5 Tips to Tell the Quality of China Green Tea 9371

You are precious, so if you are drinking CHINA GREEN TEA 9371 powder for its wide array of health benefits, it is worth it to know you are getting the best. Not all matcha is made the same, but luckily it is pretty easy to tell between a high quality cuppa and low quality swill. When choosing your matcha, be sure to check these five key aspects of the brew.

Origin

The origin of a tea might not seem so important, but if you can't find where your matcha comes from, it is probably because they don't want you to know. Matcha may have originated in China, but today the best conventional matcha green tea comes from Japan - specifically the Nishio city in Aichi prefecture and Uji city in Kyoto prefecture. These two areas are considered the best growing areas for tea in the world. Quality organic matcha hails from the Kagoshima region, where the climate conditions are perfect for growing an outstanding organic product.

Colour

One of the most attractive aspects of matcha is its vibrant green colouring. As the matcha-producing green tea plant is grown in the shade, it produces higher amounts of chlorophyll. Matcha that is not the beautiful bright green, but instead has a dull or yellowish-brown colour is usually considered lower quality. The leaves were likely not properly shaded or harvested from lower on the stalk. Both practices affect the taste in a big way. It could also mean the leaves were harvested from a later harvest, such as the third or fourth annual harvest. It is widely agreed that the finest matcha comes from the first or second harvest.

Smell

Just like good food, you enjoy matcha with your nose. Does it entice your nose with a fresh and vegetal smell or does it smell dusty and dull like flour you found in the back of your cupboard? High quality matcha can draw you in with smell alone.

Feel

When a good quality matcha is rubbed between your fingers, it feels smooth and silky similar to eye shadow or powder foundation. However, lower quality matcha feels much rougher and will definitely not produce a smooth, frothy tea.

Taste

Finally, taste is considered the most important aspect of matcha. While the tea's feel or origin may not matter so much to you, it will usually affect the matcha's taste. The naturally sweet flavour of matcha green tea is ultimately determined by the L-Theanine, an amino acid produced from the shade-growing process. If not grown properly in the shade, lower quality matcha has a more bitter taste. A good cup of ceremonial grade matcha should be smooth, soothing, and have a pleasantly sweet aftertaste.