What is matcha made of
Matcha is made of exactly one ingredient: green tea leaves. Specifically, it is shade-grown leaves of the tea plant Camellia sinensis that are steamed, dried, stripped of stems and veins to make tencha, then ground into a fine powder. Pure matcha contains no sugar, milk, colouring or additives.
How is matcha made, step by step
Matcha's character comes from its process rather than a special plant. The same tea species that makes sencha or black tea becomes matcha through five stages.
- Shading: the plants are covered for three to four weeks before harvest, boosting chlorophyll (colour) and L-theanine (umami).
- Harvest: leaves are picked, with the young first spring harvest reserved for the best grades.
- Steaming: brief steaming stops oxidation and locks in the green colour.
- Tencha: the leaves are dried and the stems and veins removed, leaving only leaf flesh.
- Milling: granite stone mills grind the tencha slowly into a powder a few microns fine.
- How matcha is made: the full production guide, from shading to the stone mill
Is there anything added to matcha
Pure matcha has a single ingredient, so the label on a good tin should say something like green tea powder and nothing else. Products labelled matcha latte powder, matcha blend or matcha drink mix are a different thing: they commonly contain sugar, milk powder and only a small share of actual matcha. If the ingredient list has more than one line, you are buying a mix, not matcha.
What nutrients are in matcha
Because you consume the whole leaf, matcha carries the leaf's compounds in concentrated form: catechin antioxidants such as EGCG, the amino acid L-theanine, caffeine at roughly 19 to 44 mg per gram, plus small amounts of fibre, chlorophyll and vitamins. A two gram serving adds almost no kilojoules on its own. It is the milk and sugar in cafe drinks that carry the energy.
Common questions
- Is matcha just crushed green tea leaves?
- Close, but not quite. True matcha is made only from shade-grown leaves processed into tencha, with stems and veins removed, then stone-milled. Grinding ordinary sun-grown green tea produces a duller, more bitter powder that is not considered matcha.
- Is matcha vegan and gluten free?
- Pure matcha is a single plant ingredient, so it is naturally vegan and gluten free. Check the label on flavoured or latte mixes, which often add milk powder and sugar.
- Does matcha contain sugar?
- Pure matcha contains no sugar. Sweetness in cafe matcha drinks comes from added sugar or syrup, and matcha latte powders sold in supermarkets are often mostly sugar.