Matcha vs Green Tea: What Makes Matcha Different?

Matcha vs Green Tea

Matcha Is Green Tea, but not all Green Tea Is Matcha

While matcha belongs to the wider family of Japanese green teas, its cultivation, processing and preparation are distinctly different.

Most green teas, such as sencha, are steeped in water and the leaves are removed before drinking. Matcha, by contrast, is made from tencha that has been stone-milled into a fine powder and whisked directly into water, meaning the whole leaf itself becomes part of your cup.

抹茶

What is Matcha?

Matcha begins with the same Camellia sinensis plant as other Japanese green teas. However, the main difference lies in how the tea leaves are cultivated and processed.

Before harvest, the tea plants are shaded from sunlight, traditionally under tana, for about 20 to 30 days. After harvesting, the leaves are processed to create tencha, which is then slowly stone-milled into fine matcha powder.

Shade Grown

Tana-Shading

Matcha is traditionally shaded under tana (棚掛け) for several weeks before harvest. At our heritage farms in Uji, Kyoto, the tea plants are grown beneath raised tana structures, reducing direct sunlight while allowing the young leaves to grow freely.

This period of shade encourages the leaves to retain more L-theanine and develop more chlorophyll, contributing to matcha’s deep green colour, natural sweetness and rich umami.

By comparison, sencha is typically grown in full sunlight, encouraging a brighter, more refreshing and slightly more astringent character.

From Harvest to Tencha

A Difference in Processing

For matcha production, within hours of harvest, the fresh leaves are steamed to halt oxidation, preserving their colour and fresh character. They then undergo sanchā (散茶), where strong currents of air lift and scatter the leaves as they cool, gently separating them before drying.

Here lies one of the key differences between matcha and other Japanese green teas. While sencha is rolled and kneaded during processing, tencha leaves are dried without rolling, remaining open and largely flat.

After drying, the leaves are carefully sorted, with the tougher stems and veins separated from the delicate leaves by hand. What remains is tencha (碾茶), the finished leaf that will later be slowly stone-milled into matcha.

From Tencha to Matcha

Stone-Milling

Finished tencha is slowly ground between stone mills, producing only 30g of matcha an hour. This slow, stone-milling helps to preserve the tea’s delicate aroma, flavour and vivid green colour while creating its exceptionally fine texture.

Unlike faster modern milling methods, traditional stone-milling favours quality over speed, the final step in transforming carefully cultivated tencha into matcha.

At a Glance

Matcha vs Green Tea

While matcha and other Japanese green teas begin with the same tea plant, differences in cultivation, processing and preparation create a very different cup. Shade-growing encourages higher levels of L-theanine and chlorophyll, contributing to matcha’s vivid green colour, rich umami and natural sweetness.

Both are naturally rich in antioxidant compounds called catechins. With matcha, however, the whole leaf itself is consumed rather than simply steeped and removed, meaning more of the tea leaf becomes part of each cup.

Matcha is therefore more than just powdered green tea. From shade-growing and tencha processing to slow stone-milling, every step reflects generations of craft passed down at our heritage farms.