---
type: Object
title: Matcha
description: A fine powder of stone-ground, shade-grown green tea leaf, whisked directly
  into hot water and consumed whole rather than steeped and discarded.
tags:
- tea
- matcha
- beverage
- botany
- grade
resource: raw/matcha-and-preparation.md
timestamp: '2026-07-16T15:54:42Z'
citadel_version: 0.3.0
---

Matcha is green tea that has been dried and milled into a fine powder. Unlike a cup of loose-leaf green tea such as sencha, which is steeped and the leaf then thrown away, matcha powder is whisked directly into hot water and the whole ground leaf is consumed, suspended in the drink.[^s1] Because the entire leaf is swallowed rather than just an infusion, a single serving carries more caffeine than the same weight of steeped green tea — about 60-70 mg per bowl, roughly what a modest cup of brewed [coffee](coffee.md) delivers, though matcha's caffeine is described as giving a slower, steadier lift; see [Caffeine](../concepts/caffeine.md).[^s2]

Matcha is the same plant as every other green or black tea, *[Camellia sinensis](camellia-sinensis.md)* — not a different species or cultivar. It is simply shade-grown — covered to block about 90% of sunlight for roughly 20 to 30 days before harvest — and then stone-ground after drying.[^s3][^s9] The shade halts the light-driven conversion of [L-theanine](../concepts/l-theanine.md) into catechins, so both chlorophyll and the amino acids behind matcha's sweet, savory edge accumulate in the leaf; the stone mill then grinds the dried leaf into the talc-fine powder that gets whisked.[^s4][^s9]

Matcha comes in two grades, and the grade decides what it should be used for.[^s5][^s6]

| Trait | Ceremonial grade | Culinary grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Leaf | Youngest, tenderest spring leaves | Later, slightly coarser harvests |
| Grinding | Stone-ground slowly, kept cool and fine | Coarser milling |
| Color | Bright, almost electric jade green | Duller, more olive-toned green |
| Taste | Smooth and sweet, little bitterness | Stronger and more astringent |
| Best use | Whisked plain with just water | Lattes, smoothies, ice cream, baking — flavor needs to carry through milk, sugar, ice, or batter |

Buying ceremonial grade for a sweetened iced latte is a waste of money, and buying culinary grade to whisk plain leaves a drinker wondering why anyone likes matcha.[^s6] A quick way to judge quality at the shop is by color: vivid, saturated green signals a higher grade and a fresher milling, while yellowish, brownish, or grey-green powder is old, oxidized, or low quality.[^s7]

Matcha is fragile: light, heat, air, and moisture all dull its bright green color and flatten its flavor within weeks, so it should be kept in a sealed tin, in the dark, somewhere cool, and used up within a month or two of opening.[^s8] Oxidized matcha — powder that has gone dull and hay-colored — is still safe to drink, but it tastes flat, and no amount of careful whisking brings the flavor back.[^s8]

## See also
- [Matcha Preparation](../concepts/matcha-preparation.md)
- [Caffeine](../concepts/caffeine.md)
- [L-Theanine](../concepts/l-theanine.md)
- [Coffee](coffee.md)
- [Tea](tea.md)
- [Camellia Sinensis](camellia-sinensis.md)

## Sources
[^s1]: [raw/matcha-and-preparation.md](../../raw/matcha-and-preparation.md), line 3 — matcha as whisked whole-leaf powder vs. steeped green tea (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s2]: [raw/matcha-and-preparation.md](../../raw/matcha-and-preparation.md), line 3 — caffeine per bowl (60-70 mg) vs. a modest cup of coffee (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s3]: [raw/matcha-and-preparation.md](../../raw/matcha-and-preparation.md), line 5 — same plant as other tea, Camellia sinensis, shade-grown then stone-ground (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s4]: [raw/matcha-and-preparation.md](../../raw/matcha-and-preparation.md), line 5 — shade increases chlorophyll and amino acids; stone mill produces fine powder (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s5]: [raw/matcha-and-preparation.md](../../raw/matcha-and-preparation.md), line 11 — ceremonial grade: leaf, grinding, color, taste, use (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s6]: [raw/matcha-and-preparation.md](../../raw/matcha-and-preparation.md), line 13 — culinary grade: leaf, color, taste, use, and grade-mismatch warning (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s7]: [raw/matcha-and-preparation.md](../../raw/matcha-and-preparation.md), line 15 — color as a quality/freshness signal (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s8]: [raw/matcha-and-preparation.md](../../raw/matcha-and-preparation.md), § Storing It — fragility, storage, and oxidation (ingested 2026-07-16)
[^s9]: [raw/tea-processing-and-cultivars.md](../../raw/tea-processing-and-cultivars.md), lines 105-114 — shading duration (20-30 days) and light blocked (~90%), and the L-theanine-to-catechin conversion mechanism (ingested 2026-07-16)
