5 SIGNS OF QUALITY MATCHA

A break-down of what makes up quality matcha. Here’s the scoop.

You may have already read a billion of these, which is good. This is something that you want ingrained into your mind, especially when you decide to explore other brands of matcha. You don’t want to make a poor investment of choice. Matcha as an investment? Yes, anything that you buy or introduce as a benefactor into your life is indeed an investment.

Oh yes, there is such a thing as badly made matcha. Matcha comes from the green tea plant, Camellia Sinensis. After its derivation from Camellia Sinensis, the production of matcha can go either two routes: the high quality or low quality.

Not all matcha is created equal. Yes, we’re talking about grades here. The ceremonial drinking grade, that is. Here is a guide to help you differentiate good matcha versus bad matcha. Hopefully, after you read this guide, you will feel more confident in choosing your matcha with your sharpened judgment. My goal for you is to find a matcha grade that is an A-plus.

Let’s start easy. You can tell the quality of matcha by its color instantly. In this case, looks are not deceiving. Colors do not lie. Quality matcha should be a very bright, vibrant green. Not dull or yellowish-green. Definitely not a brown-looking color. That is bad-bad matcha.

Good: bright green

Bad: dull green, yellow-green, brown

A good scent has an effect to make anything more desirable. Matcha is no exception. The aroma will tell you a story about the matcha before you can. Good or bad. A good matcha’s aroma should be pleasant, fresh, and vegetal — like the scent of leafy vegetables. It should not smell bitter, stale, or foul. If it does, then chances are it will taste just as bad. The mouth and nose are combined. Your nose is a great indicator of how something would taste like before you try it out.

Good: fresh, vegetal scent

Bad: bitter and/or stale

Ah, the infamous smear test. Your matcha session isn’t complete until you do this. I always do this before I taste ANY matcha. This is another affirmation made by the eye. If you are a visual or kinesthetic learner, you will love this. It is similar to a makeup swatch. Take a small portion of matcha onto your index finger and swipe it onto a clean sheet of paper. It should glide in a straight line and stick to the page like a paste. And if your color is right, it should have a resemblance of a Marguerite sweet potato vine.

Good: bright green straight line without any breaks

Bad: dullness and chalky line(s) with breaks

If your matcha has made it past the three tests above, you may very well have some good matcha. To be sure, this is the deal-breaker and it is completely up to you. Once you’ve mixed your matcha in water, the color should be emerald green. And it should froth, as well. Frothing isn’t only for lattes. After mixing you should see those tiny bubbles. That is your crema build. Once you see this, it is a sign that you have mixed it well. This tells you to go ahead and ‘sip’ a spell.

The taste should consist of a blend of vegetal, umami (savory) and sweetness. It should not taste like bitter grass. There are some people out there who associate quality matcha taste as strong and bitter. Do not go along with those poor souls. Quality matcha tastes delicious on its own.

The vegetal taste should equate to a light combo of leafy greens. It also has a sweetness of its own that comes naturally from the packed amino acids, which aids in sweetness and umami content. Due to this, it will also have a long, pleasant finish. The kind that sits on your tongue after a sip. This kind of aftertaste allows you to savor the taste for a moment before taking another sip. This allows you to slow down for once.

Beware of the sellers out there who advertise sweetness. Some brands market sweetness in matcha and actively add sugar as an ingredient to make it sweet. Please note, quality matcha will not need an additive sugar because it already contains natural sweetness from the well preserved amino acids. If you find yourself feeling the urge to add additional sweetener to your blend of matcha or feel like you are drinking additive sugar, then it is time to close the tin, make your return, and open the door to finding something better.

Good: a combination of vegetal, savoriness, and sweetness.

Bad: Sharp bitterness, like grass, or sugary.

Bonus: Pricing

The pricing is also a telling sign, too. If you run across matcha that is low priced within the $12–16 range, it is not quality matcha. You get what you pay for. The labor and production of matcha is high cost. It is because each step of processing is done by hand. There are a lot of steps that go into producing well-made matcha. There is no way that these brands would purposely low-ball the hard, strenuous work behind this by slapping on a low price. That would be a huge slap to the face to them and the laborers who lent their hands to productivity.

The next time you shop for some matcha, keep this in mind. Always ask yourself “does this seem reasonable?” You are not going to find high-quality matcha at the price of $14 or less. Unless it’s a culinary grade, which is typically lower in price because it is not created for raw consumption. It is a flavor enhancer for food and smoothies.

Do NOT buy a culinary grade and use it to drink on its own. You will spit it out (just like I did the first time I tried it). This is a common mistake that new matcha-drinkers make. I was one of them.

I know it’s rough. There are a lot of discrepancies when it comes to the pricing of matcha due to the mass of authentic sellers and scammers. The lines are blurred. So here is a raw breakdown of what is ideal.

Quality matcha green tea powder of ceremonial grade is $0.75 to $1.00 per gram, or

$20 to $ 22 per 20 grams

$24 to $30 per 30 grams

$35 to $60 per 40 grams

I hope you enjoyed my not so subtle usage of four out of the five senses to breakdown the key traits of matcha. Why the five senses reference? Drinking matcha tea is a full-on sensory experience. Especially when you use a bowl instead of a cup. The bowl acts as a dome over your nose and mouth as you sip. More so as a cocoon that enfolds the scent and warmth, which makes the tasting almost dreamlike.

Call me crazy, but I encourage you to try out badly made matcha at least once if you run into one–sneak up on you if it may. Because it will get you in the habit of recognizing it as unworthy when you come across it. Note the taste. You don’t have to gulp it down. You could just do a spit-take as I had done with the impromptu culinary grade tasting. Once you drink quality matcha continuously, you will become spoiled in a good way. Yes, you will become a well-deserved matcha snob by knowing what to look for, not by running into them by luck. I hope you find your A-plus matcha grade soon.

Happy hunting.

Related posts:

Pynchonesque not just for the obvious reasons (the LA setting, a certain narrative looseness, and a constantly shifting drama of identity and allegiances), but also in its mistrust of contemporary…

Seasonal Affective Disorder — which is also often referred to as SAD — is a type of depression which occurs on a seasonal basis. Generally this will affect people from autumn and through the winter…

Do you find yourself wondering if writing on the Medium platform is worth the time and energy you spend creating articles? Have you asked yourself if Medium should even be charging monies for…