organic japanese matcha tea

type: green

origin: japan

ingredients: organic japanese green tea

caffeine: strong

price level: $$$$

Our premium Organic Matcha is a rare treat for the eyes and taste buds. Our matcha is certified organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and is the only organic matcha produced in Japan. Matcha is the bright, fine-powdered green tea used for centuries in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, which was introduced by Zen Buddhist priests over 800 years ago as a form of meditation. Today, while still quite rare in comparison to other types of tea, matcha has gained widespread attention and notoriety across the globe for its pure green tea flavor and beautiful, brilliant color. Our ceremonial grade matcha comes from the Kagoshima prefecture in Japan, where it is specially grown to produce an extremely high quality tea that is sweet and smooth with just a hint of astringency. Matcha is made from Japanese tea plants that are shaded for several weeks prior to harvest; the leaves are then hand-picked and ground into a fine powder. The sweetness and rich, bright green color comes from the naturally occurring compounds and amino acids that are intensified during the shade-growing time. The growing region, climate, plucking order, type of processing, and many other factors impact the quality of matcha. One can most easily determine the quality by viewing the pre-infused powder's color. High quality matcha will be bright green (as opposed to a dull green or yellowish color). Premium matcha will also have a sweet, vegetal smell due to the amino acid L-Theanine, which is encouraged by the shade growing process. Additionally, since most low-quality matchas conversely lack L-Theanine, they often possess a bitter and astringent flavor that isn't very sweet or flavorful.