How Moya Matcha is Made
Moya Matcha is made from the leaves of carefully cultivated tea bushes in central Japan.
It is here, at the confluence of four prefectures – Kyoto, Shiga, Mie, and Nara – that Uji lies, one of the oldest tea cultivation sites in Japan. Two rivers flow through here, and although there is a lot of rain every year, the fertile soil has excellent permeability. The varied terrain means that fog often hangs over the fields. It prevents frost, which is the biggest enemy of developing tea shoots.
Oishitaen 覆下園: shade-grown tea cultivation
Matcha is powdered green tea, but not the same as loose leaf tea. The leaves used for grinding come from bushes cultivated in a special way. Around April, right after new shoots appear on the bushes, the fields are covered, blocking almost all sunlight. In Uji, for centuries, reeds laid on bamboo poles were used for this purpose. Today, a few farmers still stick to the traditional method – most of them replace reeds with dark fabrics. Thanks to shading, nutrients accumulate in the tea. The bushes, deprived of sunlight, increase chlorophyll production several times. L-theanine is also important; it is an amino acid responsible for the umami taste in tea. It is formed in the roots of the bush, from where it is released into the leaves; but with full sun exposure, it turns into catechin, which causes bitterness. Preventing this results in the tea's sweet taste.
Chatsumi 茶摘: tea harvest
The green tea harvest, or chatsumi, begins at the end of April. The first harvest, lasting until the end of May, is ichibancha (literally "first tea"). After the leaves are picked, new ones appear in their place, which are harvested around June and July. The third harvest of the year takes place in August. Tea from each subsequent harvest is a little weaker, poorer in color and taste. Within one harvest, the leaves also differ in quality – for the highest class of tea, only the tip of the shoot with the two smallest leaves is picked, the third leaf is for very good tea, and the fourth and fifth for ordinary tea.
Mushi 蒸し: steaming and drying
After harvesting, to prevent oxidation and fermentation, the tea leaves are immediately transported for steaming. This process helps the tea retain its vibrant green color, fresh aroma, and nutritional value. After the steam bath, the tea is dried with gentle gusts of air. It floats slowly through the chambers of the drying machine, and its leaves shrink to about one-sixth of their fresh volume. This is how aracha is produced. For final drying, it is laid out on flat conveyor belts, unlike teas intended for brewing in leaves. These, such as gyokuro or sencha, are kneaded and twisted into coils after steaming – this affects the development of their aromas during later brewing.
Senbetsu 選別: separating stems from leaves
Dried aracha tea leaves are sorted according to size, weight, and color. Then their stems and veins are separated (from which kukicha tea, or hojicha after roasting, will be made). Only pure leaf blades remain. These are cut into smaller pieces and finally dried for a little longer. The finished tea undergoes a final inspection, and any unnecessary elements are removed. The end result is small, dark green, perfectly cleaned leaf "flakes." This tea is called tencha and is the raw material from which matcha is made. It can also be brewed in this form, but even in Japanese teahouses, it is extremely rare.
In the picture on the left: aracha (green tea leaves before separation). On the right: tencha (leaf blades after separation and before grinding).
Funsai 粉砕: grinding leaves into powder
To obtain matcha, tencha leaves are transferred for grinding in stone mills. Two specially profiled stones slowly rotate, grinding the tea into a powder. The process requires time and precision – each mill can produce only 40 grams of tea per hour. As a result, it is so fine that it gets between your fingerprints when touched. Thanks to its powdery structure, it blends perfectly with water, giving the impression of being soluble (similar to cocoa, for example). A bowl of ready matcha tea is then perfectly uniform and creamy.
Kensa 検査: final inspection
The final stage is a detailed inspection of the produced tea. Measurements of nutrient content are taken, and tests are carried out for any contaminants. Moya Matcha is certified by the independent Japanese organization JONA, which issues a special JAS certificate for our matcha. This certificate confirms that our tea comes from organic farms free of pesticides and has not been contaminated by external pollutants, for example from the air, during cultivation or in the production process. The Japanese JAS certificate is confirmed in Europe by an organic certificate from the independent body Agro Bio Test, which not only additionally verifies the tests carried out in Japan but also the way our tea is stored in warehouses in Poland.
Fukurozume 袋詰め: airtight packaging
Immediately after confirming that the matcha meets all the strict requirements of organic certificates, it is placed in airtight packaging. Matcha tea is sensitive to external conditions. At home, once opened, it should be stored in the refrigerator, in a sealed, light-proof container. Matcha left in an open container will quickly lose its color, taste, and nutritional value.
