Before you start considering which matcha tea to buy, it is important that you are clear about what you actually want and need. That's why we want to give you a little help with this. Because otherwise you will be flooded with a lot of information and still have no idea where you want to go.
Why do you want to buy matcha tea?
The question may sound trite, but it is important that you are clear about what you intend to do with the matcha.
- Would you like a healthy pick-me-up for every day that might replace or complement other teas or coffee?
- Would you like to drink Matcha pure or as a mixed drink , e.g. B. as a matcha latte?
- Would you like to experiment with matcha tea and e.g. B. Spice up, bake or cook your smoothies?
- Are you looking for something special, for extraordinary moments or even your own tea ceremony?
It is also important whether you are a real tea fan who has already had experience with various green teas and loves their pure taste.
Do you like flavored matcha tea blends or have you not been able to get used to tea so much because coffee is everything to you? Keeping this in mind will make it easier for you to make your decision when purchasing matcha
Which flavors do you particularly like, what doesn't work for you at all?
In order to know which flavors you particularly like, it is important to first know what flavors exist. The human tongue can basically only distinguish between 5 tastes:
- Sweet
- Sour
- Bitter
- Salty
- umami
What about all the other flavor notes?
These are not perceived through the taste buds of the tongue, but through the nose. Anyone who has ever had a severe sinus infection or other cold that disables the sense of smell knows what we are talking about. Then exactly these flavors remain.
Check for yourself which of the flavors you particularly like and which do not work at all. Some people are very sensitive to bitter substances, even though they are very healthy.
You don't know the taste "umami"? This flavor describes something hearty, full-bodied - spicy.
From head to heart: What feels good for you?
You will soon receive concrete quality criteria. But especially when you order matcha tea online , you have to make a decision in advance.
- Check for yourself: Do the quality statements sound plausible?
- Is the information presented transparent?
- Do I have a good feeling when ordering this tea?
Our minds are often a little overwhelmed by the abundance of choices. Only one thing helps: activate your gut feeling and check whether it feels good for you to buy from this supplier.
Assess the quality of matcha tea
Of course, in addition to these soft factors, there are also a lot of quality features of Matcha, which you can usually only judge once you have already ordered the tea.
Here are the key data for you.
Matcha powder quality criteria
The quality of a matcha tea can be judged by the product
- Color
- Odor
- taste and
- texture
turn off.
A high-quality matcha tea has a strong light green, almost luminous color. It has a delicate scent and is characterized by an abundance of floral, nutty, gently sweet or spicy notes, depending on the variety. A hint of noble bitters may also be contained in the aromas. The more sensitive you are to bitter substances, the more important it is for Matcha to be of high quality.
Incidentally, very good matcha also has umami qualities.
However, a good matcha should not taste too sour, too fishy or very bitter. Of course, that depends on your own taste buds. But these may be indicators of "lower" quality. The water quality with which the tea is prepared is also important in this context.
The powder must be finely ground so that ideally a slightly creamy consistency is achieved.
What does the quality of matcha tea depend on?
As with good wine, the quality of Matcha tea depends on the soil and climate, but especially on cultivation and further processing. The organic quality is also important, as this ensures, in addition to the strict cultivation guidelines in Japan, that the plants are only supplied with organic fertilizer.
The best matcha teas come from Japan because of the strict guidelines for growing the green tea plant and the art of shading.
Because the special thing about Tencha, the tea that is processed into Matcha, is its cultivation. The tea plants are shaded for a few days to weeks before harvest. Due to the increased chlorophyll, the plants develop their beautiful green color. The mild, complex aromas and the high concentration of valuable ingredients that make Matcha so healthy are also created during this shading phase.
The teas differ in taste and quality due to the duration of the shading. With very long shading, the tea farmers only harvest once a year so that the plants can recover in between, which of course affects the price.
Forhigh-quality matcha tea, only the tender leaves of the first harvest should be picked by hand. Because when harvesting by machine, too many coarse plant parts end up in the basket. After harvesting, the leaves should be gently dried and processed.
The difference between normal matcha and ceremonial matcha tea
We don't even want to talk about inferior matcha here. But even with the good qualities there are still some differences.
The highest quality level of matcha tea offers the ceremonial quality.
One of the most important differences between good "normal" Matcha and a high-priced ceremonial quality lies in the further processing of the tea leaves.
The most expensive Matcha is ground on traditional granite mills, after which the leaves are stripped of all veins and stems. In this complex production, only about 30 grams of tea are produced in one hour. This also explains the high price of these teas.
An interim solution is the industrial but gentle grinding of the precious organic matcha tea. The result is a high-quality yet affordable matcha powder.
Unfortunately, most providers do not provide any information about this manufacturing stage. But transparency is important to us. Our premium organic matcha powder is gently industrially ground. This allows us to offer this excellent quality at a price that allows you to enjoy Matcha every day.
The ceremonial quality is actually made in a traditional way. This creates a particularly fine powder. In addition, the plants are shaded for an extra long time for this quality.
One for all or a mixed bag, like life?
After so much input, it's time to come full circle. You now know how the different qualities of matcha powder are created and how you can distinguish them.
You can get Matcha tea in different quality levels from many suppliers. Then you use a different powder for cooking, for example, than if you want to drink the tea pure.
We at Matchatto have rethought matcha tea and are pursuing a different concept that lets you experience matcha tea in a completely new way.
That's why we only offer 2 qualities of matcha powder as a basis.
Our very goodpremium organic matcha powder and the ceremonial quality.
While you should really celebrate the ceremonial quality pure, you can use and enjoy our premium organic matcha powder for all other purposes.
Diversity through new recipes
The variety is created by completely new recipes.
With Matchatto you have the advantage that you are not limited to a few flavors, which often only differ in nuances.
In our in-house factory in Berlin, we develop our own natural recipes by dusting the premiumorganic matcha powder with essential oil or mixing it with other valuable ingredients such as moringa, green coffee, mate and various aromatic spices.
This creates a variety of flavor and effect combinations that conjure up a lot of variety in your everyday life.
In our online shop , under Matchatto Mix, you can select small pack sizes of Matcha tea to your heart's content and get to know our variety in a relaxed manner. So you can choose your favorite for life or enjoy the colorful variety again and again.
Tips for buying Matcha: Find your supplier
How do you find your favorite matcha tea supplier?
Here is a summary of our tips:
- Think about what exactly you need
- Follow the quality criteria and your gut feeling
- Make sure the provider is transparent about the origin and production
- Also keep an eye on the subsequent production stages - because this is often kept silent
Above all: enjoy discovering the world of matcha tea. We wish you a lot of joy. You can start with our trial packages or Matchatto mix!
We are curious what your favorite will be.
