HomeWhere Does Matcha Come From Japanese Matcha vs Chinese Matcha Explained.
But where in Japan this is a question we hope to answer in this Blog as we take you on a deep dive through the match production process from leaf to cup. We’ll also show you where match comes from when it’s high quality versus low quality, let’s get started, so where does Maa come from in Japan? If we take a look at a map of Japan, one of the first things you’ll notice is that it’s very spread out. In terms of latitude, japan has everything from extremely cold climates in the northern island of Hoqkaaido to tropical climates in the small southern islands like Okinawa. The teal is an evergreen shrub native to southern China, and it prefers mild subtropical climates. For this reason, it can’t be easily cultivated north of Tokyo and therefore match is really only grown in southern and central Japan. So let’s talk about central Japan. The largest production of match actually happens in central Japan, which includes well-known areas like Kyoto where the Nikaim matchches are from. Uji where the Chanoka matches are from, and Shizuoka where the ODA matches are from. While most of Japan is mountainous, there are small pockets of flatland in these areas where tea could be easily produced. It can also benefit from more mountainous terrains as these provide partial shading throughout the day, but this can require more work on the farmer’s part. So what are the downsides of gro tea ins central Japan? One of the downsides of this area is that the winds can be quite cold and therefore the farmers need to take certain steps in order to avoid the frost. Some farmers will cover the roots of the tea plant, use fans to blow air over the tea plants and even spray water on them. All of these things keep the tea plants above freezing, so the frost doesn’t damage them. So now let’s talk about southern Japan. In southern Japan, there’s a lot of great growing regions for match like Kagoshima where the Sakamoto matches are from. Kirishima where the Hintnta match is from, and Yami. Here the tea plants benefit from mild winters and rich volcanic soils. While central Japan produces the largest volume of tea, there are exceptionally high quality teas being produced in the south. Because of the cold winters in central Japan, the farmers tend to grow tougher, more frost-re resistant tea cultivars like Yabukita. In southern Japan, frost isn’t as much of an issue, so the farmers can experiment with these more delicate tea cultivars like Samidori and Assatsuu. These more delicate tea cultivars can produce a sweeter flavor in the tea and as a result, you’ll tend to find more of these rare tea varietals produced in southern Japan compared to the north. Where does Match come from? Might not be the right question. Mac can really come from anywhere so a better question might be Where does match come from when it’s high quality. Japan has mastered The Art of MAC over the past 800 years. The first powder tea that was brought over from China in the 8th century was likely very bitter, but through the discovery of shading, stem removal, and steaming, the flavor of this tea was greatly improved. Over time, these techniques were passed down through the generations and the match being produced today is likely the best. It’s ever been. While it is possible to produce high quality match in China, the best match tends to come from Japan because of these multiple generations of knowledge, specialized equipment, and unique varieties of tea plants. So where does match come from when it’s low quality? Now that we’ve talked about the high quality stuff, let’s talk about the low quality match. Of course, low quality match can be produced just about anywhere, but a lot of it will likely be coming from China simply because China produces the largest volume of tea. If you know anything about match, you likely already know that match can’t be made from just any powdered tea leaves. These leaves have to be shaded for three weeks before the harvest. The top three sprouts are carefully picked, the stems are removed, and then the tea is ground into a fine powder in a large stone mill. If these steps are skipped, you end up with a low quality match. This is how you’re able to find those cheap matches made in China being sold online. They are still made from powder tea, but they will taste extremely bitter. So where does Mac come from when you get it from? If you want to try premium match tea, you can get it from our website. Neots. Dot com. After traveling around Japan for the past few years, we’ve met with dozens of farmers and sampled 100 of different types of MAA teas. We’ve ultimately selected a small handful of our favorites. These matches are produced on small family farms in the Japanese countryside, and we’ve had the great privilege to get to know the farmers and their families over the years. If you’d like to support us and our mission, we would really appreciate it. If you could try some of our teas with free worldwide shipping, thank you all so much for taking the time to watch this Blog. Another way for you to support this website is to like this Blog and subscribe to see more tea Blogs in the future. If you have any questions about match tea or about tea in general, please feel free to leave those in the comments below. Until then we’ll see you next blog.
