What is a Powdered Green Tea?

I have read quite a number of articles on matcha, a powdered green tea,  and its amazing health benefits. Most are credible, noting that drinking tea is truly a way to live a healthy life. Yet, I wonder how this matcha is being made or processed to become a talc-like powder. What I discover has made me more convinced that matcha is not just a nutritious drink but it is also processed in the most detailed way.

Matcha comes from a tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The first few shoots of this plant usually appear in early April. The best buds are then selected and picked which will be used to make matcha and gyokuro. They are shaded for about three weeks or 20 days to shut out direct sunlight and to minimize the rate of photosynthesis to increase theanine levels, the amino acid responsible for the full-bodied flavor of the matcha and gyokuro teas.

The picking of the leaves happens from early May to the middle of the month. The ‘first flush’ of tea leaves is carefully picked at this time. ‘First flush’ is the year’s first harvest of young leaves. The young leaves have the finest in quality, freshness and flavor.

The steaming process follows. Steaming prevents the leaves from being oxidized and to stop fermentation. Steaming makes the leaves retain their natural green color and nutritional components.

The leaves that will be made matcha are placed in a multi-chambered air machine where they are mildly blown around and cooled using a gentle flow of air.  They are then allowed to dry further by scattering them evenly in a flat surface. When drying is almost over, the leaves are put in a machine where the stems and the veins are removed from the  leaves. The part of the leaves that remains, after drying, is referred to as tencha.  Tencha is the raw material for matcha powder.

The grinding of the tencha leaves is the final step in the processing of matcha. For many years, grinding tencha has been done manually on a stone mill. Recently, however, an automated stone mill is used that produces a more refined matcha powder. The finished product is the Matcha Green Tea Powder that can be enjoyed in a refreshing and nutritious drink.