Matcha is a Japanese powdered green tea. It can be used as an ingredient or made as a tea. With matcha, whole tealeaves are consumed, not just the steep off tealeaves, as with other teas. High-grade matcha is made in limited amounts in Japan, harvested only once a year in the Spring.

Matcha is cultivated by covering tea plants with bamboo mats several weeks prior to harvest, increasing the chlorophyll content. The harvested leaves are dried and ground into matcha powder. Thin and thick matcha are made from the highest quality leaves, which are de-spined and stone-ground. Ingredient grade is made from lower quality tea leaves that have not be de-spined, yielding a powder less green in color and more astringent in taste.