If you’ve ever wondered how matcha tastes, you’re not alone. Green teas can be bitter or green, but Matcha has a rich, earthy flavor and a smooth texture that many people find delicious. Its complex sweetness and umami flavor leave a long-lasting aftertaste. This unusual tea is made by carefully selecting shade-dried and stone-milled leaves, and the result is a powder with a vibrant, rich green color.
When brewed, Matcha has a slightly grassy taste and a sweet aftertaste. When drinking Matcha, it should be creamy and smooth with no gritty bits. It is best to drink it hot since it will give you full health benefits. If you’re new to the tea, consider drinking it cold first. You can also add milk if you prefer. But be sure to try both ways to get a true sense of its flavor and mouthfeel.
What is matcha?
Matcha is a form of green tea created by grinding young tea leaves into a fine powder. After that, the powder is whisked with boiling water. This differs from ordinary green tea, which involves infusing the leaves in water and then removing them.
Matcha leaves are grown on shade-growing green tea bushes. The amount of chlorophyll in the leaves rises in the shadow, giving them their vivid green color and nutrient content. The leaves are hand-picked, with the stems and veins removed. According to Cheadle, the leaves are customarily pounded into a thin powder using granite stones. “Grinding the leaves takes an hour, and it’s done in the dark to preserve the nutrients.”
According to Louise Cheadle, co-author of The Book of Matcha and co-owner of Teapigs, drinking green tea “is a bit like boiling spinach, tossing away the spinach, and simply sipping the water.” “You’ll receive some nutrients, but you’ll be wasting the greatest part.” With Matcha, you consume the entire tea leaf.
What does matcha taste like?
Matcha has a complex and unique flavor with these primary elements:
- Grassy: Matcha tea leaves are grown in the shade, which increases their chlorophyll content. That’s what gives matcha its vibrant green color and vegetal taste.
- Umami: Matcha has a strong savory/meaty taste. Umami is the fifth basic taste after sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.
- Sweet: Good quality matcha has a natural sweetness, although it’s not sugary like a dessert. This sweetness comes from the L-theanine amino acids in the tea leaves.
- Bitter: Matcha can have a slight bitter edge, particularly if it’s a lower grade or when it’s steeped with boiling water. The bitterness can balance out the sweetness and umami flavors, but not everyone likes it.
- Creamy: When whisked properly, matcha powder forms a thick, frothy beverage with a creamy mouthfeel. Some people also describe it as buttery.
The exact taste of matcha can vary depending on the quality of the tea leaves, how they were grown, and how the matcha is prepared. Higher quality matcha tends to be smoother, more complex, and less bitter.
Excellent matcha will not have any bitter flavor at all. Rather, it will have a slightly sweet flavor.
Louise Cheadle
Note that matcha powder used at Starbucks is sweetened and has a slightly different flavor. Learn what matcha at Starbucks tastes like.
How to make matcha taste good?
We have an entire post dedicated to this topic: how to make matcha taste good. The short answer is, you can try a different brand or add sweetener.
How is matcha prepared?
Matcha powder is usually combined with hot water and whisked together to create a frothy drink designed to be sipped. This is a traditional Japanese beverage. It is also common practice to combine it with steamed milk to make an everyday matcha latte, which is consumed in the same manner as a cup of coffee in the morning.
The matcha latte has a distinct taste that includes a robust earthiness, with notes of vegetable grassiness, sweet nuttiness, and delightful bitter undertones.
You can also mix matcha powder into plain water and smoothies. Or, use it in recipes, like this simple matcha mochi.
What are the health benefits of matcha?
Matcha has the same health benefits as green tea. However, consuming matcha (in its unsweetened form) may be healthier than drinking green tea. This is because matcha is the whole tea leaf in ground form, while tea is water brewed with the leaf.
Matcha health benefits include:
- High in Antioxidants: Matcha is rich in catechins, a class of plant compounds in tea that act as natural antioxidants. These can help stabilize harmful free radicals, compounds that can damage cells and cause chronic disease.
- Boosts Brain Function: Some research shows that several of the components in matcha could help enhance brain function. One study, published in the National Library of Medicine, found that consuming matcha can protect against cognitive decline in elderly, community-dwelling women.
- May Protect the Liver: Some studies have shown that matcha could potentially help protect the health of your liver, which plays a central role in metabolic functions.
- May Aid Weight Loss: Green tea is thought to support weight loss by increasing fat-burning during exercise and rest and boosting metabolic rate. The research on this, however, is inconclusive.
- Heart Health: Green tea has been associated with a lower risk of heart disease by reducing levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, as well as triglycerides. It may also prevent the oxidation of LDL, which is a part of the pathway towards heart disease.
- Calm Alertness: Matcha contains a combination of caffeine and L-theanine, an amino acid known to relax the mind. This combination can induce a state of calm alertness with some users reporting feeling both energized and calm after consuming.
Remember that while matcha can contribute to a healthy lifestyle, it’s not a magic cure-all and its benefits can vary from person to person. Also, its caffeine content can make it unsuitable for people sensitive to caffeine. Generally, remember to ask your doctor before making significant changes to your diet or health regimen.
Does matcha have lead?
You may have heard that green tea has been linked to lead contamination. It is true that green tea absorbs lead, but Dr. Tod Cooperman of ConsumerLab.com does not believe matcha or green tea sold in the U.S. poses a health risk.
According to Consumerism’s tests, even if a lead is identified in the leaves used in green tea bags, it is not absorbed into the water. Cooperman and his team tested powders in the six popular matcha brands — Matchwood, Encha Organic Matcha, Rishi Teahouse Matcha, Teavana Imperial Matcha, Kirkland Signature Green Tea, and The Republic of Tea Double Green Matcha Tea. They were not contaminated with lead or other metals, and they didn’t contain pesticides, either.
While ConsumerLab didn’t test every brand, the premium brands were not contaminated.
Are there negative effects from drinking matcha tea?
Green tea and matcha are both regarded as healthy and safe to consume. However, caffeine-sensitive patients should be advised that both contain significant stimulant levels. In 2016, the World Health Organization connected the consumption of hot beverages such as coffee and tea to an increased risk of esophageal cancer. However, the cancer risk from other sources, such as smoking, is substantially lower.
What is the best way to store matcha?
It would help if you discovered how to store matcha to maintain the most incredible flavors, scent, and color. When I buy matcha powder, the qualities usually last for four weeks after opening the package.
If you don’t plan on using your matcha powder right away, you may keep it in the freezer to keep it fresh for a long time.
Once the package is open, wrap it tightly and keep it in your refrigerator. Just remember to place your matcha out to warm up to room temperature before preparing it. The taste can be different when it’s cold.
If you want to skip the thawing step, you can store matcha powder in your cupboard. Just know what cold storage works better if you live in a hot or humid area.
Here are some guidelines to follow if you wish to ensure proper storage conditions:
- Keep the package out of direct sunlight
- Keep the package dry and away from moisture.
- Keep the package out of reach of strong odors. (If you don’t, some of these odors may be absorbed by your Matcha.)
- Keep the package out of direct sunlight and bright lighting.
- To avoid moisture and oxidation, store the powder in an airtight container.
Does matcha go bad?
Matcha does not expire because it has a shelf life that is significantly longer than most other foods. While the powder won’t go rancid, it can lose its flavor and health benefits over long periods of time. You might see that it has changed color or notice that it tastes different.
For that reason, plan on consuming matcha powder within six months.
Getting the best flavor from matcha
Matcha is an acquired taste. You may not like it the first time, but be open to experimenting with different brands and a modest amount of sweetener. You may land on a preparation you love and there are worse things than being hooked on a healthy drink.