What Does Matcha Taste Like: A Guide to Matcha Tasting
Have you ever tried matcha? If yes, you must know it's more than just a trendy green tea—it's a unique experience for the senses. Even if you haven't tried you must have at least seen it on social media or maybe in some cafe. It's a vibrant green color drink that looks like a cup of nature's energy.
But the question is, what sets this green tea apart from regular teas? The answer is its unique flavor profile. Matcha has a rich umami taste and smooth, creamy texture that offers a distinctive and satisfying drinking experience. Its taste ranges from grassy and earthy to subtly bitter and sweet, making it complex yet fascinating.
Whether you're new to matcha or looking to refine your palate, this guide will help you understand its exact flavors. In this blog, we will share what does matcha tastes like, so let's dive into the world of matcha tasting!
What is Matcha
Matcha is one of the most popular types of green tea, originating from Japan. It is a stone-ground bright green powder made from whole green tea leaves, offering a unique flavor and aroma. Matcha has been used as a ceremonial tea, especially in Japanese tea ceremonies, for centuries. Unlike regular green tea, it is whisked into the water, letting you consume the whole leaf for maximum nutrients. With time, it became popular in other parts of the world as a regular green tea. Today, people enjoy matcha in many ways, from classic tea to lattes, smoothies, and even desserts.
Matcha is made by steaming high-quality green tea leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant, then drying and grinding them into a fine powder. It has a slightly bittersweet, grassy taste and a vivid green color due to its high chlorophyll levels. Matcha is also packed with health benefits, from helping lower blood pressure to reducing the risk of cancer. It's packed with antioxidants that provide a calm, focused energy boost, and a rich, unique flavor.
What Does Matcha Taste Like?
Matcha has a distinct and complex taste profile that sets it apart from regular green tea. It has an earthy, grassy, umami-rich, and slightly bitter taste, with a subtle sweetness that lingers. The taste of matcha varies depending on its quality, preparation method, and personal preferences. Let’s delve into the taste of matcha:
Vegetal: Grassy and Earthy Green Notes
One of the most notable and prominent tastes in matcha is vegetal and earthy. Matcha is made from shade-grown, finely ground whole tea leaves, which gives it a grassy and vegetal flavor. Its flavor is often compared to fresh-cut grass, green vegetables, or steamed spinach since the leaves are steamed before being stone-ground. The unique process of shading, steaming, and grinding helps preserve its chlorophyll, giving it a rich green color and a refreshing earthy taste. Moreover, being made from whole-ground green tea leaves, it has a stronger and more concentrated flavor than regular green teas. Unlike regular green tea, matcha has a richer, fuller, grassy flavor since you consume the entire leaf in powdered form rather than just steeping it.
Umami: Savory and Oceanic Notes
The second flavor of matcha is umami, also described as oceanic when present in matcha, adding a layer of complexity. Umami is a Japanese term used to describe a rich, savory taste similar to seaweed, broth, mushrooms, or miso soup. This umami and oceanic flavor come from the shading process that matcha goes through. Basically, matcha is kept in the shade for 3 - 4 weeks before harvest, which increases chlorophyll and gives it a rich, savory flavor. Moreover, the shading also increases the amount of amino acids like glutamate and L-theanine, giving matcha its umami taste. Savory taste balances out its bitterness, offering a smooth, pleasant, and balanced taste profile. High-quality ceremonial matcha has a smooth, naturally sweet umami taste, while lower-grade matcha tends to be more bitter or astringent.
Bitter: Sharp Notes with an Astringent Bite
Some matcha can have a noticeable earthy bitterness or astringency (a drying sensation on the tongue). Lower-grade or improperly prepared matcha can taste unpleasantly bitter while leaving a slightly dry feeling in the mouth. However, when made correctly, high-quality matcha has smoother, milder bitter notes that blend well with other strong flavors for a balanced taste. Matcha's bitterness comes from its high tannin content and catechins, a natural antioxidant found in green tea. Moreover, its mild astringent bite adds complexity, making the taste even more exciting and unique. Astringency in matcha is softer than in regular green tea, making it refreshing and balancing well with its sweet and savory notes.
