The drink of choice for dedicated monks, and centre of one of Japan’s most revered ceremonies, Matcha’s the humble green tea powder causing a stir throughout the world.
Matcha is high quality green tea carefully ground into a powder. This powder is then whisked directly into hot water or milk to create a vibrant green elixir with more benefits than you can poke an infuser at.
But before we get into the benefits and how to actually enjoy drinking it, let’s take a look at how it’s grown.
Picture this: an abundantly green rolling tea garden somewhere in Japan. There are temples nearby, and quiet, focused tea workers going about their business in the fields. The process of making Matcha starts out pretty much the same as any other tea. But with three weeks left on the tea harvesting calendar, shade cloths are put over the plants. This filters out about 90% of the sunlight, encouraging the plants to create more chlorophyl, influencing the benefits and flavour compounds. Once done, the leaves are picked and steamed, with stems and veins removed, creating what’s known as tencha, before being safely tucked away in cold storage.
They’re then slowly ground into a super fine by traditional stone machines. Slowly is the key word here – grind it too fast and you risk creating too much friction, which will generate heat and destroy the quality of the leaves.
At T2, our Matcha is ceremonial grade. This means it’s of a much higher quality, with a smoother, richer and more vibrant colour. Food grade, on the other hand, which is used in cakes, cafes etc, will give you that Matcha taste, but doesn’t have the same refined flavour profile.
We also get our friends in Japan to grind our Matcha on demand. This delivers the optimum flavour profile, with all those benefits intact. And in case you were wondering, you can detect the quality of a Matcha by the colour of the powder – it should be a vibrant, bright green, never dull or brownish. Speaking of benefits, read on to explore why Matcha is so good for you, and how best to enjoy all its perks.
Our sommelier says
“When you want the Zen and focus of a monk in the modern world, whisk up a Matcha.”
- Michelle
Cool, calm & energised
The combo of caffeine and L-theanine in Matcha buddy up to give you a slower release of energy. This means no caffeine jitters, but also means you can power on for longer. Way back in the day, Matcha was originally used by Zen monks for exactly that purpose – to give them a calm alertness and sustained concentration for long periods of meditation.
Whole leaf goodness
The beauty of Matcha is that rather than brew then discard the tea leaves, you consume the whole lot – benefits and all. This means you’re more likely to enjoy all the good stuff Matcha has to offer. It also means less waste. Win win!
Get your greens in
In most Western cuisines, there isn’t as much emphasis on the use of bitter foods as there is in a lot of Asian cuisines. This means we’re often not as familiar with bitter flavour profiles. While Matcha is naturally vegetal, slightly savoury and with a slight bitterness, using quality, high grade Matcha and preparing it correctly will minimise any bitter experiences.
If you’re just getting started with Matcha, our sommelier has a few tips. First, try making Matcha into a latte. The milk will soften and sweeten the Matcha. Make sure not to add too much to begin with, but to start small and increase the amount of Matcha as you decrease the amount of milk. Having a traditional bamboo Matcha whisk also goes a long way. Simply mixing Matcha with a fork or spoon won’t deliver the same balanced, exceptional flavour.
Don’t take our word for it
As someone who used to study tea ceremony in Kyoto Japan, this is the highest quality matcha i've been able to find in Australia! Highly recommend
- Anonymous
Organic Matcha
Love it! I got the Matcha Flask as well and I just followed the instructions on the side of the flask for making it. I make it around mid-morning and sip over a couple of hours. It stays quite warm in that flask. MOST IMPORTANT to make sure the water is at 80 degrees, DO NOT use just-boiled water.
- Lisa Maria
Exceptionally exquisite brew
I love my other T2 green teas but I wish I had tried this earlier because this is perfect. It is well worth the money also, so don't be put off by price and quantity. It goes down so smoothly, the taste is subtle and absolutely refreshing. Sipping this right now, and i feel relaxed and almost in heaven.
- Plainjane232
Flavour profile
As a green tea, Matcha is brimming with vegetal, savoury notes, along with its own unique complexities.
Aroma & Taste
The aroma is fresh, bright and green. The flavour is rich, smooth, and umami with a creamy and astringent finish.
Ingredients
100% certified organic Matcha
Origin & Terroir
Kyoto, Japan
Health & Wellness
The combination of caffeine and L-theanine delivers balanced and sustained focus, clarity and energy.
How to brew Matcha
½ tsp per 150 ml/5 fl oz
80℃ (176℉)
- Traditional
- Latte
- Iced Latte
- Soda
-
1
Add ½ a teaspoon to your Matcha bowl or cup. Add 150 ml/5 fl oz 80℃ (176℉) water.
-
2
Whisk, using a Matcha whisk, in an M shape, until a layer of light green froth emerges on top.
-
3
Sip mindfully.
Brew tip
To get 80℃ (176℉) water, simply boil the kettle then leave to cool for 5-10 minutes or combine boiling water with a splash of cold before pouring into your cup/bowl.
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