Ceremonial Organic Matcha
Ceremonial matcha traditionally means that tea masters use their best matcha powder for the tea ceremony. Thus, ceremonial matcha should be the highest grade in a matcha collection and will differ across matcha brands. In the first harvest of each spring, our farmer selects the most tender, premium quality matcha green tea leaves, and grinds them as our ceremonial matcha green tea powder. It has a purely green color and the smoothest and richest taste to be considered ceremonial grade matcha.
After being disappointed with ceremonial matcha powder sold in the US in 2014, Encha's Founder Dr. Li Gong took a discovery journey to find organic matcha farms in Uji, Nishio, and Shizuoka, Japan. This is the best organic Japanese matcha that he found, in terms of color, taste, USDA organic certification, and overall quality. We priced it modestly - by minimizing our cost and having direct partnership with the farm in the Uji mountains outside Kyoto, Japan. Encha's mission is to make the best organic matcha affordable to us all.
You can learn more about Encha grade differences. You can request one free mini-Encha single packet sample in latte grade (from our standard 1st harvest) in your order, by entering a note in "Order Notes" after you click "Add to cart". If you are new to matcha, you need a bamboo matcha whisk and a proper matcha bowl with the right shape and size to make frothy matcha tea. Watch the video for How to Whisk Ceremonial Encha. Choose the size option to select 30g or 60g.
Ingredient:
- Pure matcha green tea powder. USDA certified organic.
- No preservatives. Non-GMO. Gluten-free. Vegan.
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Servings:
- Serving size: 1 level tsp or 2 bamboo scoops = about 2 grams (adjust to suit your needs)
- Servings per 30g packet: about 15; Servings per 60g packet: about 30
- Enjoy 1 serving each morning and 1 serving after lunch.
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Taste, Color, Aroma
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Taste: A well-whisked bowl of ceremonial Encha tea starts with a smooth, clean and refreshingly-grassy taste, follows with a frothy, full-bodied and slightly nutty texture as well as a hint of tannin, and finishes with a subtle sweet vegetal taste.
- If a stronger taste is desired, use less water. If you have a sweet tooth, you might not like the grassy note in pure organic matcha with just water. Try matcha as latte.
- Serve hot for a warm, comforting and rich-bodied taste. Serve iced for a silky-smooth and super-refreshing taste. You can simply shake it with cold water and ice in a bottle.
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Color: vibrant, bright and purely green
- Aroma: Sweetly grassy and toasty
- Note: Organic matcha differs from non-organic conventional matcha which uses synthetic chemical fertilizer to influence its taste
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Health Benefits of Matcha and Amount per Serving of 2 Grams of Encha:
- Catechins: ~240mg (includes 120mg EGCG), a powerful antioxidant.
- Theanine: ~24mg, a precious amino acid almost unique to matcha. It may enhance mental calmness and focus.
- Caffeine: ~60mg ( = ~2/3 in an 8 oz cup of coffee). Improves alertness and energy level.
- The unique combination of caffeine and theanine may have the effect of making you feel alert and calm at the same time without jitter and sustaining the mental focus without crash. We call it Zenergy. Studies show its effects on improving mental clarity and cognitive performance.
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Harvest: Premium first harvest (May), ground from the most tender, organic matcha leaves |
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Grinding: Dried leaves are refrigerated in the optimal temperature and ground into fine powder when we need it (usually on a quarterly basis). Then it is air-shipped from our farm to Encha warehouse in California and stored in product refrigerators. |
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Storage: To avoid matcha powder puffing out, tap the Encha packet before opening or resealing. Gently pinch the air out and seal tightly to close. This will help minimize air and moisture (oxygen and moisture will gradually oxidate matcha). Encha packet is very thick and blocks light effectively. Store your Encha packet in the refrigerator or in a dry, cool, dark place.
If you open and close a packet daily, finish it within 1 month ideally.
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Instruction: 5 minutes end-to-end, 1 minute for whisking. Video in the last image.
- Prep: Heat water to 160°F or let fully boiled water cool down (for ~3 mins) to feel hot but not burning.
- Place 1 tsp or 2 bamboo scoops of matcha powder into a dry matcha bowl.
- Pour 5 oz of water to fill about 1/3 way up in the bowl. Use less water for a stronger taste, more water for a lighter taste.
- Use the bamboo matcha whisk to brush the powder at an angle twice to avoid the powder sticking to the bottom of the bowl.
- Or, if you can add the matcha powder after you pour in the water.
- Hold the whisk vertically, from the top, not from the side.
- Whisk back-n-forth rapidly in a straight line, not in a circle.
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Shake your hand at the wrist point, without moving your arm. Relax your shoulder and elbow.
- Don't scratch the bottom of the bowl.
- Whisk up a big matcha wave (about 15 seconds).
- After the bowl is full of bubbly foam, slow down gradually in a "W" pattern around the bowl to reduce the big bubbles into smooth microfoam.
- When you see a calm frothy surface, gently circulate the whisk and lift it up elegantly.
- If you don't have a bamboo whisk, you can use a handheld frother or a blender to dissolve the powder in water.
- If you don't have any matcha tool, stir it with a spoon or fork rigorously in a mug. Although you won't get the froth and will have clumps in the bottom, you can keep adding water to finish up the powder.
- For iced Encha matcha on the go, add 1 tsp of Encha powder onto 8-12 oz cold water and some ice cubes in an airtight bottle. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Voila!
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