Sweet: A Subtle Natural Sweetness
Premium matcha has a delicate, natural sweetness that lingers after each sip, offering a refreshing and balanced taste. It tastes slightly bitter at first, then smooth and savory, ending with a sweet aftertaste that lingers. This isn't the kind of sweetness you'd get from sugar, but rather a light, nutty, and slightly floral aftertaste. The mild natural sweetness, coming from amino acids, evens out the strong and bitter flavors of the matcha. This is why high-quality matcha is enjoyable even without added sweeteners. In Japanese tea ceremonies, matcha is served with small sweets to highlight its natural sweetness. It is also used in desserts, sweets, and cocktails, and when mixed with milk, its sweetness intensifies, creating a smooth, balanced flavor.
Creamy and Smooth: Buttery and Rich Notes
When whisked well, matcha has a creamy and velvety texture that offers a smooth and buttery mouthfeel. The creamy texture comes from fine powder blending with water or milk, creating a silky, full-bodied feel instead of a watery one. When properly whisked, it develops a light, frothy layer on top, creating a smooth and velvety feel. Drinking it feels like a smooth and soothing treat for your taste buds. Using a matcha sifter and whisking with a bamboo whisk helps prevent clumps, ensuring a rich, smooth, and full-bodied drink. Some matcha also has subtle nutty or buttery notes that comes from natural tea leaf oil. This adds depth to its flavor, making it even more enjoyable while preventing dryness or excessive astringency.
Factors That Affect Matcha Taste
The unique and complex taste of matcha is affected significantly due to different factors. Ranging from its quality and grade to temperature and additives, each factor plays an important role in deciding its taste. Understanding these factors ensures your matcha tastes smooth, rich, and naturally sweet instead of overly bitter or astringent. Here are some of the most important factors affecting its taste:
Quality & Grade of Matcha
The quality and grade of matcha determine how smooth, umami-rich, or bitter it tastes. High-quality matcha is made from shade-grown leaves, resulting in a high chlorophyll content that enhances its smooth, umami, and slightly sweet flavor. In contrast, low-quality matcha tends to be more bitter. There are two types of matcha grades: Ceremonial grade matcha and culinary grade matcha. They are made from the same plant but have different taste profiles.
Culinary grade matcha: Culinary grade matcha has a stronger grassy and slightly bitter taste profile. It is made from the old tea leaves, giving it a delicate, sweet, buttery, and velvety texture. As it has a stronger, bolder flavor, it is best used in smoothies, lattes, baking, desserts, and more.
Ceremonial grade matcha: Ceremonial grade matcha is smooth, naturally sweet, and creamy, with deep umami and minimal bitter taste profile. It’s made from the youngest tea leaves, giving it a stronger astringency and a more intense grassy flavor. Since it’s naturally sweet and creamy, it’s best enjoyed on its own with hot water.
Type of Water
The type of water used greatly influences the taste and flavor of Matcha. Fresh spring water, with its correct pH levels and minerals, is the preferred choice for extracting matcha's subtle and rich flavors. Filtered water is the next best option, as it removes harsh minerals that could interfere with the taste. Avoid hard or tap water, as its high mineral content can overpower matcha's delicate notes. The optimal pH level should be between 7 and 8, anything higher may dull the flavor, while a lower pH can make it taste too sharp.
Temperature of water
The temperature of the water in which matcha is made significantly affects its taste and flavor. Unlike other teas, it cannot be made using boiling water. Too hot water can make the matcha taste bitter and astringent, while too cold water can make it taste flat and dull. Therefore, using the right temperature is crucial for extracting the best flavors from matcha.
- Ideal temperature (160-175°F / 70-80°C) - Brings out smooth, grassy, umami and natural sweet taste.
- Boiling water (>175°F / 80°C) - Burns the delicate tea, making it harsh and extremely bitter.
