Matcha
| Matcha | |
|---|---|
| Type | Green tea |
| Other names | 抹茶, "fine powder tea" |
| Origin | |
| Quick description | Japanese stone-ground powder green tea of ancient Chinese origin |
| Regional names | |||||||||||||||
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"Matcha" in kanji | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 末茶 抹茶 | ||||||||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 말차 | ||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 抹茶 | ||||||||||||||
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| Alternative Korean name | |||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 가루차 | ||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 抹茶 | ||||||||||||||
| Kana | まっちゃ | ||||||||||||||
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Matcha (抹茶) /ˈmætʃə, ˈmɑːtʃə/ ⓘ is a finely ground powder of green tea specially processed from shade-grown tea leaves. Shade growing gives matcha its characteristic bright green color and strong umami flavor. Matcha is typically consumed suspended in hot water.
Matcha originated in China, but the production of the raw material for matcha was banned in China in the 14th century. Shade growing was invented in Japan in the 16th century and most matcha is produced there today. The traditional Japanese tea ceremony, typically known as chanoyu (茶の湯) or sadō/chadō (茶道), centers on the preparation, serving and drinking of matcha as hot tea, and embodies a meditative and spiritual practice.
Matcha is also used to flavor and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream, matcha lattes, and a variety of Japanese wagashi confectionery. For this purpose, matcha made green by color additives instead of expensive shade-grown matcha is often used.