Grades of Matcha

Matcha runs from the highest grades to the lowest. Based on a variety of factors, the highest-grade is grown and harvested in Japan under the most pristine, hand-picked, and optimum conditions.

These higher grades have a brilliant green color, rich aroma, and a distinct, but not bitter taste. Traditional tea ceremonies use ‘premium’ or ceremonial grade to make thick tea, and many daily drinkers outside of traditional settings prefer this quality for its bold flavor, striking emerald-green color, energy-building properties, and health benefits.

Below the ceremonial grade is ‘Usucha’ or thin-tea which offers a strong balance of premium characteristics (color, aroma, effects) while being lower cost and with a marginal range of bitter notes. This sharper taste can be preferred by some, though is traditionally considered unfit for ceremony. The added bitterness comes from a higher tannin content (i.e. polyphenols which are good for our health), so you’re still getting all of green tea’s superpowers.

At the end of the matcha spectrum, culinary-grade still has many valuable uses and most all of the same health benefits. This grade of matcha is used to impart a sweet and savory flavor into many of your  favorite recipes.It’s perfect for smoothies, cookies, cakes, soba, and even green tea ice cream.

The lower cost of culinary grade comes with a greater range of bitterness; this is usually because the leaves used are more mature, and harvested later in the season, meaning the rich chlorophyll and amino acids like L-theanine are still present but with a greater tannin and catechin content. Culinary uses aside, it’s a great low-cost option for an immediate health-boost.

Matcha vs Coffee and Sugary Drinks

Matcha has caffeine like coffee, but your body processes it in a completely different way. The caffeine in matcha is released slowly, and the amino-acids control how it functions in the brain. This way you don’t get the jitters, anxiety, heart palpitations, or that familiar mid-afternoon caffeine crash from when you drink coffee. Unlike coffee, matcha also doesn’t irritate the gastrointestinal tract, instead it’s a probiotic for our gut-microbiome.

Matcha has an appropriate amount of caffeine to keep you mentally alert and is absorbed by the body more effectively to give you four to six hours of energy instead of the one to three you get from coffee. And, if you need an extra mid-day boost, you can even drink matcha in the early evening without worrying about interfering with your sleep. Matcha can provide you with jitter-free energy and focus.

Many common energy drinks  contain too much sugar, leading to tooth decay, weight gain, obesity, as well as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Matcha tea is not only low in calories but also free of the harmful effects of sugars,like those seen from soda, ready-to-drink coffees, and others.