How Matcha is Made

The tea fields are covered with shade cloth for at least 20 days before harvesting, gently filtering sunlight as the new buds develop. The timing of this shading process is a critical step that greatly influences the quality of the matcha.When the tender new buds have gained resilience, skilled artisans carefully harvest them by hand,  gently stripping each shoot with their fingers. This traditional method, known askoki-tsumi,  is a hallmark of Japanese hand-picking techniques and produces exceptionally fragrant, high-quality tea leaves.

If freshly picked leaves are left as they are, fermentation will begin immediately and heat will build up inside. Therefore, to prevent deterioration of the quality of the leaves and to maintain their freshness, humid air is pumped in. This helps to maintain moisture in the leaves and suppress heat generation due to respiration.

The freshly harvested leaves are steamed in a continuous, rotating mesh steamer to halt the activity of oxidizing enzymes, preserve their vivid green color, and bring out their aroma.
The steaming time is shorter than that used for standard sencha, averaging about 20 seconds.

*For a deeper green color, the steaming time may be adjusted slightly longer.

If steamed tea leaves are left at high temperatures, their color and aroma can quickly deteriorate.To prevent this, the leaves are immediately cooled using a strong stream of air that lifts them into a cooling chamber known as an andon.Inside the andon, the leaves are gently dispersed and cooled as they float downward, preventing overlap and allowing heat to dissipate evenly. This process preserves the tea’s vivid color and fresh aroma.An andon generally stands between five and seven meters tall; the greater the height, the more effectively the leaves can be cooled.

The tea leaves are dried for approximately 30 minutes using hot air at temperatures of around 170-200℃.  The drying system, measuring roughly 10 meters in length, features a brick-lined fire chamber at its base.

After undergoing rapid drying on the lowest tier of a three-to-five layer conveyor structure, the leaves are lifted upward and then gradually circulated back down through the system. As they move repeatedly between upper and lower levels, the leaves dry slowly and evenly.

This carefully controlled process allows a gentle toasted aroma to develop, resulting in a refined finish with a well-balanced harmony of fragrance and flavor.

After drying, the leaf portions of the tea are largely moisture-free, while the stems retain higher levels of moisture and dry more slowly. To ensure uniform quality, the leaves are passed through a stem-separating machine that carefully divides the leaf material from the stemsThis process separates the leaves from the stems—often referred to as the “bone,” which includes the leaf veins—allowing each part to be handled appropriately in subsequent stages while preserving the flavor and texture.

Because the stems and leaf veins retain moisture, they are dried again and then separated from the leaf material using controlled airflow.

Each production lot is carefully blended to achieve uniform quality at a blending facility before being packaged for shipment. The finished tea is then placed into large transport bags, typically holding between 10 and 20 kilograms, and prepared for distribution.

※ Gōba (Blending Facility)
An older term referring to the workspace where tea leaves are combined and blended to ensure consistency.

※ Daikai (Transport Bag)

A paper bag traditionally used in the tea trade to transport unrefined tea. The bag is constructed from double-layered paper with a plastic lining between the layers to protect the tea from moisture.

Tencha is more stable when stored as finished tea, with the moisture-rich stems and leaf veins removed. For this reason, it is typically kept in this refined state and ground into matcha only just before shipment.

Grinding is performed using traditional stone mills in a carefully climate-controlled room, maintained at approximately 20°C with humidity below 40%. This controlled environment preserves freshness and aroma, ensuring that the matcha reaches its final form in optimal condition.