It's All About Tea — matcha

Today Japanese teas are renowned around the world for their fresh, grassy taste, and unmistakable umami. Because of these favorable qualities, Japanese tea also requires extra care when storing.  (Read more)

The Japanese tea ceremony has a long and interesting history. Throughout the decades it has evolved from an expensive and lavish gathering, to a tea ritual that focusses on simplicity and nature. With it, the tea utensils have also evolved. When entering a Japanese tea house we may find a variety of tea ceremony utensils, each holding their own history and purpose. Not a step goes unnoticed. (Read more)

Let's take an in-depth look at matcha vs. green tea. Yes, technically matcha is stone-ground powdered green tea. But we cannot take the green tea leaves we have sitting in our cupboard and grind those up. Matcha tea processing is a complex tradition that is hundreds, even thousands, years old. The amount of people who know how to process matcha vs. those who process other types of green tea is quite limited. Even the tea leaves used for preparing the powder require special growth conditions. So let's discuss what makes both matcha powder and Japanese green tea so unique in their own way.  (Read more)

We’ve already covered the difference between ceremonial and culinary grade matcha and the big gap in price, but what about comparing to other types of Japanese tea? Why is matcha so expensive? (Read more)

We see this topic pop up a lot. So what really is the difference between culinary and ceremonial grade matcha!?

The most significant difference is that ceremonial grade matcha is made from exceptionally high-quality leaves and as the name suggests, is used almost exclusively for traditional Japanese tea ceremonies or the making of koicha. 

Unfortunately, the common misconception is that culinary grade matcha is of poor quality and thus is reserved for cooking where the high quality doesn’t matter as much. The truth is that good culinary grade matcha is perfect for making a delicious cup of frothy, whisked matcha, matcha lattes, and cooking. (Read more)