residue.

This is the powder you are drinking when you drink Aceae.

How matcha differs from green tea

The key difference is consuming the whole leaf versus an infusion. When you steep regular green tea, the water extracts some of the compounds and you discard the rest. When you drink matcha, you consume every part of the leaf in powdered form.

Ceremonial grade vs culinary grade

Ceremonial grade matcha should taste sweet with no added sweetener. If the matcha you have tried was bitter, grassy, or flat, it was almost certainly not ceremonial grade, or it was prepared with water that was too hot, which scorches the delicate compounds and brings out astringency.

Every Aceae blend uses first harvest, shade-grown, stone-ground ceremonial grade matcha. We then blend it with Australian native botanicals to create something distinct from any matcha you have tasted before.

How to tell good matcha from poor matcha

• Colour: ceremonial grade matcha is vivid jade green, almost electric. Dull, olive, or yellowish means lower quality.
• Smell: good matcha smells sweet and fresh, slightly marine, like spring grass after rain. It should not smell musty or flat.
• Taste: prepared with water at 75 to 80 degrees, ceremonial grade matcha has a natural sweetness and a clean finish. Bitterness signals lower quality or water that was too hot.
• Price: genuine ceremonial grade matcha cannot be cheap. The process is labour-intensive and the ingredient is seasonal. If the price seems too low, it usually is.

How to prepare matcha

• Sift 1 to 1.5 teaspoons of Aceae matcha through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or mug. Sifting prevents clumping and gives a smoother drink.
• Add 60 ml of filtered water at 75 to 80 degrees Celsius. Boiling water brings out bitterness, so let freshly boiled water rest for about 90 seconds.
• Whisk in a quick W or M motion, wrist not arm, for 30 to 45 seconds until the matcha dissolves and a light froth forms.
• Drink as is, or pour over cold milk and ice for an iced latte. See our full recipe guides in the Wellness Hub.

Frequently asked questions