ABOUT MATCHA
UMAMI
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The simple literal translation of Umami is - pleasant or beautiful taste. However, Umami is also known as the "fifth taste" along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty. The meaning of Umami in this context doesn’t exist in English. It is the full, complex, intense, full-bodied flavor profile that is found in matcha thanks to the high amino acid content. The better the quality of tea, the higher the amino acid content, the more umami flavor. Umami Matcha is made from the very finest Japanese tea and thus full of umami.
Umami Matcha is grown in the town of Nishio which is in the Aichi prefecture of Japan. Thanks to its elevation, seclusion, pristine waters, fertile soil and perfect growing climate, Nishio is known for producing the highest quality Matcha dating back to the 13th century. Our matcha is grown under three layers of shade cover for four weeks to maximize the leaves’ tenderness and nutrient content. Only the finest, most tender leaves are selected and then hand picked for our matcha. Umami Matcha is less bitter because we only use the leaf. The stems and veins of the leaf which are one of the main sources of bitterness are carefully removed. Our Matcha is stone ground using traditional, hand carved granite mills. This preserves the matcha's nutritional content and ensures the finest, most authentic matcha. We work closely with our producer to ensure the highest quality and authentic Japanese matcha. For the last 120 years, our 4th generation family run producer has been traditionally growing and harvesting the highest quality matcha. Umami Matcha is committed to bringing you the finest and safest Japanese matcha in the world. Our Non-GMO matcha is regularly 3rd party tested for heavy metals, pesticides and radiation to ensure our product is as safe as it is delicious. |
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CULTIVATED WITH CARE
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Matcha, like all tea, is made from the camellia sinensis plant. However, the method in which tea leaves for matcha are cultivated and harvested, create the finest Japanese tea that sets it apart from all others.
Our green tea leaves are shade grown for four weeks prior to harvest using three layers of shade. This process slowly reduces the amount of sunlight available by 90%. This in turn creates a tender leaf and maximizes the tea leaf's amino acid and chlorophyll content which contributes to its huge health benefits, umami flavor profile and jade green color. Umami Matcha is only made from 100% first harvest tea leaves. Only the greenest, top two premium leaves of each plant are picked by hand and used for matcha. This also gives our matcha it's vibrant green color and delicate taste. The harvested leaves are immediately steamed for about 15 seconds to stop the oxidation process. The leaves are then gently air dried before being separated from the stems and veins leaving what is called Tencha. Tencha resembles high quality gyokuro. The tencha is then finely ground using large hand-carved granite stones. Each granite stone mill produces about 1 oz of fine, bright green matcha an hour. Using these traditional granite stones to carefully grind the matcha protects and preserves the matcha’s nutrients. This selective, labor intensive and time consuming process is why true high quality Japanese matcha is in limited supply and always in high demand. It is green gold. |
STEEPED IN TRADITION
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Matcha was first introduced widely in Japan over 800 years ago by the Zen Buddhist priest Eisai who brought seedlings and cultivation knowledge back from China. Eisai noticed that during meditation sessions, drinking matcha would stimulate mental alertness while at the same time creating a state of meditative calm.
We now know that this is due to the abundance of the amino acid L-Theanine in matcha. L-Theanine works in conjunction with the caffeine in matcha to create alpha waves in the brain which are responsible for relaxed, calm alertness. Since the 16th century, Matcha has been used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony referred to as Chanoyu or Chado and is one of the most refined arts in Japan. The ceremony itself seems simple, yet it follows strictly set rules, principles and etiquette. The tea ceremony is based on four elements: |
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The point of Chanoyu is not the drinking of the tea itself, but rather the opportunity to leave all problems and distractions of everyday life behind and to appreciate simplicity, beauty and experience spiritual tranquility.
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