Matcha is a Powdered Green Tea

 Recently, matcha products in tea bags have appeared on the North American market. Genuine matcha is packed only in sealed packets or tins. It is a finely powdered green tea meant to be whisked with water, not steeped like loose leaf tea. The many brands of bagged “matcha” are bogus. They are mostly cut leaves of ordinary green tea (sencha) or the shade-grown green tea (tencha) that can be ground into matcha powder. Some of these products have a bit of real matcha added to the cut leaves.

 Sadly, many people who think they have tried matcha have only had the fake stuff. Some think they are getting a bargain because the tea bag products are priced much lower than the pure powder. Real matcha is expensive because a lot of work goes into growing and processing it.

 When you drink matcha, you are consuming the entire tea leaf, not just a water extraction. And quality matcha gives you more nutrients and protective compounds than ordinary tea.

 If your experience of “matcha” is limited to the stuff in tea bags, you have yet to discover why this special form of green tea is held in such high regard. Seek out the real thing!