About Our Tea

Matcha (抹茶) is created when the leaves from shade-grown green tea are hand-picked then ground down to produce a wonderful bright green tea powder.

The young tender leaves are steamed and dried immediately after harvest to retain their freshness. The next step is sorting and de-stemming to obtain the raw material required for Matcha called Tencha.  

Tencha is blended and then refrigerated to then be ground traditionally in a stone mill.  

 Matcha first originated in China in the 8th Century and then made its way over to Japan in the 12th Century by the founder of Zen Buddhism, Myoan Eisai who brought tea seeds for cultivation. 

Matcha became popular with the samurai warrior class with monks giving Matcha to samurai as a pre-battle drink to increase energy and endurance.

In the 16th Century, Sen No Rikyu was a great tea master who defined the rituals of the Japanese tea ceremony (otherwise known as Cha-no-yu) which then became well established as part of the Japanese culture.

Since then it has been enjoyed in Japan for its rich flavour but has only recently caught the rest of the world by storm. 

We here at Matcha Yu Tea are thrilled to offer the following 2021 Golden Leaf Award-Winning Matcha Varieties for you to enjoy. 

The Premium Matcha Powder that won Gold (1st Prize) in the Matcha - Ceremonial Grade Category has been grown and picked in the fields of Wazuka, a mountainous region south of Uji (Kyoto prefecture) in Japan, world-famous for producing top-quality Matcha. 

Sometimes it can be quite difficult to access this kind of high quality  & "Umami" (full-bodied) flavoured Matcha outside of Japan.

We have established a well-trusted partnership with our Japanese tea suppliers to ensure you receive the best quality Matcha wherever you are located.

The other Matcha in our range is our Everyday Matcha which won Silver (2nd Prize) in the Matcha - Commercial Grade Category and is expertly sourced from Yame Prefecture on the Southern Island of Kyushu, Japan.

And let's not forget Matcha's hip sidekicks...

Hojicha Powder

The roasting process has a decaffeinating effect on the leaves, making Hojicha a tasty low-caffeine alternative for tea enthusiasts.

The roasting process also changes the flavour of the tea. With a nutty taste, Hojicha is a unique tea in that it has a “roast” flavour that no other tea has. Interestingly enough, this flavour makes Hojicha taste quite a bit like freshly roasted coffee. 

Hojicha is most commonly made with bancha, although it is also made with sencha and kukicha tea leaves as well. 

Our Hojicha is also sourced from Kyushu and is made from Sencha tea leaves, cut after its first harvest.

Hojicha is perfect to use to make a latte, in baking, smoothies, ice cream and more! 

Genmaicha Powder