Top tips for buying the right matcha

Buying a new food is always a tricky decision, particularly when you’re trying to buy MATCHA and have never done it before! Just like with anything, there are so many options and varieties floating around so how do you know which one to buy, which one is right for you and which ones are just total rip-offs! We’ve created a small checklist of things to consider and things to look out for the next time you head out to the shops and buy matcha for the first (or second or third or one hundredth) time.

Originates/Sourced/Made In JAPAN

For the best quality matcha, it needs to be from Japan. The Japanese culture introduced matcha into their tradition centuries ago as a means of meditation and relaxation amongst Zen Buddhist monks. Kyoto is the home of matcha growing and harvesting as so much care is put into the process. Matcha from Japan also uses the appropriate methods such as tea shading in the final months and stone-grinding to produce the powder.

Matcha that originates from other countries such as China or Taiwan are lower in quality and don’t always use the traditional process in making matcha (using a pulveriser instead of a stone-grinder)

No Additive or Fillers

A way to be ‘ripped-off’ is buying matcha that you think is ‘healthy’ but is filled with sugars, fillers to ‘bulk’ up the product. Some brands will do this to make it seem like you are getting more ‘bang for your buck’. Some brands however are purposefully selling a sweetened matcha, especially for people who love matcha in desserts and for it’s novelty taste rather than for its health benefits- so don’t think that EVERYONE is trying to rip you off!

Don’t Buy the Cheapest Matcha Just Because It’s Cheap

Coming off the previous tips, the cheapest matcha is generally the lowest quality matcha- the matcha that has fillers and sweeteners and/or are just low quality pure matcha in general. Pure 100% matcha that originates from places other than Japan tend to be cheaper but are compromised in quality and matcha found in most asian grocery stores are cheaper as they will have sugars, preservatives and fillers. If you want to buy matcha that is 100% pure matcha, head on to our site www.matchamaiden.com or just make sure to read the labels before you buy!

Buy Premium-Grade Matcha

We think that this is the best value for money when it comes to buying matcha if you are using it for straight up matcha tea, matcha smoothies, lattes, and even cooking and baking. There are 3 main grades of matcha- culinary grade, premium grade and ceremonial grade.Culinary grade is the lowest quality of matcha (but still higher than the ones from outside of Japan and from the asian grocery stores) and is suggested to be used if it’s purely for cooking and baking.

Ceremonial grade is the highest grade, the most expensive and we like to preserve this grade for actual tea ceremonies. This quality matcha isn’t necessary for the everyday person, but if you’re strictly just having matcha tea and want the highest quality, then ceremonial might suit you.

Premium grade is in between both culinary and ceremonial grade. We like to suggest this to the average person that wants to use matcha for drinking as a tea/latte AND cooking/baking. Premium grade ticks both boxes in quality and versatility as the quality is not too low that it compromises the taste when drinking matcha, but not so high that it would be a ‘waste’ to cook with it.

Our matcha is 100% pure stone-ground matcha from Kyoto, Japan. It is a premium grade matcha with no added sugars, preservatives, fillers or artificial flavours (YAY!). Check out our website for more details and to shop!

We get it. With all the new health revelations coming through in the last decade, trying to understand what most of them are and what they do seems like a daunting task. Does it even taste good? Is it even going to help me?