Matcha, known as one of the oldest teas in the world, dates back nearly a thousand years to a time when the Shogun clans ruled Japan and dynasties ruled China. The Tang Dynasty in ancient China ruled from the 7th-10th centuries. During this time, steamed leaves were formed and pressed into bricks, with most of the moisture being removed from the leaves, this aided in reducing the challenges and cost of transporting as well as trading the leaves. Sometimes these bricks were mixed with binding agents such as blood, manure, or flour to preserve their shape so that they could withstand physical use as a currency. High-quality tea in ancient China was so valuable, that people would actually use these tea bricks similar to that of salt blocks which were traded as currency in ancient Africa. When it was time to consume the tea, the bricks would be roasted, which completely dried out the leaves, pulverized into a powder, then mixed with water and salt, creating the early form of matcha that we have today. This method of preparation and consumption became popularized by Chinas Song Dynasty between the 10th-13th centuries.
Ancient Chinese Tea Brick
In 1191 Eisai, a Japanese Buddhist monk who spent the younger portion of his life studying in China brought back tea seeds from China and planted them on the temple grounds in Kyoto Japan. Under the Kamakura Shogun rule, matcha in Japan was only produced in limited quantities making it a status symbol among the elites. As the culture of tea continued to spread throughout Japan, the birth of the tea ceremony was born.
Eisai, the Japanese Buddhist monk
Today modern agricultural and processing techniques have allowed matcha to become a widely adopted and affordable drink worldwide. With mechanized harvesting, improved fertilization practices, growing the hedges in rows instead of in individual units, better pest control methods, and 21st century machines that have drastically reduced the amount of time needed to make matcha; the everyday person is now able to enjoy a drink that was once exclusive to the wealthy. Some farms still stick to the traditional ways of processing matcha, however, increased competition has made this method far too expensive to maintain on its own in many regions, forcing farms to either go in the direction of full-scale mechanization or run a hybrid operation with hand-made or hand-picked matcha being done only during the first and most valuable harvest, then switching to machines for the remaining harvests of the year.
Matcha has gone from a small tradition mainly celebrated by the ultra-wealthy elites in China to spreading into Japan through a Buddhist monk, where the modern form of processing matcha was perfected. Even centuries after its introduction into Japan, matcha was still mainly consumed by the wealthy elites due to the high prices of the tea and has only recently become a global phenomenon that people from every walk of life savor and enjoy on a day-to-day basis. From traditional methods of preparation to consuming matcha in the form of ice cream, matcha has seen its applications grow as the ever-increasing global appetite for matcha keeps expanding and evolving into new and exciting forms.
Matcha has gone from a small tradition mainly celebrated by the ultra-wealthy elites in China to spreading into Japan through a Buddhist monk, where the modern form of processing matcha was perfected. Even centuries after its introduction into Japan, matcha was still mainly consumed by the wealthy elites due to the high prices of the tea and has only recently become a global phenomenon that people from every walk of life savor and enjoy on a day-to-day basis. From traditional methods of preparation to consuming matcha in the form of ice cream, matcha has seen its applications grow as the ever-increasing global appetite for matcha keeps expanding and evolving into new and exciting forms.
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