MATCHA is a shade grown Japanese green tea made from the tips of the tea plants—steamed & dried—then ground into a fine, bright green powder. Leaves are often shaded from 2-4 weeks prior to harvesting, which causes a surge in chlorophyll production and the resulting bright green color.
Matcha is different from other green teas in several, very important ways. First, there is no steeping involved. The fine powder is simply whisked with water into a frothy liquor using a special bamboo whisk called a chasen. When you drink matcha, you are consuming the entire leaf. This explains why matcha is at least 10 times stronger than a regular cup of brewed green tea. And since only the youngest, freshest and finest leaves are used, matcha boasts the most nutritional value of all green teas.
