All tea varieties in the world exist in different qualities. The
same is true for Matcha tea. The quality of Matcha tea depends
almost completely on the quality of the original tea, of Tencha.
Region, geographical conditions of the tea growing area (Low
land, High land, hillside), the specialty skills of the tea
farmers, the variety of the tea bush, all these factors add up
to unique qualities of Tencha tea. Once ground by stone mills
into a fine powder, different Matcha qualities will be the
result. There are three elements that distinguish Matcha from
regular green tea in powder form: Matcha is sweet and smooth
with just a hint of astringency. The sweetness comes from the
naturally occurring L-Theanine amino acids and plant fibers.
Green tea powder, on the other hand, tends to lack active amino
acids, resulting in a comparatively flat and abrasive taste.
Matcha is resiliently emerald green while green tea powder is
often yellow-brown. This is because quality Matcha is ground
into a fine powder using slow-tu