Matcha抹茶
Shade-grown like gyokuro, but dried without rolling to make tencha, then stone-milled to powder. You drink the leaf itself rather than an infusion of it, which is why the color and flavor are so much denser.
How to brew
- Leaf
- 2 g (two chashaku scoops, one usucha)
- Water
- 60–70 ml
- Temp
- 70–80°C / 158–176°F
- Steep
- Whisk briskly with a chasen
- 2nd
- None — made fresh each time
How it is made
Shade-grown leaves are steamed and then dried without rolling — that is tencha. Veins and stems are removed from the dried leaf and only the leaf flesh goes to the stone mill. A traditional mill turns at around 50–60 revolutions a minute and produces roughly 30–40 g an hour; turning it faster generates heat that drives off the aroma. That slow milling is one reason matcha costs what it does — shading, hand-picking and sorting are others.
Flavor
The dense savoriness of shade-grown leaf, plus a body and bitterness that only powder gives. Usucha is thin and brisk; koicha is kneaded rather than whisked and becomes something else entirely. Since nothing is strained out, you take in the catechins and fiber as well.
Where it comes from
Worth knowing
Sift it before whisking and it won't clump. Once opened it fades fast through oxidation and moisture, so keep it sealed in the fridge and use it up. For baking and cooking, the cheaper culinary grade is entirely enough.