This special green tea has been gaining ground in Europe in leaps and bounds for several years now. Warm, cold, with milk and/or milk alternatives, with alcohol, for baking and refining - matcha is versatile and a popular superfood. If you want to know what makes matcha so special, check out our past text on it. If you are already familiar with the green powder but want to know more, we give you more information about the quality of the ground tea here.
The special quality
The green tea powder is elaborately produced in Japan. The tea plants are cultivated and harvested by hand. After steaming and drying, Matcha is ground very finely with a stone mill and has an aromatic taste. Only the young leaves of the green tea are hand-picked and ground into a fine powder without the leaf skeletons. The sweet note of matcha is what makes the tea so popular, in addition to its health-giving properties.
The ceremonial grade
With Matcha, there are special varieties that have what is known as the tea ceremony grade. Japan, of course, is known for its traditional tea ceremonies and the ceremonial grade indicates that it is the first plucking of the tea leaves in May of a year. The ceremonial grade is the highest quality grade of tencha, or shaded green tea. The bright green and rich colour of the matcha powder is a sign of its excellent quality, as is the creamy note when brewed with warm water. This Matcha can be enjoyed as a clear tea and convinces with its balanced and mild taste.
Other Matcha grades
If the Matcha has a distinct bitter note, it is often the second or third harvest of the tea plant. The premium quality describes the level below the ceremonial grade. Below that, there is also Matcha for culinary applications, the so-called "cooking Matcha", which is used for baking, for example. Here, the entire tea leaf including the leaf veins is often used, so that the taste is rather tart and bitter. Depending on your preference and use, you should therefore pay attention to the different stages of the tea harvest. For preparation with milk or other foods, the premium quality is often sufficient. For a classic infusion with water, ceremonial grade matcha is best. The balanced and sweet taste of the highest quality grade is simply unbeatable.
MYCONBINI tip: Try our premium matcha of ceremonial grade and enjoy your own tea ceremony! Once opened, it is best to store your tea in a sealed container in the refrigerator so that it retains its intense flavour.
