The differences that make matcha either high-quality or low-quality; begins in the soil. Japan is known for its incredibly high-quality matcha; this is in part thanks to the extra care taken by using nutrient-rich fertilizer, ensuring the plant is as healthy as possible, adding to the overall richness of the tea. Throughout the year, tea farms begin harvesting in the early spring, up through the fall, averaging 1-4 harvests per year. The matcha classified as “high-grade” or “ceremonial grade” must be harvested during the first harvest, during the spring. The first harvest, “ichibancha” has the most nutrients and flavor within the leaves because the dormant period leading up to the first harvest allows the bush to soak up extra nutrients, making ichibancha the most desirable harvest for producing ceremonial grade matcha. Ceremonial grade matcha is usually picked by hand, however, that isn’t always the case, as machines are used on some farms.
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High-Quality Matcha | Low-Quality Matcha
Use Cases for Each Quality
High-Quality:
Ceremonial-grade matcha should be consumed with hot water and without additives like cream and sugar. I know that it’s commonplace in America and the EU to add cream and sugar into matcha; however, high-quality matcha is already so naturally sweet, that you’ll find that you don’t need to add anything to the matcha.
Low-Quality:
Low-quality matcha referred to as “ingredient-grade” is fantastic for baking/making desserts. The increased bitterness and decreased sweetness allow the matcha to compliment the dessert; instead of overpowering the other elements within the dessert. You can think of low-quality matcha as dark chocolate in the dessert world. Drinking low-quality matcha is usually consumed with milk and sugar; due to the extra bitterness and lack of sweetness; that’s why it’s common to see places like Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts adding in large amounts of milk, cream, and sugar. If you were to drink ingredient-grade matcha by itself, odds are the taste wouldn’t be too pleasant.
Price:
The price difference between the two grades of matcha is quite apparent, low-quality matcha tends to be sold for around half the price of high-quality matcha, which is usually $25-40 per 30g tin; in some cases, the price difference can be even greater. On a side note, when you decide to purchase matcha, you want to check the image of the tea provided and do a visual check to see if the color matches the quality that you desire. Buying tea online can be tricky and hard to choose the best product for you, however, looking at the origin country and the color of the tea will help ensure that you get the matcha you’re looking for.
High-Quality:
Ceremonial-grade matcha should be consumed with hot water and without additives like cream and sugar. I know that it’s commonplace in America and the EU to add cream and sugar into matcha; however, high-quality matcha is already so naturally sweet, that you’ll find that you don’t need to add anything to the matcha.
Low-Quality:
Low-quality matcha referred to as “ingredient-grade” is fantastic for baking/making desserts. The increased bitterness and decreased sweetness allow the matcha to compliment the dessert; instead of overpowering the other elements within the dessert. You can think of low-quality matcha as dark chocolate in the dessert world. Drinking low-quality matcha is usually consumed with milk and sugar; due to the extra bitterness and lack of sweetness; that’s why it’s common to see places like Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts adding in large amounts of milk, cream, and sugar. If you were to drink ingredient-grade matcha by itself, odds are the taste wouldn’t be too pleasant.
Price:
The price difference between the two grades of matcha is quite apparent, low-quality matcha tends to be sold for around half the price of high-quality matcha, which is usually $25-40 per 30g tin; in some cases, the price difference can be even greater. On a side note, when you decide to purchase matcha, you want to check the image of the tea provided and do a visual check to see if the color matches the quality that you desire. Buying tea online can be tricky and hard to choose the best product for you, however, looking at the origin country and the color of the tea will help ensure that you get the matcha you’re looking for.
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