Matcha - Ike no Shiro

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Matcha in kanji means ground tea, but doesn’t specify exactly which tea leaves are used - the large majority of high grade matcha is ground from tencha, though occasionally gyokuro (the king of Japanese teas) may be used. Tencha and gyokuro are grown in relatively the same way; covered from the sun and grown in varying amounts of shade for the last 16-30 days prior to harvest. This covering blocks direct sunlight and interrupts photosynthesis, stressing the plant and changing the flavour of the tea as the amino acids inside the tea leaves are prevented from changing into catechins, resulting in a higher level of amino acids (which give umami flavour and sweetness) in shaded tea compared to unshaded tea. The difference between tencha and gyokuro is after being steamed and dried there is no need for tencha to be rolled as it is usually ground into matcha, whereas gyokuro leaves are rolled into thin needle shapes. It has been speculated that lower grade matcha that is more yellow in colour or particularly bitter could have been ground from later harvest tea, or sencha or bancha tea leaves which are not grown under any shade at all.

Matcha can be made from blends of different cultivars or regions, or single cultivar (like coffee). Blends are created by tea masters who taste many teas and select a number of them to blend in order to create their desired final taste. This Ike no Shiro was ground from a blend of cultivars, produced in Yame, Fukuoka - specifically a small village known for tea and star-gazing called Hoshinomura (which means ‘star’s village’). Blending allows the producers to achieve a similar taste every year, as each year’s harvest will change with weather and other differences from year to year.

The water temperature has an impact on the resulting flavour of matcha, although with high grade matcha it is not as critical as it is with loose leaf steamed tea. The lower the temperature, the more the amino acids are able to shine through, which are responsible for umami and sweetness. We recommend cooling the water to about 75°C, though do experiment! Please drink matcha fairly soon as it will not improve over time, but we have found that waiting a few minutes for the matcha to cool a bit further can bring out a more savoury taste.

How to make matcha as usucha (thin tea):
Matcha: 2g
Water: 50-60ml @ 75°C

Pour hot water into your chawan (matcha bowl), and into a separate cup or bowl pour some freshly boiled water - this is the water we will use to make the matcha. Preheat your chasen (bamboo whisk) in the chawan’s hot water for about 10 seconds. Drain the water in the bowl dry. Sift your matcha into the bowl - this is very important! The water you poured into the separate cup will have cooled - pour about 50-60ml over the sifted matcha and then whisk vigorously to start, slowing down gradually to remove most of the big bubbles - don’t worry if there are still bubbles, it’s a matter of practice and preference.

Ike no Shiro is recommended to make only as usucha - not as koicha.

Storage:
Store in a cold environment (6-10°C) and avoid exposure to light, air, heat, moisture and strong smells - these will degrade your tea. Best consumed within 2-4 weeks from when it is first opened.

About Matcha Freshness:

This tea’s producer suggests to enjoy quality matcha within 7 months from being stone ground. Other quality tea producers suggest 6 months, some suggest 8 months. In our opinion, any use by date longer than 9 months is a sign that the seller doesn’t care much about freshness of matcha - a non oxidised tea with particle sizes of 6-8 microns. As we push towards increasing the transparency from the origin of the tea all the way to the final consumer, we are adding the stone grind date to all matcha purchased from us along with a suggested use by date (unopened). We challenge everyone looking to buy matcha to enquire about the grind date for the matcha you are buying, and we challenge all matcha sellers to provide this date as it is the only date that matters concerning the freshness of the tea before it is opened.

Once opened, high quality matcha’s freshness is best enjoyed within 4 weeks. Again, some tea producers suggest less, and others are more lenient. We want the final consumer of the tea to have the essential information (stone grind date and open date) to be able to keep track of when the matcha was ground and when it was opened, to decide for themselves how strict/lenient to be. To encourage this, there will also be a small space on the matcha pack/can for you to write the date you open the matcha. We want you to see if you notice the flavour change over time, and come to your own conclusions about how important freshness is!

We know that while the tea is safe to consume for much longer than 6-8 months after grinding, it is a target to set that allows the bright vivid flavours to still be enjoyed. The longer the matcha sits unopened the more dull the flavours will become. Fridge storage will help to delay the flavour degradation, and for room temperature storage we would recommend to use within 3-6 months. We don’t have much experience with freezing matcha but if you would like to, it is a good idea to refrigerate for one day before freezing and again after removing from the freezer (and then place in room temperature for a few hours before opening) to slow the temperature changes.