How is Matcha made?

The process of cultivating matcha tea leaves closely mirrors that of Gyokuro, Japan’s finest premium green tea. While standard tea leaves are grown under direct sunlight, Gyokuro and matcha require the tea fields to be shaded. 

About 20 days before harvesting, the fields are completely covered to block out the sunlight. This shading process suppresses the production of catechins (which cause bitterness) and dramatically boosts the level of theanine (the source of savory umami). 

Every spring, the year's very first flush is hand-picked while the fields remain under cover. Immediately after harvesting, the leaves are rushed to the factory and steamed. This rapid steaming halts oxidation, which preserves the vibrant, brilliant green color that defines Japanese green tea. 

The ceremonial-grade matcha used in the world-famous Japanese tea ceremony relies on leaves grown through this meticulous, labor-intensive process. 

In contrast, culinary-grade (industrial) matcha may undergo fewer shading days, or the leaves might take longer to reach the factory after being picked. Ceremonial matcha is considered superior precisely because of the immense time and care invested in it—resulting in an exquisite color, aroma, and flavor profile. 

That said, even culinary-grade matcha made in Japan is carefully shaded and produced with high standards, making it absolutely perfect for practicing. With the global matcha boom, we now see matcha being produced outside of Japan. However, when it comes to sheer quality, even a standard Japanese culinary-grade matcha often surpasses foreign-made alternatives in flavor and vibrancy.

Now, here is where the production of matcha radically diverges from other green teas:

Unlike Gyokuro or Sencha, after the leaves are steamed, they are dried without ever being rolled. Furthermore, all the stems and veins are meticulously removed. What remains is ground into a fine powder using stone mills, which finally turns it into matcha.

Because tea loses its freshness rapidly once reduced to powder, matcha cannot be stored long-term in its powdered form. Instead, it is preserved as dried leaves and ground on a stone mill immediately before shipping.

While this grinding was done by hand in ancient times, automated stone mills are used today. It is worth noting that lower-priced, mass-produced matcha may not use traditional stone mills at all.

A traditional stone mill consists of an upper and lower stone with an incredibly microscopic gap between them, featuring delicate grooves carved into each surface. Tea leaves fed through the center hole are gently reduced to powder within this precise space.

The stone mill rotates at a strict pace of just one revolution per second. It takes about 3 to 4 full minutes of constant spinning just to produce enough matcha for a single, thin bowl of tea (Usucha). Even with modern automation, this rotation speed of one turn per second cannot be rushed. A single stone mill yields only about 80 grams of matcha per hour.

Maintaining these stone mills is a massive undertaking; some factories employ dedicated artisans exclusively for their upkeep. Interestingly, the particles of matcha ground by a stone mill have a jagged, irregular shape, whereas modern high-speed crushing machines create perfectly smooth, rounded particles. It is widely said that these jagged, stone-ground particles deliver far superior flavor and aroma. While the scientific reason remains a beautiful mystery, it is a testament to the magic that happens when you refuse to cut corners.