Matcha Dynasty: The Difference in Classes (Grades) of Matcha Green Tea

Matcha tea has gained prominence for its taste and the health benefits it brings to its consumers. The tea come with different types or classes, what the consumer pays for is not the nutrient but the flavour profile of this popular drink. The stage at which the leaves are plucked greatly determines the flavour, when the young leaves are plucked one is expected to get a vegetal and delicate flavour. When the leaves have matured they produce coarse matter from the veins and stem making the flavour more astringent.

There are basically three grades of matcha, namely; Ceremonial Grade, Culinary (cooking) grade and no-grade matcha .Now lets have a look at the characteristics of each type.

Ceremonial Grade

Ceremonial matcha comes as vibrantly green in colour, with a light smell. When touched it is extremely fine, it should feel like an eye shadow. When it comes as with a smell or has a yellowish colour and feels coarse when, its quality is not high enough to be described as a ceremonial matcha

Ceremonial matcha comes as a delicately sweet green flavour which is masked by other flavours such as chocolate and soya, therefore they are it is not recommended to use other assertive flavours if you want to get sweetness of this grade of matcha tea. Ceremonial matcha is naturally sweet, there is particularly no need to have it mixed with anything else in order to appreciate its delicate flavour.

Cooking grade matcha

Unlike ceremonial matcha , this grade is not intended to be taken straight with water, it ought to be used together with other specific ingredients. Such as strong flavors, soya and milk. The bitter and astringent it is the better the grade. A good quality of this type of matcha should smell fresh and grassy, it should be lighter. When touched one should feel smooth and fine, in an event it is coarse when felt it is not a good quality tea.

When it comes to cost, cooking matcha is relatively cheaper, making it less prohibitive when used for making high volume tea. The fact that it is less expensive than ceremonial matcha does not make it a lower grade , they  two are only different grades.

The no grade matcha is the type which has not been graded, it is available in different flavours and colours.

Each type of grade is used for a specific purpose and none is inferior to other, the only difference comes in terms of the flavour and colour.

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