Matcha is powdered Japanese green tea, typically made by whisking with hot water to form a foamy topped infusion. Unlike leaf tea, the tea is not removed from the water, but drunk with it.

Preparing tea by powdering and whisking started in Song Dynasty, China, and was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks. Since then the Japanese have refined the process with innovation in how the tea bushes are grown, how the leaves are made into green tea, and how the tea is then powdered.

The best Matcha is nowadays to be found in Japan. Competition grades possess the most vibrant and deep green leaf and infusion. They can be whipped up into delicious drinks with a depth of umami flavour and variety of vegetal notes. The texture is smooth and creamy. Each tea, like fine wine, exhibiting the different character given by its origin and cultivar(s).

However, the production of such high quality matcha invariably involves application to the tea bushes of large amounts of fertilizers and more judicial amounts of pesticides. The bushes are cosseted like the cows used in Wagyu beef: reared in luxury to produce the tenderest meat (or leaves). For this reason the majority of matcha sold to the local Japanese market is not suitable for sale in Europe as it contains chemical residues above legal limits.

In this context how does JING source our Matcha? We are aiming to source a tea that represents Matcha at its best. We use the best Japanese Matcha as taste benchmark, whilst ensuring EU regulations are met, no matter the difficulties.

Our NEW Matcha is a recent find, and notable from a sourcing perspective:

• The farm is in conversion to organic standards and this gives best of both worlds: control of agrochemicals and high quality expectations

• The tea is made from a single cultivar and this means the character is more evident compared to other Matcha teas that would typically be blends of several farms and cultivars

• The milling was done in a traditional stone mill in Uji, an area famous for its Matcha production

In terms of taste our NEW Matcha stands out from any EU compliant tea I have tasted before. It avoids common flaws of organic Matcha, such as muddy or soapy notes and bitterness. It is not a blend of different gardens and cultivars, so has a strong and clear character of its own. This character is less vegetal than some, with minimal bitterness and a creamy sweet finish.

I recommend making this matcha in any suitable bowl using a bamboo whisk. Prepare 160ml water at 80°C. Mix 1.5g of powder to a thick paste with a little of the water before adding the rest of the water and whisking the top into a froth. Matcha is drunk directly from the bowl. Initial sips of JING Matcha are of creamy frothed tea, the middle consists of lush and full green tea liquor, whilst towards the bottom of the bowl the concentration of tea increases and the final sip is like drinking liquid chocolate.