Ceremonial Matcha Doesn't Exist

"Do you have ceremonial matcha?" — It's probably one of the most popular questions we hear from customers in our cafe. But what does it mean?

In Japan, they'd find the term a bit funny — I found it weird too, when we were preparing for the opening of OMMA in Dublin. When I asked my Japanese friends how they would translate "ceremonial matcha" into Japanese, they said that there is no such term in Japanese, and there is no way to write it in their alphabet. So they used katakana (the alphabet used in Japan for foreign words).

Well, that explains it all: ceremonial matcha is a Western term created by marketers to promote matcha. There is no specific certification in Japan that can be used to decide whether matcha is of that grade.

Japan doesn't have an official, standardized grading system for matcha the way the West imagines — "ceremonial / premium / culinary" are Western retail inventions, not Japanese categories. What actually differentiates matcha in Japan is a set of concrete production and sourcing variables. In Japan, they differentiate matcha by purpose: the one for drinking (koicha/usucha) and the one that is cooking-grade (for cooking, lattes, and sweets).

What Impacts the Notes

First of all, good quality matcha won't have one direct flavour of grass or one direct hit of bitterness; it will open with one note, coat the mouth with a world of rich textures, and leave a unique aftertaste.

The soil — probably one of the most important factors, and how the farmer fertilises it, as most of the time the plant spends in the soil ecosystem. How they take care of the core of the plant and what they feed it will impact the health and the flavour. Often farmers share with us that, in order to reach an umami flavour, they use sea byproducts, as well as sesame, fish bones, tea plant byproducts, and seaweed. This is what feeds the plant and develops a delicate, unexpected, savoury, brothy flavour, and is considered the highest level of matcha.

The shading — this process is stressful for the plant and takes about 2–3 weeks, but it helps to produce more chlorophyll. Shading reduces photosynthesis, which slows the conversion of amino acids into catechins (bitter compounds). As a result, L-theanine (a sweet, umami-rich amino acid) accumulates. This gives matcha its sweet, umami flavour and calming properties. As a result of shading, we can see a vivid, bright green colour.

Harvest time — the best and most precious matcha comes from the very first harvest, which happens around April–May, depending on the temperature and warmth. Only the lightest, newest spring leaves are used for the best quality matcha. It's only possible to harvest it once a year and then never again — that's why it's in such scarcity and the price is so high.

Processing — how the leaves are processed, and whether the tencha is lightly roasted, impacts where on the diagram of flavour the specific matcha lands: whether it's more fresh and vegetal or closer to umami, or more sweet and nutty, or rather bitter and strong.

What Impacts the Price

Region — currently Uji has the biggest name, but it's also one of the smallest matcha-making regions. Due to its name abroad, the price is higher — but it doesn't mean it's the best of its kind. Miyazaki has the possibility to produce more, it has truly crafty farmers, and more options to produce organically.

Size of the farm — the bigger the farm, the more of a specific kind of matcha there is, the more automated the processes are, and the lower the price; the opposite happens if matcha is hand-picked.

Volume — the more unique and narrowly spread a cultivar is, and the lower the volume of a specific kind, the more it costs. Some matcha we offer, we only get about 6kg per year, and that's it, from a tiny family farm in Japan.

Single cultivar — due to the global matcha shortage, single cultivars are rare, as tea companies often mix a few cultivars together to create a blend and have more matcha of one kind for sale, to control the quality. But that also substantially lowers the price and impacts uniqueness.

Prestige of the farmer — the more awards the farmer has, the more generations are behind their fields and craft, the more competitions they participate in, and the bigger the heritage, the higher the price.

Method of picking leaves — hand-picked is obviously higher, as 3 hours of picking produces only 150g of matcha, while machine-picked costs less, as in those 3 hours it will make 10x or even more.

Milling technique — stone-milled is a higher price, as the process is way slower and more crafty (1 hour = 40 grams); machine milling is a lower price, as it produces more per minute.

What to Ask For When Choosing Matcha

Instead of searching for "ceremonial grade", ask these questions:

  • What's the harvest time? — The highest-quality and most mellow in taste is always from the first flush; this is the matcha known as drinking matcha in Japan.

  • What is the flavour profile? — Are you looking for more nutty, sweeter profiles; vegetal, floral and fresh; or edamame and light nori notes; or strong umami? Let them know and ask for recommendations.

  • What's the cultivar? — If you are a starter, start with okumidori — it's the most well-balanced matcha and good to start with if you are new. If you can't find info about the cultivar, most likely it's a blend and there is no transparency into the production process.

  • What region is it from? — Uji will have more herbal and umami flavours, Shizuoka is closer to classic green tea or Japanese sencha, and Kyushu island is known for more nutty, sweeter profiles.

  • Who is the farmer? — People who truly know their craft would know the name of the farmer.

We hope this information will become your guide in the world of matcha and bring more clarity and transparency, as well as help you find your favourite flavour. At OMMA, we are always in search of unique flavours and the stories behind them.

All the matcha we offer we source ourselves directly from the farmers, harvesting together, learning their craft and philosophy from within and trying to pass the craft to create more meaningful moments of me time for each one of us!