The origins of our Culinary Matcha Japanese green tea
With its creamy, grassy and mildly sweet flavour, our Culinary Matcha is a high-quality powder that will both brighten and boost your culinary creations. Think beyond the generic matcha lattes that have become standard in coffee chains everywhere over the past few years. This luxurious finely ground culinary grade Matcha tea powder can be used in everything from egg and ice-cream recipes to croissants and cakes.
Our Culinary Matcha is sourced from the Pacific coast of Japan, specifically in the revered Ise Bay area of Mie Prefecture. Here, farmers have been growing premium green teas for more than 800 years, passing down ancient tea knowledge from generation to generation, and today exporting their highest quality green teas to the world.
Made from premium shade-grown tea leaves that have been stone ground, our Culinary Matcha has the fresh vegetal characters of its early spring harvest along with a faintly fruity fragrance. There's none of that astringency you'll find in lower quality brews. Its creamy quality makes it an ideal addition to ice cream, lattes, smoothies, cheesecake and other chilled desserts, creating a stunning colour while adding a subtle savoury quality that helps offset the sweetness.
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Among the benefits of matcha is how it offers a slow release of caffeine, thus avoiding the spike-then-slump of coffee and some teas. Hence we love it in a green smoothie to kick off the day: add a teaspoon or two to a blender with a banana, some spinach, nut milk of your choice, plus ice. Then whiz it up, and away you go!
But the health benefits of matcha go way beyond sustained mental clarity and feeling a good first thing. Key among them are the plant-derived antioxidants called catechins, of which one – epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) – is found in particularly high quantities in matcha. Studies have found that, among other things, EGCG can help neutralise free radicals, fight cancer and reduce 'bad' LDL cholesterol. In addition, matcha is high in amino acids, especially L-theanine, associated with easing anxiety and helping with relaxation and sleep.
Why not explore other similar Japanese matcha powders
If you're looking to make a top-quality tea out of this powerhouse green powder, we recommend our authentic Japanese Organic Matcha, silky-smooth Ceremonial Grade Matcha and Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha teas. Alternatively, you can experience two of Japan's most famous tea exports in a caddy of clean-tasting Sencha Matcha or, for the vegetal characters of matcha combined with the comforting notes of toasted rice, our Genmaicha Iri Matcha. And if you're keen to redefine what a matcha latte should be about, please try our special mix made with cacao, toffee and cinnamon. Whipped to perfection with your preferred milk, it's a sublimely smooth and creamy way to enjoy all the benefits of matcha powder.
Want to make matcha green tea properly? It would help if you had a couple of tools, including a bowl and the traditional bamboo whisk called a chasen. Kit yourself up with all the Matcha Essentials from our range of Teaware, and read more about the traditional tea ceremony, for which our Ceremonial Grade Matcha is named, in our Tea Journal.