When it comes to buying the best matcha green tea powder, many like me are confused whether the quality of matcha is good enough and worthy for the money spent.

I knew nothing about matcha until I came across this super drink from my colleague in Japan when I visited his company on an official tour. The very first time when he brewed a cup of matcha for me, I was impressed by the color of the drink. It was a rich light greenish and had a grassy smell. This drink had a smoother, more satisfying pleasant savory taste, never had I tasted before.

After learning the health benefits mainly the powerful dose of antioxidants matcha contained, I wanted to include matcha in my regular routine and was in search of the best matcha that I could afford.

I had difficulty in choosing the best matcha to buy all by myself until I learned from my Japanese friend that out of the plethora of sellers selling matcha online as well as in the store, selecting the best matcha needs some knowledge about the process of matcha production.

All matcha seems to have almost the same characteristics externally but varies in the taste. That actually makes the difference from good quality matcha and bad quality matcha.

Looking at the matcha craze around the world, he said that some of the sellers sell poor quality at an attractive cost but may not taste good. When whisking you may not get creamy froth and may contain suspended particles of stem, leaves, and veins.

After learning from my Japanese friend I am going to share with you some tips to buy the best matcha anywhere.

All that I wanted to explain about the best tips to buy matcha is shown in the above infographics which is self-explanatory.You can save this copy for your reference.

The most important point to note(shared by my Japanese friend) is that the Matcha contains caffeine, but much less than its equivalent volume of coffee (take a look at the graph below). It contains a higher percentage of an amino acid called L-theanine that works synergetically with caffeine to give that extra calmness and alertness which no other drink can give.

So...
The 5 Tips To Buy Best Matcha Tea Powder

1. Select spring green matcha

When you buy a vibrant spring green matcha, you will not only enjoy the umami flavor but also benefit from matcha high antioxidant content.

The role antioxidants are to neutralize the natural oxidation process, which may aggravate on account of stress or excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages and heavy smoking. Formation of unstable molecules called free radicals is the obvious result of this excessive oxidation process. Therefore, it is more advantages including natural antioxidants in your regular diet to prevent cell damage and cause organ failures.

A good example of oxidation can be seen on freshly cut apples that change the color to brown. Similarly, excessive oxidation has the same effect on our organs which in turn damages the cells within our body.

As you know cells get damaged daily in every human body and if not allowed to multiply or rejuvenate or renew old or damaged cells using antioxidants, organ failures, malfunction, and aging take place.

Therefore, the only choice is to consume antioxidants rich foods and Matcha packed with abundant antioxidants(ORAC = 1384) will do the job for us.

2. Buy Only Organic Matcha from Japan

Matcha is an organic product from the evergreen Camellia sinensis bush. It is recognized and considered as one of the herbs rich in strong polyphenols and powerful antioxidants. Unlike Oolong and Black tea, Green tea is not fermented.

Matcha is very carefully cultivated in order to enhance its medicinal values. Organic farming is one of the key factors that make it different from other varieties of tea. In organic farming, care is taken that no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used.

Therefore, it is very essential that you should know the origin of matcha before buying. Best matcha comes from Japan. Japan's JAS standards are very strict in ensuring that Matcha produced from Japan is free from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The highest-quality matcha comes from the southern regions of Japan—Kyushu, Nishio, Shizuoka, and Uji.

The next most important aspect while determining the quality of matcha is the soil contamination of the cultivating farms. Highly contaminated soils may contain a high percentage of heavy metals that get absorbed very easily by the tea leaves.

In Matcha, you consume the entire leaves, which means the amount of lead intake is much higher than steeped green tea. In steeped tea, most of the lead is thrown away through the leaves. However, It is safe to consume Matcha produced in Japan as the lead content(one of the heavy metal) is much lesser (0.739mcg ±0.074 lead / 1g Matcha) than the permissible values of 2mcg/gm standards.

One of the reasons for this is due to phase out of leaded gasoline which has brought down the lead concentration in Japanese environment very low. Whereas, studies have shown that tea grown in China contain a higher percentage of lead and consuming lead is detrimental to human health in the long run.

