HomeThere are many different types of matcha powder out there, meaning that for every occasion there’s a perfect matcha tea. In this ranking, we’re going to break down 21 different matcha powders and explain how good each of them are and for what occasion. To create this list, we are using reviews. After traveling around Japan over the course of many years, we have tasted all sorts of matcha teas in different tea growing regions to come up with a list of the very best. We have also incorporated public opinion, with the higher ranking matchas appealing to more people than the lower ranked ones. Finally, we are taking the unique growing conditions and subcategories for the matcha into consideration. Matcha that is intended to serve different purposes, such as baking lattes and tea ceremonies, will be evaluated differently. Without further delay, let’s get started with our ranking of the top 21 best matcha powder in 2022 #21 the basic Latte grade matcha. When you’re making a matcha green tea latte, you don’t need to go for the premium matcha. In fact, the more premium matchas, which are designed to be smooth and naturally sweet, have less flavor when they’re combined to the plant based milk in the latte.
Instead, you can use the cheaper matcha that has a strong flavor to it, like the basic latte grade matcha #20 The standard latte grade matcha. We found out that the standard latte matcha from Mr. Masuda in Shizuoka makes one of the best matcha lattes for a very affordable price. If you want to go one step up from the basic latte grade matcha, you can try this standard latte grade matcha. Like the previous cheap matcha, this matcha is made from the later harvest, so it’s too bitter to drink plain, but it works great in a matcha latte #19 the matcha marafuku. When we are visiting tea farmers in Shizuoka, one of the teams we met with was at Marafuku, a tea company that takes in leaves from southern Japan and processes them in the city of Shizuoka in their own facility. We got a chance to taste a few of their teas and this is one of the matchas that we selected. One step up in the latte grade matcha is the matcha tea Marafuku. This matcha tea is made from a blend of Oka, Midori and Saimidori cultivars. While most matchas have this light citrusy flavour to them, this tea plays more on these earthy tasting notes.
The flavour lacks any sweetness, but some people prefer it for its earthy taste profile and it’s more subdued tasting notes #18 The Matcha Kakitsubata. Up in the mountains of Shizuoka, the Asada family works hard to craft a wide assortment of different Japanese green teas. Here, they work with a few different small farmers to produce green tea on a larger scale without compromising on quality. These farmers are committed to growing tea without the use of pesticides or chemicals, earning themselves the nickname The Organic Village. When we met with the Asada family, we got a chance to try out their teas and we really fell in love with a few of their matchas. The matcha tea Kakitsubata from the Asada family is a very good matcha powder, but it’s made using the more stringent Yabukita cultivar. The Yabukita is the most common tea cultivar in Japan, and while it can be made into a delicious tasting tea, a lot of tea drinkers prefer a smoother and sweeter matcha. For this reason, we will be ranking these Yabukita matchas lower on the list. The Yabukita has a nice freshness to it, with a citrusy finish typical of a mountain tea #18 The Kyoto matcha Masuda and Kyoto was where green tea was first cultivated in Japan, and still to this day it maintains A reputation for producing some of the world’s best matcha teas.
The title for the best of four portable matcha cultivated in Kyoto is the Kyoto Matcha from Masuda End. Mr. Masuda produces a large assortment of different matcha teas, and this one is one of the better ones. This matcha is grown in the area around Kyoto, which is the birth place of Japanese green tea. Still to this day, Kyoto is known for producing some of the best matcha, and this one that bears its name is a great representation of that quality #16 the Asamiya Yabukita matcha. Asamiya and Shiga Prefecture is known for producing some of the best matcha in all of Japan. This matcha is very good, and it’s made from the Yabukita cultivar, which which gives it a slightly more astringent taste. This matcha is quite well made, but as we mentioned before, the Yabukita cultivar tends to be a bit more astringent for most people, so this is the reason it’s not ranked higher #15 the Sayama Midori matcha from Asamiya. To follow the Yabukita matcha, we have the Sayama Midori matcha from the same region of Asamiya. The Sayama Midori cultivar is quite a rare tea plant variety. Although it was registered the same year as Yabukita, it is nowhere near as popular. It produces a nice green color and a pleasant aroma.
