Grades and Selection Guide of Matcha Powder

What is Matcha?

Matcha is a powdered green tea originating from Japan. Unlike other types of tea, matcha involves consuming whole tea leaves and then grinding them into a fine powder. This method of consumption allows you to consume all the nutrients in tea, making matcha a particularly effective source of antioxidants.

If you are considering purchasing and preparing matcha, you may have noticed that not all matcha powders are the same – there is careful design and consideration behind it! Matcha actually has multiple grades to choose from, each with unique flavor characteristics, color, texture, and uses.

1. The Grades of Japanese Matcha Powder

Matcha is mainly divided into three levels: ceremonial level, daily level, and culinary level, which are based on the planting location, method, harvest period (or season), and manufacturing process of green tea plants.

• Ceremonial grade matcha

As the highest quality matcha, ceremonial grade selected from the youngest harvested green tea leaves. It is specially selected for traditional Japanese tea ceremony, finely ground into a fine powder, presenting a vibrant green color with a fresh, sweet, and earthy aroma. The texture is silky smooth, the taste is complex and sweet, and the aftertaste is creamy and delicate. Its extremely high chlorophyll content gives it a noticeably deeper green shadow.

• Daily grade matcha

also known as high-quality or traditional grade, daily grade matcha is between ceremonial grade and cooking grade, and is the second highest quality among green tea powders. It has a rich and balanced taste, a clean and refreshing aroma, a smooth texture, and a bright green color. Daily grade matcha is suitable for consumption alone or in combination with milk, water, and sweeteners, making it an ideal choice for those looking for diverse preparation methods, especially for matcha beginners.

• Culinary grade matcha:

Culinary grade matcha, also known as kitchen matcha or chef’s choice matcha, is mainly used for cooking, beverages, baking, and supplements. It usually has a salty and rich flavor, made from green tea leaves that are older than ceremonial or daily grade, and usually comes from the second, third, or even fourth harvest. This means that its young green tea leaves are exposed to more sunlight and have higher levels of catechins.

In order to meet diverse usage needs, we have specially divided our products into two categories: traditional matcha and organic matcha, and both types of matcha are finely divided into four grades: D1, D2, D3, and D4.

Picture	Grade	Color	Smell	Taste	Applications
	D4 Ceremonial Grade	Bright Emerald Green	Obvious Aroma	Strong Fresh Mellow Taste	Tea ceremony, For high-end products.
	D3 Premium Grade	Bright Emerald Green	Obvious Aroma	Strong Fresh Mellow Taste	Tea ceremony, For high-end drinks.
	D2 Standard Grade	Bright Green	Obvious Aroma	Fresh Mellow Taste	For daily drinks, coffee, beverages,icecream etc.
	D1 Culinary Grade	Green	Slight Aroma	Slightly Bitter Taste	For Daily Drinks, baking and so on.

2. Compare the Quality of Matcha Powder

To compare the quality of different matcha powders, you can try finger testing: stack various matcha powders in small piles on paper, draw a line on each pile with your finger, and wipe between different matcha powders. High quality matcha will be smoother, producing more solid and longer lines.

3. Matcha Grades and Health

All grades of matcha contain similar baseline nutritional components, but each has its own emphasis. Ritual grade matcha (made from leaves harvested for the first time) has high levels of L-theanine and caffeine; Daily and cooking grade matcha (made from late harvested leaves) typically have the highest levels of antioxidants and catechins.

4. Choose the Most Suitable Matcha Grade For You

When choosing the most suitable grade of matcha, please consider your usage scenario and personal preferences. Do you plan to enjoy the traditional Japanese matcha ceremony every day? Do you like matcha latte and add sweeteners to caffeine or energy drinks? Are you planning to try adding matcha to baking recipes or morning smoothies in the kitchen? After clarifying the requirements, it is easy to choose the most suitable grade of matcha.

5. Baseline

When evaluating the grade and quality of matcha, in addition to color, multiple factors such as origin, planting method, harvest time, and processing technology need to be considered. The classification of matcha grades varies by brand, but high-quality matcha typically originates from traditional matcha farms in Uji, Kyoto, Japan. Azayaka tea offers high-quality matcha of various grades, including our late harvest options, to meet your different needs.