Matcha Misconceptions - Do You Really Know Matcha ?
If you read most of our blog articles, you may now have a clear idea what matcha is, how it's produced and its benefits etc. But we realize that most of us do not have time to read all the blog articles,we decided to make this article to summarize the misconceptions and questions that many of our customers have.
Matcha is Green Tea Powder, Green Tea Powder is Matcha
Only powder produced from Tencha can be called matcha. Tencha is green tea leaf that grown in shaded-farm 20 days before harvest to produce high natural sweetness and low bitterness tea leaf. It is true that matcha is green tea powder, but not all green tea powders are matcha. Same goes for black tea powder, white tea powder etc. They are all not matcha.
Many shops are selling Sencha powder as matcha, but they can only be called as "Green Tea Powder", beware and beware.
Matcha is bitter
Many tried matcha before and never want to try it again because they found it too bitter. The fact is what they had is low grade or culinary matcha or sencha powder. Good matcha has a natural sweetness and low or none bitterness. The feel of matcha is very smooth and easy to drink.
Strong Matcha Taste = Good Matcha
Most consumers have this misconception that strong matcha taste is high quality matcha. Most famous branded food chain produce matcha food with low quality matcha which has high bitterness. They taste great because a lot of sugar are used to balance the bitterness. That's why they have strong matcha taste and still taste great.
High quality matcha do not require high sugar level to balance the bitterness.
Only Japan Produce Matcha
China and Taiwan produce matcha too, but the highest quality matcha still comes from Japan. Nowadays, due to high demand, many less honest farmers in Japan start to produce matcha from low quality tea leaves to meet market demand, don't always believe in so called "Uji matcha", "Japan Matcha" etc, even Uji has low quality matcha. Always purchase from trusted seller only.
Uji Matcha = Best Matcha
Uji is considered the most popular region in matcha production. However, it does not mean it produce the best matcha, quality of matcha is depending on many other factors rather than just the growing region.
Other regions which produce great matcha are Nishio, Shizuoka, Yame, Kagoshima etc. Uji produce low quality matcha too, but most of the time the price is higher because of the word "Uji".
My Matcha is Low Quality Because it Turn Yellow In Short Time
Matcha is very sensitive to air, light and heat. It start to degrade the time you open your matcha package and the air goes in. Always store your matcha in an air-tight container, dark with room temperature place. If you do not store it properly, even the best matcha in the world will turn yellow in short time.
I Need Bamboo Whisk to Make Good Matcha Tea
Bamboo whisk is just a tool, you can use your own whisk, blender or frother. You can use any way to brew matcha tea as long as you are happy with the final result.
Comment below if you have any question about matcha, we will be more than happy to answer your question.