The origin and quality of our matcha
Yoli founded Sensual Matcha and has been drinking matcha for over 10 years. She tests every recipe on the blog until it works without a café machine.
Matcha is Japanese green tea in powdered form, but it’s different from ordinary green tea:
- With ordinary tea, you steep the leaves and drink only the infusion.
- With matcha, the leaves are ground into a fine powder and you drink the whole leaf.
That means more aroma, along with more of the naturally occurring compounds, such as chlorophyll, catechins and L-theanine.
Our Ceremonial Blend comes from Aichi in Japan. The prefecture has a tea-growing tradition stretching back centuries.
First spring harvest: Ichibancha
After winter, tea leaves are particularly rich in amino acids and chlorophyll. This first harvest is called Ichibancha. The leaves are more tender, more aromatic and a deeper green than later harvests.
We use only the leaf tissue. No stems, no veins.
Three cultivars, one blend
Okumidori brings deep umami and a rich green colour. Yabukita adds body and a balanced base. Saemidori contributes natural sweetness and a gentle flavour.
Together, they create a more complex flavour profile. For lattes, that matters: the blend’s flavour remains present and isn’t covered up by the milk.
Traditionally stone-ground
The leaves are slowly ground in stone mills, at around 30 grams an hour. This gentle process preserves colour, aroma and nutrients.
Faster methods generate heat, which causes matcha to oxidise. The result is a brownish colour and bitter flavour. Traditional stone grinding keeps the green vivid and the flavour rounded.
The result
Creamy, full-bodied, slightly nutty. Matcha that holds its own in plant milk, keeping its character with a flavour gentle enough for every morning.
