Tea Ceremony
The Tea Ceremony is a Japanese practice, where a small group of people will come together to enjoy tea, sweets and company. It takes great skill to perform and host a tea ceremony, with many dedicating their life to mastering it. Matcha is served at these ceremonies but not before you get to indulge in Wagashi (a Japanese sweet). It is said that the sweetness of wagashi balances out the bitter undertones of the matcha. I have experienced a tea ceremony, as best as a foreigner can. It was a beautiful moment and eating wagashi before drinking matcha created an explosion of incredible flavours.
There is a saying in Japan “ichigo ichie” which translates to ‘one time one meeting’. It’s an idiom used to remind the guests and host to cherish the gathering which will never be repeated. There is more to the Japanese tea ceremony than just drinking tea, 'Sado' (translating to 'the way of tea') is more about connecting with a spiritual culture; it is a way of life, connecting with nature, with others and with ones-self.
There are 4 principles of tea which is not only applied to the tea ceremony:
Wa - Harmony: Living harmoniously with others and with nature.
Kei - Respect: to respect the process of the tea ceremony and the implements used and to respect those around you.
Sei - Purity: within a tea ceremony this relates to the cleanliness of the room and equipment but on a wider note, applies to a purity and clarity of mind and spirit.
Jaku - Tranquillity: This is about hitting a specific state of mindfulness and it cannot be achieved without practising the first three.
The Way of Tea is not about the tea itself, but something that relates to our way of life. It is a mindful practice and a place where we should take time to cherish the moment of drinking tea; its aroma, the warmth of the cup in our hands; it's a place for pause, for release. In the Western world however, we instead drink our tea whilst racing to finish a work deadline, or gulp it down before running out the door to do some errands. Here, we treat the motion of drinking tea as a chore, the opposite way to the East where it is a cherished moment. Perhaps this is the secret to a more fulfilling life?
I can remember as a child sitting on the sofa in the early morning, drinking my cup of tea (yes, I drank tea from around the age of 3! It has quite literally been a way of life for me). I remember it being peaceful and quiet. These moments I remember even more clearly when the sun would shine through the front living-room window. I vividly remember feeling so blissful, so free with the warmth of the sun on my face, the stillness of sound and the cup warming my hands. This memory in my life has followed me through to my adulthood to today, where I very much need a moment on my own each morning to enjoy a warm cup of tea, away from technology, social media, conversation and distraction. I have a large family and it was a busy home growing up with two brothers and two sisters. This was my moment of escape as a child, where I could take a minute to prepare myself for the day ahead. I can imagine now and fully appreciate how much my mother must have appreciated those morning tea moments too.
Let's talk about Matcha
This is a tea I have been drinking for several years, now it seems to be the next fad and sadly a lot of misinformation is following alongside it such as it being a key to weight loss (the key to weight loss is consuming less calories than you are burning, but this is not the place for that discussion). Don't get me wrong, there is a reason this tea is King, so here are some facts for you:
Matcha is a powdered green tea, not loose leaf. The matcha leaves are milled with a stone grinder into powder form so when you drink it, you are quite literally ingesting the plant. With tea leaves, they are steeped in water then discarded and therefore you are only getting some flavour and little of the nutritional benefits. Because you are ingesting the ground up plant with matcha, you are receiving all the nutrients it has to offer which is why it has way more antioxidants, vitamins and minerals than a regular green tea does. 1 cup of matcha is the equivalent to approximately 10 cups of regular green tea.
Matcha powder doesn't 'dissolve' in water when making tea. It instead 'suspends' so it's as though you are consuming a vegetable, reiterating point one above and obtaining the full nutritional content.
Matcha does contain caffeine, what makes it better than drinking coffee is that with matcha, the caffeine has a slow release reaction, giving you steady energy throughout the day, without the crash. Usually, because of this attribute, it is easily consumed from anywhere in the morning to early afternoon.
Weight loss? Matcha generally has less than 3 calories a cup and it boosts health all round, again, because you are ingesting the full plant and therefore all of its nutrients. If weight loss is your goal, I'm afraid a daily matcha won't do it alone. Studies claim that matcha boosts the metabolism, speeding up the process of fat loss, however, I'm not sold on this; the simple truth is eat less calories than you burn and move more (if weight loss is your goal, try this TDEE calculator to help you work out your calorie expenditure). Of course, with anything that's nutrient-dense, you will certainly feel more energised and healthier all round as it helps your body to function efficiently. Matcha is a fantastic ingredient to add to your daily routine for the antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients but it's not a magic wand to your weight problem that some companies/influencers hype it up to be in order to increase their sales.
