Matcha is the powdered leaf tea used in the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. To make Matcha, fresh green tea leaves from the finest Gyokuro green tea are ground into a fine powder using a stone mill. For the tea ceremony the powdered Matcha is measured with a chashaku (bamboo spoon) and is placed in a chawan (serving bowl), hot water is added, then whipped with a chasen (bamboo whisk) until frothy. The thick frothy tea is sipped right from the bowl. Two drinks can be prepared from Matcha for the ceremony - Usucha made with 1 1/2 heaping chashaku (bamboo spoon), or Koicha made with 3 heaping chashaku. Matcha has a bright jade green color and an unexpected distinctive flavor that is mellow and slightly sweet.

Matcha has the lowest caffeine level of any green tea. It's the L-theanine in matcha that makes people alert. The body can't absorb it as quickly as caffeine, so that pick-me-up lasts for about eight hours. At the same time L-theanine acts on the brain to relax and focus people. One cup of matcha contains 70 times the antioxidants of a cup of orange juice and nine times the beta carotene of a serving of spinach. The entire matcha plant is ground into a powder. Each cup is individually blended by hand into water that is heated to a precise temperature. Because consumers are actually drinking the plant - instead of just water infused with its flavour as is the case other tea - matcha promotes regular bowel movements