HomeNot all match is created equal, there are radical differences when it comes to taste, health benefits, texture and color. In this blog, we’re go to compare low quality versus high quality match to see how much of a difference it makes. We’ll explain the difference between culinary versus ceremonial match and see which one you should be using on a daily basis. We’ll also show you a few different ways to test match to see whether it’s low or high quality. At the end, we’ll compare the nutrient profile of these two Ts to see which one is better. This blog is an excerpt from our book Match Masterclass, a 100 and 40 page guide on everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Magee, including the history, health benefits, and more. If you want to get the full book for free, you can just sign up in the description below. So by now you’re beginning to see Match take on a few different forms, but how can it be both the most revered drink throughout Japanese history and also a powder mixed into daily lattes when it comes to match, there are many different levels of quality which determine what the matchcha can be used for. The most common, although overly simplified distinction is between ceremonial and culinary grade. Match. The term ceremonial grade match has no technical definition but it gets its name from the Japanese tea ceremony. It generally refers to a match that’s good enough to drink plain just as it’s drunk in the tea ceremony. Ideally, this match is made by following all the production steps. The tea plants are shade grown to boost their sweetness. The leaves are carefully selected during the first harvest and the leaves have their stems removed. Before being stone ground into a fine powder. Lower quality match can be made by skipping some or all of these steps. This match is much cheaper, but it has significant drawbacks when it comes to flavor, color and health benefits. It’s therefore really only suitable for lattes, smoothies, and baking where the flavor can be masked by other ingredients. This is where the term culinary grade match comes from, so while these terms don’t have a technical definition, we can use ceremonial match to refer to match meant for plain drinking and culinary match to refer to match made for recipes. In addition to flavor, there’s also big differences in the health benefits of high quality and low quality match, but we’ll save that for the end. First, let’s talk about a difference you’ll notice right away. Color. If the match powder is a vibrant shade of green you probably have a good match and if it’s more brown or yellow chances are you either have an old match or a lower quality one. A greener color doesn’t necessarily mean a better match, but it’s a good way to tell if steps have been skipped during the production process. If the leaves are not properly shaded the match will have less chlorophyll and be less green. If older leaves are used the match will be duller in color and if the yellowish stems are not removed from the leaves before grinding, it will also make the color more yellow. Of course, the color isn’t a perfect indication as there is variability even within premium matches with some cultivars being darker green and others being lighter green. So let’s talk about another test you can run on match to see if it’s high quality or not. The foam test. Higher quality mates are richer in amino acids, so they should foam up much easier and form a denser layer of bubbles. This foam is not just for looks, it also serves an important purpose when it comes to the flavor and texture of the tea. The foam holds air inside the match, giving it a lighter, airier texture as well as a smoother taste. This foam makes the match taste almost like a latte, but without creamer sugar. If you end up with a low- quality match, not only will the taste be more bitter, it will also lack the smooth consistency. After a few seconds of proper whisking a dense foam should start to appear on the top of the match. If instead you see very few bubbles forming you might have a low quality match. But there are also two more tests you can use to see of your matches. High Quality. The texture Test. This texture guidance only applies to stone ground first, machine ground match. The higher quality stoneground match will have a super fine powder between five and ten microns, which is smaller than a red blood cell. This leads to a velvety consistency in the tea. Improperly ground MAC will not be as fine and it will create a grainy texture and a less pleasant drinking experience. Instead of a luscious liquid, the larger grains will sink to the bottom of the bowl, leading to an uneven consistency. Our final test is the flavor test. A premium ceremonial grade match should be smooth without much bitterness. There should be a complexity in the flavor, and rather than going in one direction, the tea should create many flavor impressions simultaneously. You don’t know for sure whether or not you have a good match until you taste it. Although you can often speculate if you want to really test the match, you can prepare it as a koiccha using double the amount of powder and half the amount of water. This amplifies the flavor of the tea and if there’s any bitterness at all, you’ll be able to notice it. Finally, there’s a difference in the nutrient profile between low quality and high quality matcha because they are made from different leaves. The health benefits will be completely different. While both matches are very healthy, ceremonial match contains higher concentrations of nutrients, feionine, chlorophyll, caffeine and antioxidants. This is due to the fact that the younger leaves are used and the mancha is made from the first harvest. The teal absorbs nutrients from the soil all winter long and releases those nutrients into the fresh sprouts during the springtime and these are the leaves used to make premium match teas. The tea plant can then be harvested two to three more times throughout the year, but the nutrient content will be lower because the plant hasn’t had enough time to build back its nutrients. This is why the later harvest produces cheaper, lower quality Mac teas. So where do you find these high quality Mac teas? If you want to try the best pessticidefree Mac teas we’ve found during our travels around Japan, you can browse our selection at Neos. Dot com. When you order tea from us, you’re not only helping to support this channel, you’re also helping us to support the dozens of talented farmers we work with. In the next episode, we’re going to talk more about the nutrients in match tea, but if you don’t want to wait that long, you can get our full book match masterclas for free when you sign up using the link below. Until then we’ll see you next blog.
