Matcha Madness

What is matcha?

Matcha is a powdered tea made from a type of green tea called tencha, a partially shade-grown green tea, specifically produced for matcha. After harvesting, tencha is deveined, de-stemmed, and ground to make matcha.

Beginning in the 12th century, Japanese monasteries and the imperial court in Kyoto used matcha as a ceremonial beverage. Although it continues to be used for tea ceremonies, over the past few years matcha has grown in popularity as a health food and culinary ingredient. You may have noticed matcha lattes, matcha cookies, matcha smoothies and much more in cafes and restaurants.

We carry these variations of matcha:

• Organic Ceremonial Matcha
• Organic Daily Matcha
• Ceremonial Matcha To-go Sticks

Typically, the ceremonial grade of matcha is used for whisking matcha with hot water and drinking it as part of a tea ceremony or as a healthy beverage at home. The daily or culinary grade tends to be slightly more bitter and is used when cooking or mixing with other ingredients. It's easy to add a teaspoon of matcha to almost any recipe. Here's one of our favorites:

Berry Matcha Smoothie recipe

• 1 banana
• 1 cup of yogurt
• 1 cup of citrus juice (orange, lemon or lime)
• 1 cup of other fruit juice (cranberry, apple, etc.)
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries
• 1 teaspoon of matcha

Blend all ingredients together in a blender and enjoy! This recipe makes 2-3  servings. Feel free to substitute other ingredients and experiment. Click links above to purchase matcha products.