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The Sustainability of Organic Japanese Matcha Farming

The Sustainability of Organic Japanese Matcha Farming

The Sustainability of Organic Matcha Farming

We all know that matcha can be great for our health, but is it good for the environment? As with all farming practices, matcha farms often use synthetic products to encourage growth. But, there is a better way, and it comes in the form of organic matcha farming processes like the ones we use to create Encha Matcha powder. 

Organic matcha farming involves growing matcha in the most sustainable, eco-friendly ways possible, with no synthetic products in sight. We also find that it creates a better quality product, ensuring that you can feel completely secure in the matcha you’re drinking, and the uncontaminated health benefits it can provide. 

In this article, we’ll consider the sustainability of organic matcha farming, and explain why we’re committed to applying organic principles to every single one of our Encha Matcha products. 

Understanding Matcha Farming

Japanese matcha farming is a tradition with a decades-rich history and involves the careful cultivation of delicate matcha tea bushes which require certain amounts of shade, and precisely timed cultivation to ensure high-quality plants. The harvesting stage is particularly delicate and requires a dedicated understanding of the best leaves to pick to create matcha powder that packs a punch. 

To simplify these often time-consuming matcha farming processes, many mainstream matcha farms are non-organic and use conventional farming methods such as synthetic fertilizers to boost production. This can lead to cheaper, more accessible matcha products. Unfortunately, that affordability comes at a steep cost due to the significant environmental damage of these farming methods, and can also reduce the quality of plants that often haven’t had enough time to grow. 

Organic matcha farming offers an alternative and uses only organic methods like crop rotation and natural soil enrichment to encourage growth. 

Organic matcha leaves

Organic Matcha Farming: A Sustainable Solution

Organic matcha, which is entirely chemical-free, is great for your health. It’s also great for the environment, due to farming processes that prioritize sustainability and soil biodiversity. Instead of relying on chemicals to do the work for them, organic matcha farmers dedicate time, care, and energy to matcha production, just as Japanese farmers have been doing for decades. 

For matcha to be considered organic, the USDA states that it must be grown using soil that has had no prohibited products applied for at least three years. Certified organic matcha farms must also adhere to certain regulations, such as sustainable farming practices, and even contamination testing where necessary. 

Organic matcha farms are also more likely to adhere to traditional matcha growing methods, including hand-selection of high-quality leaves, and shading matcha tea bushes for up to 20-30 days before harvest to increase chlorophyll levels. 

The Benefits of An Organic Approach

All of this sounds great, but we know what you’re thinking – what benefits does an organic approach actually offer? 

As mentioned, organic matcha practices are beneficial for the environment, where processes like crop rotation help to enhance soil quality, as well as reduce farm carbon footprints in significant ways. 

And, eco-friendly matcha isn’t the only benefit of an organic approach. There are also notable differences in taste between organic and non-organic matcha. Unlike the more artificial sweet taste of non-organic matcha, organic matcha powders are naturally more earthy and authentic. Organic matcha that’s provided with plenty of shade before harvest also tends to have a much more vibrant green color than pale, non-organic products.

Organic matcha that’s left to absorb all-natural nutrients can also provide a full range of notable health benefits, including strengthened immunity and increased energy levels without the potential of unwanted contamination risks. 

 

The Encha Matcha Story

Our dedication to organic matcha farming is at the heart of everything we do here at Encha Matcha. This has been the case ever since 2010, when our founder, Dr Li Gong, tried his first tantalizing organic taste at a matcha farm in Uji, Japan. Uji is famed for its great terroir (which is effectively translated from French as environmental factors) and famously yields the world’s most premium organic matcha crops. 

Once you’ve tried such high-quality organic matcha, it’s impossible to go back, and Dr Li Gong then spent years studying the organic matcha processed throughout farms across Japan and Eastern China. In these years of study, he focused on tasting only the best organic green teas, and truly understanding their farming processes. 

During his research, Dr Li Gong was particularly concerned by the difference in non-organic and organic flavors, noticing that non-organic products lacked the grassy light notes of the organic matcha he already loved. Our farming practices, which are now based in Uji, Japan, where it all began, help to keep that earthy tone at the forefront of your Encha Matcha products, whether you want to add matcha’s umami notes into your hot drinks, smoothies, or baking. 

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An Ongoing Organic Commitment

Organic farming is an ongoing commitment, and it’s one we’re fully dedicated to here at Encha Matcha. We also believe in fully visible production processes, which allow you to see what happens to Encha Matcha crops from growing, to grinding, and packaging, as follows – 

  1. Growing: We grow our matcha in the rich terroir of Uji, and keep our crops shaded for roughly three weeks before harvest to encourage chlorophyll and theanine production.
  2. Grinding: Our plants are hand-picked and stone-ground, to ensure the best possible quality across an organic, all-natural approach at every stage of the process.
  3. Packaging: We use fully food-safe packaging when packing our powders, ensuring that there’s no risk of contamination at any stage from the farm to your door. 

We’re also proud to be a USDA-certified organic matcha farm, and regularly conduct lead and radioactivity testing to maintain that certification for many years to come. 

When you order matcha, you want to enjoy its health benefits without worrying about its carbon footprint or potential chemical contamination. Enjoy that peace of mind every time you buy certified organic matcha powder from Encha Matcha. Our products are pest, chemical, and GMO-free, ensuring you can enjoy pure powders that taste exactly how they should. 

Use our matcha selection guide, or browse our range, to see firsthand what’s so great about our organic matcha.

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