3. Purchase Ceremonial Matcha Before Culinary

Ceremonial grade matcha tea powder is the superior quality matcha that was used by the Japanese in their traditional ceremonies. This is a special variety of green tea produced by a very special process right from the cultivation stage to the packing of the matcha tea powder in cans of 30 grams weight.

All the expertise of the Matcha growers goes into the preparation of matcha in order to enhance its health benefits, taste, color and smell.

This variety of tea is intended to be consumed as it is without adding any additives to supplement or suppress its original taste and consistency. In this variety, only the top two tender leaves of the plants are hand plucked and processed further. The rest of the parts of the tea plant like the shoots, stems and full-grown leaves are used for an inferior variety of tea.

The highest grade matcha is virtually invariably from one among 3 Japanese varieties (they’re referred to as sami Dori, Oku Midori, and yabukita in Japanese) These 3 varieties of the noble tea plant are explored, chosen for, and cultivated in Japan for over 900 years.

Several Japanese growers/farmers know about this, and in several cases cultivated by family lineages for many many years. These families have the skills and expertise to cultivate these 3 varieties to get superior matcha.

Culinary grade matcha is a slightly inferior variety as compared to the ceremonial grade. You can still use as plain matcha but you need to add a little more quantity to brew a cup of tea. The taste is somewhat bitter and astringent flavor and quality that ceremonial teas do not But this type of tea is intended to be mixed with other drinks and ingredients.

Culinary matcha is the best matcha powder for smoothies and other health drinks and often included in ice cream recipes. Culinary grade is also the best matcha powder for baking and in creating sauces, stews, and soups.

4. Check the cost of matcha Fine Quality Matcha

Last but not least is the cost of the Matcha. There are many Matcha sellers online. Check the following points before making an online purchase:-

Check the origin of matcha. Matcha powder must be from Japan. There are specific regions and growers in Japan who have developed and mastered the skills to cultivate Matcha through good practices, in order to maintain the potency of matcha.
The right price for excellent quality matcha green tea powder of ceremonial grade is somewhere between $0.75 to $1.5 per gram. There are matcha's available at higher prices too, but there is no need to overpay. The grams per container might vary, but first, check the cost per gram and stick on to above grams per tin, ideally, purchase 30grams (it lasts for one month). Though matcha powder has a shelf life of 12 months, it is better to buy 30 grams pack at a time. Matcha powder is very sensitive to sunlight, heat, and moisture, so buying larger quantities can deteriorate the quality gradually. It is best to purchase in small quantities to enjoy its freshness and umami flavor.
Matcha's are available for Health-conscious moms online, and I feel buying from Amazon is safe and secure. Keep a watch on the seller reviews. Prefer to buy from sellers who have greater than 90% positive review. These reviews are based on comments received by buyers who have actually made the purchase through Amazon. Buying online would save shopping time and money visiting the nearby store.

5. Check the packaging of matcha

A good package of matcha will always be packed in an airtight tin. This is to prevent the contents from getting exposed to light, heat, and moisture. High-quality matcha is sensitive to light and moisture which ultimately affects the taste.
It is preferable to buy matcha in 30 grams in. Though matcha has a higher shelf life it is better to buy in small 30 grams packs that will last one month. This is because once you open the pack store in a refrigerator and consume quickly to prevent its potency.
Good quality matcha will show an expiration date and packed date. This gives an idea about the freshness.

Please take some time to view Cool tips to buy the Top-Brand Matcha Green Tea Powder!

Conclusions

Buying ceremonial grade matcha, from Japan, a country that has specialized in producing one of the finest varieties of organically cultivated matcha green tea powder is the best choice for anyone conscious about health. When you buy online or through any store just ensure the points from 2 to 5. Point 1 is automatically implied.

What according to you are the best tips to check before buying matcha green tea powder?

In the meantime, I have included all the above points and reviewed 5 of the best matcha green tea brands. This might be of help to you to start a matcha routine.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook. Thank you!

Over to you now

Right now, I wanted you to do one thing:

Specifically, I want you to leave a comment describing your method of selecting the perfect matcha.

Any other observation and experiences you would like to share with me after you have decided to select a particular brand. Kindly also let me know your basis. I’ll be glad to learn from you and add them as an update to this blog.

So, leave a comment.

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