When you hear the question, "Where did Matcha come from?" It seems very banal at first, but in fact, this tea drink has a deep history - which makes it worth learning more about .
When it comes to Matcha, the first thing that comes to mind is Japan. The popularity of Matcha was greatly influenced by traditional tea ceremonies, which also helped to create the modern method of making Matcha.
However, people are often surprised to learn that the history of Matcha is much older and that its history began not in Japan, but in China. The Chinese were the first to grind green tea and the very word "Matcha" comes from the Chinese language, which means "powdered tea".
The mysterious history of green tea dates back to the 8th century, and in the 12th century, the method of making powdered tea from steam-treated dried leaves became popular. It was this method of tea preparation that caught the eye of one Japanese Buddhist monk, Myoan Eisai.
Mjoan 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.
Finally, the monk took this new discovery with him to Japan. It was in Japan that an important turning point took place, which remains an important part of Matcha tea production to this day. This is growing tea in the shade, 2-4 weeks before harvest.
This process helps preserve far more nutrients, gives Matcha more Umami flavor and reduces the standard bitterness of green tea.
Shade cultivation is believed to have been discovered by accident when Japanese tea growers tried to protect their tea crops from freezing by covering the tea leaves. Well, everything that followed is the story of Matcha, when this tea began to conquer the hearts not only of Easterners, but also of all Westerners.
So, the answer to the question: "where did Matcha tea come from" cannot be Japan or China. Rather, it is a series of happy coincidences to which both nations contributed.