Matcha tea is a natural tea from Japan green tea leaves. The leaves are dried through a special procedure and then the leaves are grinded to make a fine powder of it. It is a very rich source of essential nutrients and antioxidants, fibers and amino acids. Apart from drinking it as tea, it is widely used for flavoring various kinds of food items such as cakes, candies, noodles, smoothies, ice-creams and lattes. Some people also like to consume it by mixing it with other kinds of teas and even with alcohol.
Tencha is the name of the leaf that is utilized for preparing Matcha. In order to make tencha, the harvesters put mats over the tea bushes so that it is completely covered so that direct sunlight does not come in contact with the tea bushes. The growth of tea bushes takes place at a slow pace under the covering. It first produces amino acids. Production of amino acids brings about two changes. First, the tea becomes sweet and second, the leaves become dark. It attains dark green color. The leaves are then harvested by drying it flat indoors. All the stems and veins are removed from tencha. The best quality ones are ground by using stone and the ones that are of low quality are ground by using a machine. The resultant powder is nothing Matcha green tea powder.