Tea preparation

What is matcha tea and how to prepare it?

Publish on 12.10.2024 by Gaia Gardens

Matcha is a precious green tea made from a tea called Tencha. Only the soft part of the leaf is kept and ground to a powder using a stone grinder.

Because the leaves have been protected from the sun, the powder is an intense green color, and its high amino acid content gives it a very mild, flavourful aroma.

Traditionally prepared in the Chanoyu tea ceremony, the smooth liquor of this green tea is a real concentrate of benefits for body and mind.

How to prepare matcha?

Preparing traditional matcha requires a little equipment and skill. But don't worry, it can be learned very quickly.

What you need to prepare matcha tea

Your matcha
A chasen: the famous bamboo whisk
A chawan: a large bowl for preparing matcha tea
A cha-shaku: a matcha measuring spoon
And, last but mot least: a sieve to prevent lumps during preparation

Steps in preparing matcha

Step 1

Moisten the chasen with hot water to soften it. This is an important step, as the pistils of the matcha whisk are fragile when dry. Before you start, also check that all the pistils are intact, to avoid small pieces of bamboo ending up in the infusion.

Step 2

Using the cha-shaku, the traditional bamboo spoon that serves as a measuring device, put two doses of matcha (about 2 g) or the equivalent of 1 teaspoon into your matcha bowl.

Step 3

Pour in around 80 ml of water at 75°C and start beating slowly, loosening the powder from the bottom. Then beat vigorously, making "M" shapes with your wrist, in a light, supple manner, to froth the mixture.

Step 4

When the foam is dense, slow down the movement by raising the whisk to the surface to chase away any remaining bubbles, then stop the movement in the center of the bowl by gracefully raising your wrist to take the whisk out vertically. Now you can enjoy your matcha. For purists, this tasting is traditionally done in three sips!

History and origins of matcha

Originating in China, where it seems to have been used during the Song dynasty (960-1279), Matcha 抹茶 green tea was imported to Japan in 1191 by the monk Eisai.

Neglected in China, it became popular in Japan when it found its way into the rituals of Buddhist monks as a meditation beverage. During tea ceremonies established according to the principles of Sen No Rikyu, he passed on matcha to his pupils as the drink indicated for Cha-no-yu ceremonies. In the 16ᵉ century, the idea spread that more people could find peace and inner calm through the tea ceremony: matcha became popular.

Ripening just before harvest in the dark. The youngest, most tender leaves (Tencha) are reduced to a fine powder under the rotation of stone millstones. Then precise preparation with a bamboo whisk, the Chasen. Everything comes together to turn this emerald powder of absolute finesse into a truly singular product.

The intensity of the liqueur can be modulated by changing the amount of tea powder removed.

To preserve its full flavor and freshness, we recommend storing in the refrigerator after first use.

The benefits of matcha tea

Because the leaves of the tea plants have been protected from the sun and their chlorophyll content has increased, this tea powder is distinguished not only by its beautiful, luminous green color, but also by its high amino acid content, which gives it a very mild, flavorful aroma.

Its bright jade-green frothy cup is surprising the first time you try it, but this sweet, mild, light, fruity, fresh tea with its intense aroma is so original that you'll keep coming back for more!

The smooth liquor of this green tea is a real concentrate of benefits for body and mind. Matcha was originally enjoyed by the upper classes of Japanese society, including the samurai, who found it an invaluable aid to concentration and relaxation.

Matcha: for drinking and eating

The benefits of powdered tea are manifold, with the possibility of using it both as a tea and as an ingredient in a recipe or cocktail.

Powdered teas are increasingly popular with cooks, pastry chefs and baristas for the taste and color they bring to a preparation in the blink of an eye.

Matcha, appreciated for its invigorating and invigorating qualities, has become the third most popular flavor, alongside chocolate and vanilla. A highly original ingredient, it can be used to make delicious ice creams, noodles, pasta, cat's tongues, cakes, financiers, dessert creams, etc., and has become an ingredient in its own right in many compositions. It is used both as a natural coloring agent and as an ingredient that pleasantly perfumes a recipe with its touch of green and the freshness typical of green tea.

Alongside our traditional matchas, which range from cooking matcha to prestigious ceremonial teas, we offer Matcha Yuzu and Hojicha powder, which allow you to experiment with new flavors while retaining the charm of the beaten tea and its preparation.

Its Yuzu-flavored version, a citrus fruit particularly prized in Japanese cuisine, brings an extra touch of freshness to a recipe, with pleasant fruity notes and a hint of bitterness.

Our hojicha for cooking, meanwhile, allows you to explore an even different world of taste, between sweetness and warmth. When added to a milk foam, it makes a wonderful cappuccino with irresistible notes of hazelnut and toast. In pastries, crêpe batter or other gourmet preparations, this green tea, very popular in Japan, brings the charm of its particularly warm, gourmet roasted flavours and pretty hazelnut color.

With a touch of inventiveness and originality, the opportunities offered by these powdered teas with such intense, tasty and "contagious" aromas are therefore multiple.

In addition to the traditional teapot tea, this is a new way of approaching our favorite beverage and integrating it into our daily lives...

For use in cooking, simply sprinkle pasta, cakes or other delicacies with a few tablespoons of these powdered teas, depending on the intensity of taste desired.