History of matcha - where did this special tea come from?
When you hear the question of where matcha came from , it sounds very banal at first. However, the history of this tea drink is deep, so it is worth learning more about it.
When we talk about matcha , the first thing that comes to mind is Japan. Traditional tea drinking ceremonies played a major role in the popularity of matcha , which also helped create the modern method of making matcha .
Matcha's origins in China
However, people are often surprised to learn that the history of matcha is much older and that it began not in Japan, but in China. The Chinese were the first to start grinding green tea and the word " matcha " itself comes from the Chinese language, it means "powdered tea".
The discovery of a Japanese monk
The mysterious history of green tea dates back to the 8th century, and in the 12th century, a method of making tea by steaming dried leaves into a powdered form became popular. It was this tea preparation method that caught the eye of a Japanese Buddhist monk, Myoan Eisai.
Myoan Eisai noticed that drinking matcha improved his ZEN meditation sessions by creating a state of calm alertness. Today we know that this is due to the interaction between the caffeine and L-theanine in matcha .
Matcha in Japan and the tea ceremony
The monk eventually brought this new discovery back to Japan, where a major breakthrough occurred that remains significant in the production of matcha tea to this day: growing the tea in the shade for 2-4 weeks before harvesting.
This process helps preserve many more nutrients, gives the matcha drink more Umami flavor, and reduces the standard bitterness of green tea.
From the East to the West of the world
It is believed that shade growing was discovered by accident when Japanese tea growers tried to protect their tea harvest from freezing by covering the tea leaves. Well, everything that followed is the story of matcha - over time, this tea began to conquer the hearts of not only Easterners, but also all Westerners.
The answer is – where did matcha come from?
So, the answer to the question of where matcha tea originated cannot be just Japan or China. It is more a series of happy coincidences that both nations contributed to.
Start your matcha journey today with our high-quality matcha tea .
