Matcha

During the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618–907), tea leaves were steamed and pressed into tea briquettes for storage and trade. Tea was prepared by roasting and grinding the leaves into powder and then brewing the powdered tea in hot water with the addition of salt and mint. During the next Song Dynasty (960–1279), powdered tea made from steamed dried leaves became popular. A drink was prepared by pouring tea powder in a cup with boiling water and, after insisting, beat with a whisk until a foam formed. ^{[1] The} preparation and consumption of powdered tea has become a ritual among Zen Buddhists.

Zen Buddhism itself, and with it powder tea, were introduced to Japan in 1191 by the monk Eisai . In China, powder tea was gradually forgotten, but in Japan it retained its position thanks to Zen monks, and then began to spread widely among other sectors of society during the period from the XIV to XVI century. At this time, the owners of tea plantations in Uji improved the technique of producing matcha tea.

Matcha is made from tea leaves, which are shaded before picking, just like gyokuro tea, unlike other types of powdered teas, such as senta powder tea.

Matcha preparation begins a few weeks before harvest, when the tea bushes are closed from direct sunlight. This slows down the growth, leaves the leaves darker and enriches the tea leaf with amino acids that make the tea sweeter.

After harvesting, if the leaves are twisted and dried, then you get gyokuro tea (pearl dew). And if the leaves are dried straight, grind, it turns out tea tentya ( Jap. 碾 茶 ). To produce matcha, stents and veins are removed from tenta tea, and then ground into bright green, talc-like powder. It may take up to an hour to grind 30 grams of matcha tea.

It should be noted that only tenta can be the basis for the match, and other powder teas are known as konya ( Japanese 粉 茶 , literally, “powdered tea”).

The taste of matcha tea is determined by the presence of amino acids. The higher grades of matcha have a more intense, sweet taste and a deeper aroma than the lower grades of tea collected the same year later.

The most famous matcha production areas are Uji in Kyoto Prefecture , Nishio in Aichi Prefecture , Shizuoka and northern Kyushu .

Matcha is usually more expensive than other teas, although the price depends on the quality. Matcha variety is determined by many factors.

Tea Bush Location

Of great importance is where in the tea bush leaves are collected for matcha tea.

At the very top are young flexible and soft leaves. Expensive matcha varieties are appreciated for the taste of young leaves. More developed leaves are harder, they give a low-quality grades to a sandy structure. The best taste is with growing leaves, to which the plant sends all its nutrients.

Drying

Tentia leaves are traditionally dried outdoors in the shade and never in direct sunlight. However, nowadays, drying is mainly transferred to the premises. As a result of such processing, the matcha has a lively green color.

Grind

Grinding tea is an art in itself. Without the right equipment and technology, a match can taste “burnt” and lose in quality.

Oxidation

Oxidation (or fermentation) is also a determining factor in the variety. The taste of matcha in contact with oxygen deteriorates. The oxidized (fermented) matcha has a characteristic odor of hay and a brownish-green color.

There are two main ways to prepare a match: strong ( yap. 濃茶 - koytya) and weak ( yap. 薄 茶 - usutia).

Before use, the matcha is often passed through a sieve to remove lumps. There are specially designed stainless steel sieves in which a fine-mesh wire sieve and a temporary storage container are connected. To push tea through the sieve, a special wooden spatula is used or a small smooth stone is placed on top of the sieve and the device is shaken gently.

If sifted matcha is served during a Japanese tea ceremony , then it is placed in a small tea container called carts . In other cases, it can be poured directly from the sieve into the tavan .

A small amount of matcha is poured into a cup, traditionally a bamboo spoon is used for this purpose , and then not very hot water is added (not boiling, about 80 ° C). This mixture is then whisked to a uniform consistency with a bamboo chasen whisk. Tea should not have lumps or tea leaves at the edges of the cup. Since matcha can be bitter, it is traditionally served with small wagashi sweets consumed before tea, without milk or sugar. It is generally believed that 40 grams of matcha is needed to make 20 cups of urine or 10 cups of quoyta .

Sacking , or weak tea, is prepared from about 2 grams (which equals two tablespoons of tasyak or about half a teaspoon, that is, without a pot) of matcha powder and from about 70 ml of hot water per cup. Ustia can be whipped to foam or drink without foam if desired (or in accordance with the tradition of a particular school of tea ceremony). Tea with a lighter and slightly more bitter taste.

Quoyta , or strong tea, is made from a much larger amount of powder (usually you need twice as much powder and half water): approximately 4 grams (which equals 4 tablespoons of scoop or one full teaspoon, that is, with a pea) matcha and about 50 ml hot water per cup, which is equal to six teaspoons of tea for 3/4 cup of water. Since the resulting mixture is much thicker (almost like honey in consistency), you need to mix it with slow rotational movements that do not create foam. Koitia is usually made from a more expensive matcha from older tea trees (which are over 30 years old), and thus tea is softer and sweeter than bumble. It is served almost exclusively during the Japanese tea ceremony .

Matcha is a common ingredient in Japanese sweets. It is used in kasuter (or castell), manju and monak , sprinkled with kakigori , mixed with milk and sugar, mixed with salt and added to tempura for taste in the form of a special sauce. It is also used as an additive in many chocolates , sweets, and desserts such as cakes and pastries (including rolls and cheesecakes ), cookies , puddings , mousses, and green tea ice cream. Even Japanese poki sticks come in matcha flavors. Matcha can also be mixed with other teas. For example, it is added to gemmityya to get the so-called matcha-iri gemmityya (fried brown rice tea with the addition of matcha).

The use of matcha in modern drinks is also common in cafes in North America, where, as in Japan, it is added to latte coffee, ice drinks, milk and fruit shakes, and also to alcoholic drinks, such as liqueurs .

The health benefits of green tea (including matcha) have also generated considerable interest in North America ^[2] . Therefore, this tea is today used in the production of healthy foods, from granola to energy bars. In 2003, researchers at the University of Colorado found that the concentration of EGCG antioxidant found in matcha was 137 times higher than other commercially available green teas.

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