A guide to ceremonial grade matcha

Shopping for quality matcha can be confusing: Prices vary wildly and there‘s actually no industry standard for “ceremonial grade.“ Fortunately, traditional values from “chado,“ or “the way of tea“ can be used to evaluate high-quality matcha.

Contents

  1. Let’s start with the tea ceremony
  2. Standards of ceremonial grade
  3. Making our daily ritual reflect ceremonial standards

1. Let’s start with the tea ceremony

To understand what is ceremony-worthy, you should have a basic understanding of the tradition. The Japanese tea ceremony is a ritual based on "wabi-sabi" and Buddhist values. (A cursory definition of wabi-sabi is "a Japanese aesthetic concept that celebrates the beauty of imperfection, impermanence and the natural.") It encompasses a multitude of disciplines and art including tea-making, hospitality, architecture, gardening, floral arrangement, calligraphy and more.

The ceremony begins even before the guests enter the teahouse. The path whispering through the garden, the humble teahouse entrance and the layout of the tatami floor mats are all among the many prescribed parts of the ceremony. The room is quiet and void of its host, except for a few details that complement the season: a carefully placed floral arrangement, a hanging scroll of calligraphy or painting and handmade sweets that may also complement the tea selection. The host then prepares the tea with a pre-set order of positions and movements. "Cha-ji," or "long ceremonial gatherings," may include a full meal, sweets, "koicha" or "one shared bowl of very thick matcha" and "usucha" or "individual bowls of tea." Each detail and movement are practiced and meaningful. The established order of events, aesthetics, preparation and even the host’s dress are all achieved by years of meticulous training and intention.

Like the solitary scroll, the graceful flower arrangement and perfectly paired sweets, the tea is also carefully selected. Only the finest quality of matcha is offered to guests. The matcha leaf is ground just before the ceremony so it can be as fresh as possible. In recent years, some people have begun to use pre-ground powder in their ceremonies, but using freshly-ground matcha is a more authentic way to practice the ceremony, as it was done before. Matcha, or ground tencha, is used in the Japanese tea ceremony, while tea offerings in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese ceremonies include other types. The selection of matcha is the purest, highest quality and most delicious tea available.

Farm location

Tencha leaves require very special care. We searched high and low to find sustainable farms with the right amalgam of climate, landscape and soil conditions. We've been honored to team up with a number of the best organic tea farms across Japan, operated by innovative farmers who exhibited the level of care we were looking for. We now work closely with these dedicated tea farmers who produce the leaves we use for Cuzen Matcha.

  • A tea master holds a “hishaku,” or “bamboo ladle,” above a steaming pot during a tea ceremony.
  • A stone garden path, surrounded by vibrant green foliage, leading to a tea house entryway.

2. Standards of ceremonial grade

In accordance with the values embodied in the tea ceremony, we also like to think of ceremonial grade matcha as being the finest, the purest, with the most desired qualities. But which matcha is of a ceremonial grade? The truth is, we cannot trust labels because there are no standards or measurements from the industry. Beware of marketing lingo and clever packaging. There is nothing preventing a company from calling a culinary grade matcha “ceremonial grade” and marking up the price. (Culinary grade refers to lower quality matcha used for baking and cooking. At Cuzen, we suggest using the best matcha even for cooking and baking, because good food is made with good ingredients.) So in lieu of industry standards, let us look to the tea ceremony masters for a standard with which to select ceremony-worthy matcha. We can examine how a matcha is produced, processed and preserved, and then deduce which matcha is the best for a ceremony. We should keep concepts in mind like harmony, purity and natural beauty.

"Oiemoto-Okonomi," or "the grand tea master's favorite," is the premium, most cherished matcha that has been used for ceremonies. In the spirit of simplicity, nature and beauty, the oiemoto-okonomi is often chosen from a small farm, ensuring its qualities will be pure and pronounced. A matcha that comes from one specific location, unblended with teas from other regions, is referred to as single origin. The qualities of a single origin are distinct and unaltered, making it a desirable tea for the thick koicha served at the beginning of the ceremony. A single origin tea comes from one region, and the region typically has established and esteemed tea farms that use time-tested techniques. Some of the most famous regions for matcha, and single origin matcha specifically, are Uji, Kyoto, Kagoshima, Tenryu and Toyota.

To highlight an example, one of our Okumidori single origin teas comes from the Kirishima region of the Kagoshima prefecture. Selecting a matcha that comes from the first harvest, like our Okumidori, results in the tastiest, brightest, most aromatic tea, packed with the most medicinal benefits. It is even better if the tea comes from an organic farm, where harmonious relationships between the farmer, the plants, the environment and the small creatures are maintained with ethical farming practices.

  • A simple, clean tea room with a “furo,” or portable brazier, and a “mizusashi,” or a “cold water container,” set in a corner, on a tatami mat.
  • A “chashaku,” or “bamboo tea scoop,” set on a traditional stone mill covered in matcha powder.

This especially holds true if the leaves are ground very close to the time of the ceremony. Serving freshly-ground matcha parallels tradition. It preserves the best qualities of the tea and its medicinal benefits and exhibits hospitality. It increases harmony because the taste, aroma and color will be more pronounced and pleasant, due to the prevention of oxidation.

3. Making our daily ritual reflect ceremonial standards

The tea ceremony provides us much more than just standards for quality tea. It can also inform our daily ritual. By striving for harmony with nature, our bodies and our minds, as well as establishing order, prioritizing simplicity and emphasizing natural beauty, we can carve out a beautiful and peaceful space from which to start our day. Like samurai who took time to reflect on the deeper significance of daily realities and meaningful moments with loved ones, this can be an excellent opportunity for important reflections and communion. And like monks who favor tea to energize them in a calming way, we can set the desired tone for our day with a warm bowl of frothy matcha. We can give our own selves and guests the best hospitality with the highest quality, using simple and modern techniques that reflect the traditional ways of the ancient ceremony.

Although there is no definition for ceremonial grade matcha or a guidebook for making new rituals in our daily lives, we can look to the practices and established order of the tea masters for direction.

  • Bird’s eye view of a person enjoying a bright green cup of matcha and a colorful book.
  • Bird’s eye view of a person’s arms, both hands resting comfortably around the cup of matcha.

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