This matcha has some pleasant cereal undertones to it, which gives it a well-rounded finish #14 the Chanoka Yabu Matcha. If you’re looking for the best affordable matcha powder, you may want to search for one of the Yabukita matchas. Yabukita is the most popular coldivar for matcha powder in Japan, which makes it the least expensive as well. These Yabukita tea plants are designed to tolerate the colder winters in central Japan, and they produce a slightly more bitter taste profile. On the more positive side, these Yabukita tea plants are easier to maintain and can be used to produce affordable matcha powder. A premium Yabukita matcha is a great choice if you’re trying to save a bit of money, but it still delivers the taste that some of the more high end matchas are known for. Mr. Takata at Shinoka makes some of the best matcha powder, and the Chinoka Yabu Matcha is no exception. Although it’s from the more common Yabukita cultivar, the producer has found a way to make it smoother and less astringent. This leads to a more well-rounded drinking experience while still offering that strength that some people look for in a matcha #13 The Matcha Sesui Wazuka is a small town outside of Kyoto where Mr. Nakai and his family live. A few years ago, we traveled to Kyoto to meet with Mr.
Nakai and taste a few of his matches. We learned that Mister Nakai’s father was one of the people responsible for designing the JS logo, so it’s clear that his family has a long history in the organic Japanese green tea industry. We got to try a few of his green teas during our visit and settled on a few matches that we really enjoyed. The Matcha SE Sui is the final Yabukita matcha on this list. This tea finds a way to master these vegetable and citrusy taste profiles that Yabukita is known for without being too overpowering. Because of the strength of this matcha, it still works well on a matcha latte, although it is good enough to drink plain as well #12 the Sakamoto Hime matcha. Our travels through southern Japan brought us to the small town of Shibushi where we met the legendary Mr. Sakamoto. Mr. Sakamoto is the best gyokoto farmer we have met, so it’s no surprise that he also produces some of the best matcha powder as well. High end matcha and gyokoro share similar production steps, but matcha needs to be ground into a fine powder in a large granite mill. After recently purchasing a few of these mills, Mr. Sakamoto is now able to produce some excellent quality matcha powder and we are happy to add it to our assortment.
This is the second highest grade of matcha powder made from a blend of different tea cultivars #11 The Sakamoto Sai Matcha. The Sakamoto Sai Matcha is the high end matcha entry made from Mr. Sakamoto. It is made using the Saimidori cultivar. Typically reserved for only the best matcha in Gilkuro. This cultivar is light and sweet, which can be a huge asset when it comes to matcha. A tea that can easily overwhelm the palate when prepared right, the Sakamoto Sai Matcha has a light and airy texture and a naturally sweet taste #10 the Uji Chanoka Okumidori Matcha. Uji is a town nearby Kyoto, Then it’s nearly synonymous with green tea. When TC’s were brought back from China, they were originally planted on the grounds of Kyoto’s Kozanji Temple, where tea could be cultivated and used by the monks during long periods of meditation. Green tea cultivation eventually migrated S, making Uji the hotbed for matcha production for hundreds of years. Uji still carries this legacy of premium quality green tea, and many tourists come here just to explore Japanese tea history and culture.
Kicking off the top 10 best matcha powders is the Uji Matcha Chanoka Okamidori. This matcha is made from the Okamidori cultivar, which you will be seeing more of in future entries. The Okamidori matcha is a smoother cultivar, giving this to you, a rounder and more full bodied flavor. As a result, it’s no wonder that this cultivar is reserved for some of the best matcha #9 the Matcha Koyai. The Matcha Koyai is another matcha powder from the Osada family in Shizuoka, but instead of being made from the common Yabuchita cultivar, this one is made from the rare Goko cultivar. This cultivar is famous for its powerful savory flavor, which is something a lot a lot of matcha connoisseurs look for when selecting the best matcha powder. This high end matcha is a perfect way to get to know this unique savory or umami flavor that Japanese green teas are known for. Number 8, The Henta Matcha. In March of 2019, we traveled from Tokyo to southern Japan to meet with a handful of Japanese tea farmers. The first farmer on our list was Mr. Henta. Mr. Henta tends to a relatively small plot of land, but he has been able to successfully grow 8 different tea plant varieties and seems to be able to find the perfect one to match each occasion.