Growing Conditions and Origin
The region where matcha is grown greatly affects its flavor and taste. Soil quality, climate, altitude, cultivation techniques, and growing conditions all influence the tea's taste and overall quality. The matcha teas from Japan are of the highest quality, as the cultivation techniques and growing conditions are perfect for matcha. The terroir (growing region) also affects matcha's taste:
- Uji, Japan - Deep umami, natural sweetness, and creamy texture.
- Nishio, Japan - Smooth, slightly floral matcha with a balanced taste.
- Kyoto, Japan - Umami, naturally sweet, and creamy & velvety.
- Other Regions - Matcha from China or lower-quality farms can taste more bitter and earthy due to different soil and processing.
Matcha to Water Ratio
The matcha-to-water ratio is extremely important to get a balanced taste of matcha filled with all the natural flavors. Too much water can dilute the taste, making it weak and watery, while too little can result in an overly strong, bitter, and thick brew. Therefore, maintain a proper matcha-to-water ratio as per your taste and preferences. The standard ratios are:
Harvesting, Processing, and Grinding
The techniques used during matcha harvesting, processing, and grinding also influence its taste. Have a look at the techniques for all three stages:
Handpicked vs. Machine-Harvested Leaves- Handpicked - High-quality matcha is always harvested by hand. This ensures that only the youngest, most tender leaves are used, resulting in a smoother taste.
- Machine-harvested - Large tea farms adopt machine harvesting, which may include tougher leaves, leading to a more bitter and astringent taste.
After harvest, matcha leaves are steamed and then dried to make fine powder. This processing method preserves the vibrant color, delicate vegetal notes and umami-rich flavor of matcha. Poorly processed matcha may taste burnt, dull, bitter, or overly grassy.
Stone-Ground vs. Industrial Grinding- Stone-ground matcha (Traditional grinding method): is a slow and intricate process which gives fine, smooth texture with a creamy taste.
- Machine-ground matcha (Jet milling) A modern industrial method that results in coarser powder, leading to a gritty, and concentrated, mouthfeel.
Pairing and Additives
The kind of pairings and additives can either enhance or overshadow its delicate flavors. Adding milk makes matcha creamier and more dessert-like, softening its natural bitterness. Sweeteners like honey, vanilla, agave, etc., enhance matcha's sweetness without overpowering umami flavor. Using fruits like mango, pineapple, banana, strawberry, etc., adds brightness and enhances matcha's natural sweetness. Nuts & nut butter blend beautifully with matcha's umami, making it taste richer and exotic. Pairing matcha with the right ingredients can enhance its natural flavors while balancing bitterness and umami notes.
Texture and Consistency
Matcha has a unique texture that can range from smooth and creamy to thick and frothy, depending on how it's made. Consistency is influenced by factors such as the whisking technique, the quality of the matcha, the water-to-powder ratio, and additional ingredients. High-quality ceremonial-grade matcha is super fine and silky, while lower-grade culinary matcha tends to be coarser. When whisked properly with a bamboo whisk, matcha develops a light, frothy layer on top. Unlike regular green tea, where leaves are steeped and discarded, matcha leaves are fully consumed, creating a richer, thicker consistency.
Conclusion
Matcha is a bright green stone-ground powder made from whole green tea leaves from Japan. It has a unique and complex taste, making it one of the most fascinating green tea in the world. Matcha has a complex flavor profile with five distinct taste notes: vegetal, umami, bitter, sweet, and creamy. These flavors create a balanced and rich taste experience, making matcha both refreshing and satisfying. The vegetal notes add a fresh, grassy taste, while umami brings savoriness and depth. Natural sweetness balances the slight bitterness, while the creamy texture creates a smooth finish. The intensity and quality of these unique flavors depend on different factors. The quality and grade of matcha, type, and temperature of the water, harvesting, processing, and grinding methods, pairing and additives, matcha to water ratio, etc., decide matcha’s final taste.
