Organic Matcha Tea is made from tea leaves harvested from organically farmed tea plantations. Matcha is a Japanese style of tea made by grinding the whole tea leaf to a fine powder . In Japanese “cha” means tea, and “ma” means powder, so matcha simply translates as powdered green tea.

Tea was powdered and dried into bricks for ease of use and transport during the Tang Dynasty in ancient China. People could simply break off a chunk of the powdered tea brick and stir it into hot water.

In 1191 AD, Eisai (1141-1215), the founder of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism brought the idea of powdered tea to Japan. Eisai encouraged the planting of tea trees. His Kissa Yojoki (How to Stay Healthy by Drinking Tea), was written by Eisai in 1211). His writings tied tea-drinking to longevity and launched tea in Japan on a large scale. The powdered tea eventually evolved into the traditional chanoyu ceremony, also called the Way of Tea.

The tradition of drinking powdered green teas  lost popularity in China until recent years. In Japan however the tradition has persisted. Initially, only royalty and Samurai warriors were given Matcha. Matcha tea was time consuming and expensive to produce, however it is now a popular drink throughout Japan.

The Japanese perfected the art of ceremonial matcha tea making and drinking over the centuries. Today Japan has many special old tea plantations in the southern regions. Such plantations are dedicated purely to organic tea for Matcha. Tea from different plantations produce their own aroma and taste, just like fine vineyards.

Growing Organic Matcha Tea.

The famous tea plantations of southern Japan that grow organic tea are independently inspected. They are certified by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture. So no pesticides are used and only approved farming practices.

High quality ceremonial grades of organic matcha tea starts with the use of selected organically certified plantations. Then they shade the tea plants from the sun for the last few weeks of growth. This is to increase the chlorophyll content. The effect is recognisable by a distinctively bright green colour.
Only the very small new leaves of the first crop of the season, first flush, are picked for the high grade matcha. The leaves are blended from the different plantations to achieve the taste that the master tea blender is requiring. Next they carefully grind the leaves with a stone mill to produce a very fine powder.

The second flush crops produce a lower grade ceremonial matcha. Manufacturers then progressively grind lower grades with ceramic stone mills. Metal mills are used to cheaply pulverize lower grade tea leaves into larger granule powders. Chefs use the lowest grade Matcha powder for cooking.

Brewing Organic Matcha Tea

Matcha powder is wisked into a cup of hot water, but not boiling water. This makes an antioxidant rich frothy green tea. Lower grade matcha is used for recipes like smoothies or baking. Unlike other types of teas, the green tea powder is not strained out before consuming. You are consuming the entire leaf, making Matcha more potent than other tea brews. In fact, only 1/2 tsp is needed to brew a traditional cup of Matcha. Even less when you have a high grade ceremonial matcha tea.

For more information on the benefits of organic matcha tea click here.

Certified Organic Matcha Tea Products:-

Pep Tea Matcha products are of the highest quality. Our Matcha is available online through our distribution arm Opera Foods Pty Ltd

Peptea – Matcha  Supreme Tea Powder – 30g (Organic – Finest Ceremonial Grade)

Peptea – Matcha Imperial Tea Powder – 30g (Organic – Ceremonial Grade)

Peptea – Matcha  Imperial Tea Powder – 100g (Organic – Ceremonial Grade)

Peptea – Matcha Premium Tea Powder – 100g (Organic – Culinary Grade)

Peptea – Matcha Premium Tea Powder – 1kg (Organic – Culinary Grade)

Buy Matcha tea Now

Order our supreme grades of organic Matcha Tea online now. Pep Tea’s Distributor will deliver to most Australian postcodes overnight. Or get a postal delivery and the cheapest freight.