Matcha
Matcha ( ; Japanese: 抹茶) is a finely ground powder of green tea specially processed from shade-grown tea leaves. Shade growing gives matcha its characteristic bright green color and strong umami flavor. Matcha is typically consumed suspended in hot water.
Matcha originated through cultural exchanges between China and Japan in the premodern period, developing from earlier powdered tea practices in China that were transmitted to Japan by Zen Buddhist monks. During the Song dynasty, tea leaves were ground into a fine powder and whisked with hot water. This method was introduced to Japan by the monk Eisai around 1191, where it continued to develop even as such practices declined in China.
During the Muromachi period in the sixteenth century, Japanese tea farmers developed shading techniques to produce tencha (碾茶), the tea leaves used for grinding into matcha. This innovation contributed to the development of modern matcha, characterized by its vivid green color and rich umami flavor, the latter derived from theanine, distinguishing it from earlier forms of powdered tea. It also contributed to the development in Japan of new tea styles such as sencha and gyokuro. Traditionally, matcha was produced almost exclusively in Japan, although it is now also produced in other countries. In the twenty-first century, to meet the rising global demand for matcha, China invited Japanese specialists for technical guidance, introduced the necessary equipment, and has promoted mass production in Guizhou Province since 2018.
The traditional Japanese tea ceremony, typically known as chanoyu (茶の湯) or sadō/chadō (茶道), centers on the preparation, serving and drinking of matcha as hot tea, and embodies a meditative and spiritual practice.
Matcha is also used to flavor and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream, matcha lattes, and a variety of Japanese wagashi confectionery. For this purpose, matcha made green by color additives instead of expensive shade-grown matcha is often used.
Rollers
- 2023-09-29T00:00:00.000000Z
Blue Lagoon
- 2023-05-26T00:00:00.000000Z
70's
- 2021-07-15T00:00:00.000000Z
Travers
- 2021-05-21T00:00:00.000000Z
Je m'isole
- 2021-04-09T00:00:00.000000Z
Même endroit
- 2019-11-14T00:00:00.000000Z
Similar Artists