A dish of vivid green matcha powder beside dried green tea leaves and a bamboo scoop

What Is Matcha? What It's Made Of, How It's Made and How It Tastes

Matcha is everywhere now, from café menus to supermarket shelves, but plenty of people are still not quite sure what it is. In short, matcha is green tea in its most complete form: whole tea leaves, ground into a fine powder that you whisk into water or milk and drink entirely. Here's what goes into it, how it's made and what to expect in the cup.

What is matcha, in one sentence?

Matcha is a fine, bright green powder made by stone-grinding shade-grown green tea leaves, traditionally from Japan. Unlike a tea bag, where you steep the leaves and throw them away, with matcha you drink the whole ground leaf.

What is matcha made of?

Matcha is made from the leaves of the same plant as all true tea, Camellia sinensis. What makes it matcha is how those leaves are grown and processed:

  • The leaves: tea plants grown for matcha are shaded for several weeks before harvest, which changes how the leaf grows and gives matcha its deep green colour and savoury flavour.
  • Tencha: after picking, the leaves are steamed, dried and have their stems and veins removed. The flat, dried leaf that's left is called tencha.
  • The powder: tencha is ground very finely, traditionally between granite stones, into the silky powder sold as matcha.

Pure matcha contains nothing else. Matcha latte blends add other ingredients. For example, Mind Full Matcha combines ceremonial matcha with oat milk powder, coconut cream and coconut milk powders, lion's mane mushroom powder and sunflower lecithin, so it makes a creamy latte with just hot water.

Where does matcha come from?

Matcha is most closely associated with Japan, where it has been part of the tea ceremony for centuries. Well-known growing regions include Uji in Kyoto, Nishio in Aichi, Shizuoka and Kagoshima. Today matcha-style powders are also produced elsewhere, so it's worth checking the origin on the pack.

Matcha vs green tea: what's the difference?

Both come from the same plant. The differences are in growing and drinking:

  • Shading: matcha leaves are shaded before harvest; most green tea isn't.
  • Form: matcha is a powder you drink whole; green tea is leaves you steep and remove.
  • Taste: matcha is richer, creamier and more savoury than a cup of brewed green tea.

Does matcha have caffeine?

Yes. Matcha naturally contains caffeine, and because you drink the whole leaf, the amount depends mostly on how much powder you use. A 10g serving of Mind Full Matcha contains 40mg; the NHS puts a cup of instant coffee at about 100mg. For the full comparison, read does matcha have caffeine? Matcha also naturally contains L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea leaves.

What does matcha taste like?

Good matcha tastes fresh and grassy, with a natural sweetness and a rounded, savoury depth often called umami. Lower grades, or water that's too hot, can make it bitter. As a latte, the milk softens the grassy notes and it becomes creamy and mellow.

Ceremonial and culinary grades

You'll see matcha sold as ceremonial or culinary. Ceremonial is the trade name for the smoothest, brightest matcha, usually from young leaves, made for drinking. Culinary is more robust and is meant for baking and smoothies. The terms aren't legally defined, so colour, taste and origin are the best guides.

How do you drink matcha?

  1. Traditional: whisk a small amount of pure matcha with water at around 80°C until frothy. Our guide to whisking matcha shows how.
  2. As a latte: mix into a smooth paste with a splash of hot water, then top up with hot or cold milk. Try our hot matcha latte.
  3. Iced: pour a matcha paste over ice and cold milk.
  4. In food: culinary matcha goes into baking, smoothies and desserts.

Matcha or coffee?

Many people drink matcha as an alternative to coffee: it's a warm, caffeinated morning drink with a very different flavour, and usually less caffeine per cup. See matcha vs coffee for a side-by-side.

How to store matcha

Keep matcha sealed in a cool, dry, dark place, away from strong smells. Once opened, use it within a few weeks for the brightest colour and flavour.

Try a matcha latte at home

If you're new to matcha, a latte blend is the easiest place to start. Mind Full Matcha is a creamy matcha latte powder made with ceremonial matcha, lion's mane and coconut. Find it on the product page.

FAQs

Is matcha high in caffeine?

It contains caffeine, but cup for cup it's usually lower than coffee. A 10g serving of Mind Full Matcha has 40mg, compared with about 100mg in a cup of instant coffee (NHS). Pure matcha varies with how much powder you use.

Is matcha just green tea?

It comes from the same plant, but it's grown in the shade, processed differently and ground into a powder that you drink whole, which gives it a richer taste than brewed green tea.

Is there a downside to drinking matcha?

The main thing to watch is caffeine. It all counts towards your daily total from coffee, tea, cola and chocolate. EFSA says up to 400mg a day spread through the day doesn't raise safety concerns for healthy adults, and the NHS advises no more than 200mg a day in pregnancy.

What should you not mix matcha with?

Boiling water. It scorches the powder and makes it bitter, so let the kettle rest to around 80°C. Some plant milks can also separate if the drink is very hot.

What is matcha made of?

Shade-grown green tea leaves (Camellia sinensis) that are steamed, dried, de-stemmed and stone-ground into a fine powder. Pure matcha contains nothing else.

Mind Full Matcha: ceremonial matcha, lion's mane and coconut cream in one creamy latte powder. 30 servings per 300g pouch.

Shop Mind Full Matcha →

Further reading

Back to blog

Launch price

Mind Full Matcha - 300g

from £19.99 with Subscribe & Save

Subscribe now and keep £19.99 a bag · free UK delivery

Shop now