In recent years, matcha has gradually emerged among young people, and its light green color and fragrant taste are quite elegant in Japanese style. Many people think that matcha was spread from Japan, but in fact it was invented by us in China.
Matcha had already occurred in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and its development trend was in the Tang Dynasty, and it flourished in the Song Dynasty. In ancient times, fresh tea leaves were first made into tea blocks, which were called "group tea". When eating, a small piece was searched, ground into powder and sieved, which was called "end tea", and then the powder was melted with boiling water for eating. By the Ming dynasty, the method of immediately brewing tea leaves gradually became popular, and matcha gradually withdrew. However, matcha was spread to Japan in the Southern Dynasties, and it also evolved into rich and colorful matcha culture and art, and now it has returned to its hometown.
matcha is green tea powder, but green tea powder is not necessarily matcha. At first, the varieties of tea trees were different. The characteristics of tea leaves used for matcha were "two highs and two lows", that is, high carbohydrate, high chlorophyll, low theanine and low caffeine. Carbohydrate can show colorful flavor, chlorophyll can improve the color of matcha, and theanine and caffeine are also beneficial components, but their bitter taste does not match the precise positioning of matcha.
The scientific research on the types of matcha in Japan is deeper, but the cultivation time of the types of matcha in China is not long, and the quality is different from that in Japan. Secondly, the planting and picking method of matcha is different from that of general tea leaves. Choose fresh tender leaves for matcha, and the harvesting period is limited to April to May every year. Generally, the greener the matcha is, the higher its quality is. Therefore, after the camellia oleifera sprouts, it must be slowly covered with mats, sun screens and other items. In addition, the production and processing methods of matcha are also different from those of general tea leaves.
Newly-picked tea leaves must be "finished" with steam or warm air, that is, the antimycin is destroyed to avoid fading and nutrient damage, and then the technological processes such as drying and selection are carried out. Traditionally, matcha powder is obtained by hand grinding with a stone mill, and the diameter of its powder is about 1 μ m. Nowadays, many matcha are processed by ultra-fine grinding, and the diameter of powder can be controlled below 18μm, so it tastes smoother. Another benefit of ultra-fine grinding is that it can fully destroy the plant cells of tea leaves, release chlorophyll more easily, and the color of matcha is better. Matcha is a blend of tea leaves with good color and flavor, which can be used for coloring, refreshing and refreshing food. Flavonoids and other ingredients in it also have certain antibacterial ability, so it is widely used in drinks, snacks, ice cream and other foods.
if you buy your own matcha powder for cooking, you must pay attention to sealing, shading and freezing as much as possible, because it is very susceptible to moisture and air oxidation. In addition, it must be reminded that some cost-effective matcha powders are actually counterfeit with ordinary green tea powder, or even with aged tea, spices and melanin. Such "matcha" is usually more astringent and has no unique fragrance of matcha.