MATCHA is a variety of Japanese green tea of the highest quality and prestige, which is made using the traditional method of grinding tea leaves with a stone mill.
So as to obtain a product with a very fine powder appearance.
MATCHA green tea is prepared by suspension (powder in water) rather than by infusion.
MATCHA green tea, as well as in the important social, spiritual and artistic ritual of the tea ceremony (CHA NO YU), can also be used in food and beverages.
This will provide its characteristic color as well as the intense flavor defined UMAMI (delicious) or the fifth flavor.
The Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda has combined the word UMAI, which means delicious, with MI or taste, so as to form the word UMAMI.
MATCHA is extracted from the leaves of green tea plants, with unique characteristics, which are covered with specific tarpaulins, for a few weeks before being hand-picked, so as to slow down their growth and at the same time produce a greater quantity of amino acids (l-theanine ) present in tea and such as to give the leaves the characteristic aroma UMAMI as well as its known and formidable healthy qualities.
Subsequently the leaves, thus worked and extracted, are steamed so as to stop and / or interrupt the fermentation or the oxidation process and at the same time to preserve the typical green color of MATCHA. The next slow drying process will follow in order to reduce humidity. In this process, the leaves are called ARACHA or “raw tea”.
During the long process of processing the tea leaves, the stems, veins and any other imperfections are removed and the leaves thus treated will take the name of TENCHA.
The Tencha thus made, will subsequently be used to produce the famous and precious MATCHA green tea with the slow method of milling stone mill.