The rich, velvety texture of premium ceremonial matcha powder during the traditional stone-grinding process.

Don't Waste Your Money: How to Spot High-Quality Japanese Matcha?

 

Unlike traditional green tea, where the leaves are steeped and discarded, matcha is made from finely stone-ground whole tea leaves. When you drink matcha, you consume the entire leaf — which means the quality, freshness, and cultivation process matter far more than with ordinary tea. 

The Importance Processes that Create Premium Matcha 
  • Shade-Growing the Tea Plants 
    About 20 to 30 days before harvesting, tea plants are covered to reduce direct sunlight. This traditional shading process increases chlorophyll and amino acid production, helping create matcha’s vibrant green color and rich umami flavor. 
  • First Harvest Leaves 
    Only the youngest of the first spring harvest leaves are chosen for high-grade matcha. During winter, the tea plants store nutrients and amino acids, so the first new leaves of spring are especially tender, flavorful, and rich in umami. 
  • Steaming Immediately After Harvest 
    Freshly picked leaves are quickly steamed to prevent oxidation. This step helps preserve the tea’s color, aroma, and nutritional properties. 
  • Removing Stems and Veins 
    The leaves are carefully refined into tencha by removing stems and veins. This creates a cleaner, smoother texture and reduces harsh flavors. 
  • Traditional Stone Grinding 
    Tencha is slowly ground into an ultra-fine powder using stone mills. Slow grinding prevents heat damage and helps maintain the delicate aroma, creamy texture, and freshness of the tea. 

 

Why Fresh Matcha Is Important 

 

Matcha powder is extremely delicate. Because it is ground so finely, it has a large surface area that quickly reacts with oxygen, light, and heat. Over time, matcha can gradually lose: 

  • bright green color 
  • fresh aroma 
  • part of its nutritional value 

For this reason, we focus on small-batch production and fresh grinding to preserve the quality and freshness of our matcha. 

 

Because tea deteriorates more easily when moisture levels are high, the leaves first undergo a careful finishing process at our partner’s factory, where the moisture content is reduced to approximately 2%. This step helps stabilize the tea while protecting its delicate flavor and aroma. 

 

After the finishing process, the tea becomes highly sensitive to surrounding odors and humidity. To maintain its purity and freshness, it is stored in a dedicated tea refrigerator below 10°C until it is carefully prepared and freshly ground at peak freshness.

At the end, the best matcha is recognized by a combination of

  • freshness
  • cultivation quality
  • careful processing

As a result, premium matcha typically has a vibrant green color, smooth texture, fresh vegetal aroma, rich umami flavor, and a naturally balanced finish with little bitterness. 

Ready to experience the difference that fresh and slow stone-grinding make?
Elevate your daily ritual and explore our curated collection of premium, first-harvest Japanese matcha today.

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