To make his best matcha powder, the Matcha Henta, he selects the Saini Dodi cultivar, the lighter and sweeter tea variety we mentioned earlier. The Matcha Henta has become quite popular, with many people praising it for its light sweetness and smooth round finish #7 the Noi Ke Matcha. When you’re looking for the best matcha powder for beginners, we have to recommend the matcha. As we mentioned before, while this is an affordable matcha, it is made from the Okamidori cultivar, which is normally reserved for high end matcha. This makes the tea produced by Mr. Noike taste like a high end matcha, but at a half the cost. The Noike matcha is so high on your list because while it’s a super smooth matcha, it’s also an affordable matcha. Because this matcha is made from the smooth Okamidori cultivar, it’s capable of going head to head with a high end matcha. This tea is made by Mr. Noike, A talented farmer outside of Kyoto that really does some great work. Number six, The Shiran Premium Matcha. Shiran is a small town in southern Japan that benefits greatly from the subtropical temperatures and fertile volcanic soils.
This is one of the many factors that makes this premium matcha from Shiran one of the best matcha powders #5 the Uji matcha. Chanoka Silver The Chanoka Silver matcha is the third matcha tea produced by Mr. Takata in Uji, and it’s also likely his best matcha. This matcha really strikes a balance between this strong matcha flavor and this well balanced smoothness. You really get a heavy mouthfeel and a velvety consistency from this tea, which is quite unique #4 the Asada Okamidori Matcha. When it comes to the best overall matcha powder, the Asada Okamidori Matcha is a fierce contender. This matcha powder is extremely unique, and it encapsulates a lot of elements from other Japanese green teas. This tea has the creaminess of a matcha, the savoriness of a gyokoro, and the roasted flavors of a hojicha. It is rare to find a tea that finds a balance between these taste profiles, and the Asada Okamidori really pulls it off beautifully. The Asada Okamidori Matcha is another tea produced by the Asada family. While most of the teas produced by the Asada family take on a slightly drier taste profile due to the Rocky Mountain soil they’re grown in, this tea strikes a different tone. This tea has a smooth sweetness to it and a slightly roasted flavor, which is quite rare in a matcha.
As we have mentioned before, the tea variety used to make this tea is really reserved for high end matcha, and this one is no exception #3 the Masuda and Superior Matcha. The Masuda and Superior Matcha is the most premium high end matcha from Mr. Masuda, and it really does not disappoint. This matcha powder has a bright green color to it and a ton of natural sweetness. The price tag on this matcha as a bit on the higher side, but it’s well worth it for the Super sweet green matcha powder #2 the Matcha Washamine. How could we not rank the Matcha Washamine this high on the list? This has consistently been our most beloved matcha powder and it’s easy to see why people like it so much. Like the Seisui, this matcha is made by the Nakai family in the area around Kyoto. Unlike the Seisui, which is made out of the Yapukita cultivar, this matcha powder is made from the Okami Dode cultivar. This gives the tea a round and full bodied flavor with no bitterness. If you would like to drink matcha but are intimidated by the more bitter or grassy flavors, this could be the best matcha for you #1 the Nakai Superior Matcha. When it comes to the best matcha powder, we have to give it to the Nakai Superior Matcha.
The Matcha Washamine is by far a most popular matcha, but this is actually only the second best high end matcha produced by Mr. Nakai. The Nakai Premium Matcha is one step above even the Matcha Washamine and where you really notice the difference is in the mouthfeel. This matcha tea is thicker with a more velvety mouthfeel while still remaining smooth and full bodied. It also has a much greener color to it, which isn’t always an indication of a higher quality, but it definitely helps to differentiate it. After traveling around Japan in search of some of the best green tea produced without pesticides, we have decided to combine all these rare matcha powders into one lovely set. The 21 Matcha Sampler This matcha sampler includes all these 21 different types of matcha tea, plus the clay tea bowl, the bamboo tea whisk, and the bamboo teaspoon. This sampler makes a great gift for the tea lover in your family, but it can also be a fun and engaging way to learn more about matcha tea. These 21 matchas come from different farmers, different regions, and different types of tea plants, and they all taste completely different. You can use this as an opportunity to improve your palette and see which matcha tea you like the best. Thank you all so much for reading this blog. We would really appreciate it if you could subscribe to this channel and stay tuned for future tea videos. Until then, we’ll see you next time.
