I think we all know how dramatically matcha has grown in popularity. You'll find matcha-based drinks in virtually every café that goes beyond the classic black coffee and tea. No need to unpack exactly how it happened - it's a combination of factors: the food culture angle, the wellness positioning, the Instagram aesthetic. At some point Japan simply couldn't keep up with demand, and a new - or rather, long-forgotten old - player from China stepped in.

From Song Dynasty China to the Hills of Uji

Let's go back a few hundred years. Powdered tea was born in Song Dynasty China (960-1279): dian cha - whisked into a frothy bowl - was the dominant tea culture of its time. Buddhist monks carried this tradition to Japan, where it evolved over 800 years into something extraordinary. In 1191, the monk Eisai returned from China with tea seeds and planted them in Uji (Kyoto Prefecture). In 1211, he wrote Kissa Yojoki - the first Japanese treatise on tea. Uji has remained the historical center of matcha production ever since, and over those 800 years it cultivated something that has nothing to do with hype - I'd call it a fine art.

What Actually Makes Matcha, Matcha

So what actually sets matcha apart from regular tea?

Shading - building umami from darkness

Tea plants are traditionally shaded for 10–20 days before harvest. This practice in Uji is documented as far back as the Muromachi period (1336–1573), and the modern tana-shading system - bamboo frames draped with straw mats or dark cloth - took shape during the Edo period (1603–1868). Under limited light, the plant ramps up chlorophyll production and accumulates L-theanine, while catechin levels drop. In the cup: deep umami, less bitterness.

Steaming - locking in the green

Immediately after picking, the leaf is steamed at 100°C for 15–30 seconds. This deactivates polyphenol oxidase - the enzyme responsible for oxidation and browning. Shading builds the chlorophyll; steaming locks it in. That's why matcha is so intensely green.

Cultivars - not all tea plants are equal

High-quality matcha in the Uji region has always relied on specialized cultivars, unlike Yabukita - Japan's most widely planted variety (~75% of all plantations) - which isn't considered ideal for matcha due to its weaker umami profile. Classic matcha cultivars:

• Saemidori - soft, rich in umami, one of Uji's signature varieties, which you can taste in our ceremonial Miyazaki Saemidori
• Okumidori - full-bodied, high in L-theanine
• Goko - rare, prized for its depth of flavor and aroma
• Asahi - one of the oldest traditional Uji cultivars
• Uji Hikari - bred specifically for tencha production

Tencha - the raw material behind the powder

Before grinding, the stems and veins are removed from the leaf, leaving only the pure flesh. This is tencha - the raw material that becomes matcha. Not all matcha is made from 100% tencha: our Kikyo contains up to 50% tencha, and the premium Uguisu less than 70%. Only the ceremonial first flush - Miyazaki Saemidori - is 100% tencha. In other words, virtually all culinary and daily-grade matcha isn't pure tencha.

What We Tried in Nepal - and What It Taught Us

Terroir has always had a taste for experimentation. Back in 2021, we shaded tea plants in Nepal using traditional bamboo frames - covering around 150–200 square meters of fields. By shading a full month before harvest, we lost over 50% of our yield by weight: the leaves came out smaller and thinner. My guess is that yield in quality matcha production is directly proportional to shading duration. What the experiment made clear was that Assamica is completely unsuitable for powdered green tea production.

China vs. Japan: What the Science Says - and What It Doesn't

Let me step a few hundred kilometers sideways. I first tried Chinese powdered tea around 2015 - it was terrible, and I didn't look in that direction again for years. When I tried it again in 2025, I was genuinely surprised by how far it had come. I still wouldn't call it good. But it's not bad, and for the mid-market it more than does the job. At producer prices of around $25/kg - and $60-70/kg for what the Chinese call ceremonial grade - it's a highly competitive product.

The only comparative study I found on Chinese versus Japanese matcha was funded by Chinese institutions - Variations of Main Quality Components of Matcha from Different Regions in the Chinese Market (Luo et al., 2023). Interestingly, it shows that the aroma profiles of Chinese and Japanese powdered tea are actually quite similar. The difference shows up in L-theanine - the compound that makes matcha smooth and sweet rather than bitter. In Chinese powdered tea it never exceeds 17 mg/g. In Japanese matcha it reaches 25-28 mg/g. Polyphenols - the bitter side - are roughly comparable in both. But when that balance shifts, you feel it in the cup.

So I'll let the facts speak for themselves - and leave the conclusion to you. The market is a living ecosystem where quality is far from the only measure. For each of us, the word matcha means something different: for some it's an art form, for others a tasty and functional drink, for others an identity and a sense of belonging to a community of the stylish, young, and beautiful. And since the tea industry still lacks clear standards - which means nothing is off-limits - everyone is free to drink what they like and call it whatever they want.

That's the reality of the tea world today.

Vova Babin
Terroir CEO & Technologist