How Is Matcha Made?
From shaded leaf to tencha and then powder: the production steps explain what a label does not always tell you.
By Roseline Zhou, Founder
Contents
You know matcha powder in its tin, but what happens to the leaf before it gets there? Production begins with leaves grown in shade, then steamed and dried without rolling. The resulting tencha, the leaf milled into matcha, has its stems and veins removed before milling. The exact equipment varies between workshops.
We follow this path in order: it explains the tea better than a reference to a stone mill alone on a label.
Which leaf is grown for matcha?
Growing tencha in shade reduces the light reaching the leaf before picking. That stage comes before work in the workshop.
Next comes the Japanese tea harvest, whose timing depends on the garden and the chosen period. The order of pickings places this stage without confusing it with processing. We'd keep those questions separate when comparing two powders: even a beautiful leaf can still be processed in several ways, without predicting its final taste.
How does tencha become a fine powder?
After picking, the leaves are steamed and then dried without rolling. Stems and veins are removed before milling. The description of Uji tea processing presents tencha ground in a stone mill. That's a documented local process, not a description of every workshop.
We'd examine the starting material before judging the tool. A mill won't turn a poorly chosen leaf into an enjoyable powder. Matcha milling methods also include mechanical mills; we'd taste the resulting powder before judging the machine.
What is blending, or gōgumi, for?
Gōgumi is the blending of teas. A tea master may combine different materials to achieve a desired profile. A tea master's account describes this work; it documents no Kura-ge recipe.
Rather than assume a single origin is always superior, we'd ask what was blended. Without a batch listing, the plots and cultivars remain unknown. Cultivar, terroir, and blending are three different pieces of information about the leaf and tea.
Can you measure matcha's environmental impact?
Cultivation, drying, sorting, milling, packaging, and transport all belong in that calculation. Comparing matcha with coffee would also require the same measurement boundaries for both drinks. We don't have those data here, so we offer no footprint figure.
We prefer precise traceability to a broad environmental claim. It shows what's been measured and where the information ends.
What should you ask to understand a particular matcha?
A listing may state your matcha's origin, cultivar, process, and harvest date.
Ask the seller one question at a time. The region doesn't reveal the milling; the milling doesn't give the composition. Bringing the answers together makes the label meaningful.