Culinary, Premium or Ceremonial Matcha Tea: Which to Choose?

The Matcha It is a very precious green tea, it comes in a very fine and fragrant powder, with an intense green colour.

It is grown in Japan, especially in the city of Uji, in the southern outskirts of Kyoto prefecture.

The climate and ideal soil conditions are essential for growing high-quality, premium matcha green tea.

Matcha tea plantations are sheltered from the sun for 15-20 days before harvest. In the past, straw was used, but today black curtains are used to protect the plantation from the sun's rays.

This cultivation method preserves all the properties of Matcha tea intact and unaltered, maintaining high levels of chlorophyll and theanine.

There are three different grades of Matcha which are distinguished by various factors such as the period in which the leaves are harvested, the processing and the grinding.

• Ceremonial Grade Matcha

• Premium Grade Matcha

• Culinary Grade Matcha

Let's find out in detail what differentiates these gradations and which matcha to choose.

Ceremonial Grade Matcha

Grade 1 or Ceremonial Matcha tea is the more valuable.

The plantations are covered for at least 15 days before harvesting and only the first shoots and leaves of the first harvest, just born.

Great care is taken in processing the leaves, which are selected and stripped of their stems and veins.

The grinding is done by stone at low speed, in this way the organoleptic properties and nutrients inside are preserved.

The low speed of the stones ensures that the temperature remains low and controlled to preserve its properties.

1 hour of grinding only grinds 30g of Matcha green tea powder.

At the end of the process you will get a very fine and scented powder of an intense green.

Premium Grade Matcha

Premium or standard Matcha is of lower quality than Ceremonial Matcha, but still very valuable.

The leaves are collected and selected from the second harvest and the stone grind is slightly faster than the ceremonial grade Matcha.

Premium Matcha is still an excellent and valid alternative to Ceremonial Matcha, especially for those who want to approach and try matcha tea for the first time.

The price is definitely lower than the ceremonial matcha and it can be used both as a drinking tea, but even inside drinks and smoothies or as an ingredient in cooking.

Matcha Culinary Grade

The quality of culinary matcha tea is inferior to both ceremonial grade and premium grade.

Select the leaves of second, third and fourth harvest and the grinding is not always by stone.

The powder is slightly less fine than the other two grades and the colour and scent are less intense.

The culinary grade is used exclusively as an ingredient in cooking , in the preparation of recipes or as a natural colouring.

Matcha tea which one to choose?

If you are a green tea lover and want to prepare the perfect Matcha tea according to the Japanese ceremonial, you should choose the Ceremonial grade Matcha.

The Cha no yu (which means “hot water for tea”) is the tea ceremony, a real social and spiritual rite in Japan.

For this ancient and traditional preparation, the Ceremonial Grade is certainly the best solution, but the Premium remains an excellent alternative to the Ceremonial Grade.

Matcha tea is prepared by suspension , thus preserving all of its organoleptic properties.

For those who do not like the intense and strong taste of Matcha tea, but still want to fully enjoy all its beneficial properties, you can choose to mix Matcha powder into drinks, smoothies or shakes.

In this case, the ideal grade will be a Premium type matcha, which lends itself very well to the preparation of drinks with an intense flavour, such as the very famous Matcha Latte .

If you want to use it in the kitchen to give a “green” touch to dessert recipes, cookies or to the ice-cream It is preferable to choose a culinary matcha.

Culinary grade can also be used as a natural colouring, for example in the preparation of homemade soap .

This division into grades is also very ethical on an environmental level, because in this way all types of leaves are used, from the “best” to the smallest, avoiding waste.

In conclusion, Matcha tea powder is really tasty, it can be drunk as tea, but it also lends itself very well to the most creative combinations… so all that remains is to try it in all its shades!