If you have heard about Matcha but never tried it before, you may have asked the question if Matcha tea is green tea. We asked the same question when we started our Matcha journey. We know how complicated it can be to get familiar with a new topic, and we are here to help!
The answer is: well, yes it is. In fact, Matcha and green tea are derived from the same plant called Camellia Sinensis. As you might know, green tea generally come in the form of a tea bag. The difference between "normal" green tea and Matcha is that Matcha comes in powder form. This is produced by taking young, whole tea leaves and grinding them into a bright green powder. The powder is then whisked with hot water. This is different from regular green tea, where the leaves are infused in water, then removed, or where simple tea bags are used.
In comparison to regular green tea, when drinking Matcha, you consume the whole tea leaf!
Regular green tea also goes through a much longer production process, which involves the leaves being left in the sun and consequently be exposed to sunlight. In contrast, Matcha is shade-grown and kept specifically under cover to increase the chlorophyll and amino acid levels in the leaves, which has beneficial effects for your health, which we have gone through in another article. In terms of taste, Matcha has a much richer, more earthy taste. Depending on the grade of Matcha (there are different grades for different application), Matcha can taste slightly bitter to slightly sweet.
While green tea is said to have beneficial effects for your health, these are even more enhance when you drink Matcha. The reason is that you consume the entire leaf, which is full of healthy nutrients.