Known for its vibrant green color and smooth texture, matcha is a powdered form of green tea leaves. Before you shop for the best matcha powders, here's what you should know first. While matcha is found and used in popular recipes and beverages today (if you type in "matcha recipes" in Pinterest, you'd get thousands of entries from all over the web), it's long been a staple in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean culture with traces of its presence dating back centuries (it's believed that Buddhist monk Myoan Eisai discovered matcha in China and brought it back to Japan in 1191).
The flavor profile of matcha can be characterized as being rich with notes of bitterness or sweetness, making it ideal for cooking or baking. But matcha goes beyond its good looks; it's a form of green tea that has a plethora of health benefits. For starters, it's rich in antioxidants and is regarded by anti-aging experts as one of the healthiest drinks in the world. Today, matcha can be found in just about everything, from lattes to cookies to pancakes, and you can recreate matcha at home, thanks to convenient matcha powders.
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Best matcha powders, at a glance:
Factors to consider when purchasing matcha
Quality
Matcha is marketed as "ceremonial" or "culinary" grade. However, these terms can be misleading as there are no set industry standards, says Eijiro Tsukada, CEO and founder of Cuzen Matcha. The best way to determine the quality is by looking at the harvest time. Here's a breakdown:
Matcha made from spring harvest or “Ichibancha” tea leaves: Matcha from tea leaves harvested during the first harvest of the year. Usually mid-to-late May.
Matcha made from summer harvest or “Nibancha” tea leaves: Matcha from tea leaves harvested during the second harvest of the year. Usually late June.
Matcha made from autumn harvest or “Sanbancha” tea leaves: Matcha from tea leaves harvested during the third harvest of the year. Usually around September to October.
"Spring and summer-harvested tea leaves are shade-grown, which results in fresh, nutritious and umami-filled tea leaves and matcha," says Tsukada. "This is because when matcha is shade-grown, it sustains L-theanine (an amino acid) of the green tea leaves." Autumn-harvested tea leaves, however, are usually not shade-grown, resulting in a more bitter flavor.
"Thus, spring-harvest leaves with the highest quality will be used for tea ceremonies (what is referred to as 'ceremonial grade' matcha), whereas matcha from autumn-harvested tea leaves are likely to be used for baking or cooking (what is referred to as 'culinary-grade' matcha)," Tsukada adds. So to boil that all down: If you're looking for high-quality matcha to brew as tea, shoot for spring harvest (or summer harvest, as a second choice), and if you want matcha for cooking and baking, an autumn harvest batch will do just fine.
Sourcing region
One indicator for matcha quality is looking at the sourcing region. You'll want to look for "single-origin" matcha. What this basically means is that matcha is sourced from one producer and remains unaltered. Tsukada adds that some of the most famous regions for single-origin teas are Uji, Kyoto, and Kagoshima.
Container
Matcha's biggest threat is oxygen—which can oxidize the key nutrients and vitamins. Therefore, having an airtight container will come in handy for storing matcha powder. You'll also want to avoid a see-through container, as sunlight can diminish the bright green color of your matcha. Remember, a dark container keeps the oxidation away.
