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Matcha glossary
Matcha comes wrapped in Japanese terms and tea-trade jargon. Here are the 15 words worth knowing, defined plainly, from the whisk in your hand to the amino acid behind the taste.
- Chasen茶筅ちゃせん
- The bamboo matcha whisk, carved from a single piece of bamboo into 80 to 120 fine prongs. It breaks up clumps and whips air into the tea, creating matcha's characteristic foam.
- Chawan茶碗ちゃわん
- The wide ceramic bowl matcha is whisked and drunk in. Its open shape gives the whisk room for the fast strokes that build foam.
- Chashaku茶杓ちゃしゃく
- A slender curved bamboo scoop for measuring matcha. One scoop holds roughly a gram; a standard bowl of thin tea uses about two.
- Tencha碾茶てんちゃ
- The intermediate leaf product matcha is ground from: shade-grown tea leaves that are steamed, dried and stripped of stems and veins. Tencha is rarely drunk as-is. Its purpose is milling.
- Usucha薄茶うすちゃ
- Thin tea, the standard way matcha is drunk. About two grams of matcha whisked with 70 to 80 ml of hot water into a light, foamy bowl.
- Koicha濃茶こいちゃ
- Thick tea, roughly double the matcha and half the water of usucha, kneaded rather than whisked into a glossy, syrup-like tea. Reserved for the highest grades, which stay sweet at that intensity.
- Uji宇治うじ
- A tea-growing district south of Kyoto, Japan, and the most prestigious name in matcha. Uji has grown shaded tea since the 12th century and developed much of modern tencha processing.
- Ceremonial grade
- An unregulated but useful label for top-grade matcha: first-harvest shaded leaves, stone-milled, vivid green and sweet enough to drink plain with water. See the full ceremonial grade guide for how to judge it.
- Culinary grade
- Matcha made from later harvests with a stronger, more astringent taste, designed for lattes, smoothies and baking where it must cut through milk, sugar and heat.
- Ichibancha一番茶いちばんちゃ
- The first tea harvest of spring, prized because the young leaves are highest in L-theanine and sweetness. Ceremonial grade matcha is made from ichibancha leaves.
- Shading覆下栽培おおいしたさいばい
- Covering tea plants for three to four weeks before harvest to cut sunlight. Shading raises chlorophyll (colour) and L-theanine (umami) in the leaf, and is what separates matcha's raw leaf from ordinary green tea.
- Stone-milled石臼挽きいしうすびき
- Ground between granite mill stones, the traditional way tencha becomes matcha. Slow milling (around 30 to 40 grams an hour) keeps the powder cool, protecting colour, aroma and fineness.
- Umami旨味うまみ
- The savoury fifth taste, and the flavour that defines good matcha: a brothy, mouth-filling depth from amino acids concentrated by shading. High umami with low bitterness is the signature of top grades.
- L-theanineテアニン
- An amino acid abundant in shaded tea leaves. It supplies much of matcha's umami, and research suggests it can smooth the stimulant edge of caffeine, which is why matcha's lift is often described as calm.
- Sift篩うふるう
- Passing matcha through a fine sieve before whisking. Matcha's static-prone fine particles clump readily; sifting is the single cheapest step toward a smooth, non-lumpy bowl.
See the terms in context
Last updated 5 August 2026.