Matcha

Our matcha is ceremonial-grade powder from the Uji region of Kyoto, one of the oldest matcha-growing areas in Japan. The leaves are shaded for weeks before the spring harvest, which keeps more of the amino acids behind matcha's sweetness, then stone-milled slowly into a fine, vivid green powder. The bowl is smooth, creamy and naturally sweet, with no bitterness and no chalkiness.

Ceremonial or culinary? "Ceremonial" is not an official Japanese grade, so here is what it means for us: first-harvest spring leaf, long shading, stone milling, and a powder made to be drunk with water alone, where its umami and sweetness can show. Culinary matcha comes from later-harvest or shorter-shaded leaf and is made to hold up against milk and sugar.

Many people come to matcha for how it feels. It combines caffeine with L-theanine, an amino acid that shading keeps in the leaf, so the lift arrives as alert calm: steady focus without the jittery edge coffee can bring. Our matcha buying guide explains the grades, and matcha vs coffee compares the two honestly. For leaf teas from the same country, see our Japanese tea collection.