How to pick the right Matcha
In the Western world, matcha has been categorised into different 'grades' of quality, distinguished by colour, aroma and taste. These can become confusing but most commonly seen is 'Ceremonial' grade, 'Premium' grade and 'Culinary' grade. Culinary, as the name suggests, is suitable to use in cooking and baking but as a tea, is very bitter in flavour and dull in colour. The ceremonial grade is vibrant green in colour and has a much less bitter aftertaste. It's best used to drink the traditional way; as a green tea or as a shot (but this shouldn't be wasted on matcha lattes as the nuanced flavours will be lost amongst the milk/sweeteners). The problem here however, is again, the fad trend that marketers are using to misinform consumers and gain more sales through their lies. There are a lot of Matcha brands out there and many are falsely advertising 'ceremonial' grade when it is in fact a much lower quality. This 'system' of grade is also unheard of in Japan entirely.
A general rule of thumb is to find a 1st harvest Matcha as it's the most nutrient dense and best tasting. These are visually much brighter than other matcha qualities. Then there is a blend of 1st and 2nd harvest and then the 2nd harvest which is not as potent, is cheaper and has more of a bitterness to it and has a much duller green tone. You can find more details here in this article I found. It has a lot of really useful and detailed information for those wanting to know more! To cut it short though, for drinking I spend more on a 1st harvest matcha and then I buy a less expensive matcha for my cooking. I used to buy my matcha whilst in Japan so it was difficult to find any that I trusted when I got back to the UK. After a lot of searching and keeping the budget a little bit lower, here's my top picks to start:
- Matcha Fuel - I recently tried this as a drinking matcha. I found it to be really bright in colour, rich and smooth in flavour but it can be quite clumpy. You need to whisk it well (a bamboo whisk or an electric hand whisk would do the trick). Check them out and get £10 off your first order using the link. - Tea Pigs - This was the first matcha I ever tried. I was great for drinking and mixes well too. - Matcha and Co. - I haven't personally tried them but they are next on my list. Their pricing and information sounds promising so I believe it's worth a try! I have also tried SevenHills in the past, but I found it pretty bitter and they've had a lot of bad reviews. They are a very cheap matcha brand and it's important to note that price you pay for the gram is a good indicator usually to a decent matcha or not, so bear this in mind. If you want top nutrient absorbency and great flavour, be prepared to pay more for less. Best matchas can cost upward of £30 for a 30g tin.
The left picture shows the brighter matcha (from matcha fuel) I use as a drink and a 'culinary grade' matcha on the right which is much duller in colour that I enjoy using in my baking (find it here).
Left is culinary grade. Right is ceremonial grade.
Preparing Matcha
Before jumping into the ways in which we can enjoy it, there are a couple of key points before you start:
- Water temperature: keep the water around 70°C so not to burn or ruin the flavour of your matcha. - Whisks: A good whisk will help remove clumps. Traditionally, a bamboo whisk is used but they are so delicate and need replacing regularly. You could try a small hand whisk instead. If using a bamboo whisk, try mixing in a 'W' motion instead of circular movements. - How much:1/2 a tsp is usually enough. However, if like me you like it stronger, 1 tsp works great. Packaging always states its recommendation.
Let's Drink - Authentic, Usucha Matcha (thin tea): heat your water to around 70°C. Scoop 1/2 tsp into your cup and add 3 - 4 tbsp. (approx. 70ml) of hot water to it. Use your whisk to mix up the matcha and water until a foamy top is created.
- Authentic, Koicha Matcha (thick tea): Add 1 - 2 tsp matcha powder to your cup, add a splash of warm water (no hotter than 70°C) and whisk until smooth, it should have no foam and will be pretty thick. Add a little more water and whisk again creating a little foam on top. Again, it will still be thicker in texture. - Matcha Latte: heat water to 70°C. Add 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp of matcha to your cup and then a little water and whisk. Then add a little more water and whisk again. Foam/heat your milk of choice and pour on top of your matcha. - Matcha Tea: heat water to 70°C. Add 1 tsp of matcha to your cup and then a little water and whisk. Then top with more water until your cup is approx. two thirds full and whisk again. Top with some cold milk of choice. (you can toss this all together in a blender if you'd like to make it foamy, and gives it that matcha latte feel for those who don't have a steamer/milk frother).
There is so much information surrounding Matcha and the Tea Ceremony and what it stands for but I don't want this journal entry turning into a novel (if it hasn't already!). I'd love to hear your thoughts as always and you're welcome to leave them in the comments! - Have you tried matcha before? - Can you recommend a matcha that you love? - Have you experienced the tea ceremony yourself or would like to?
Perhaps it's not until you step into the tea room yourself, that you may never fully grasp the mindfulness and power of the space you enter into, the serenity that consumes you and the power of tea. When concentrating exclusively on the moment, leaving your daily thoughts at the door, this is the heart of the practice; this I believe is what the tea ceremony is surely about. Next time you drink your cup of tea, be present, be mindful.
Interested in more Japanese culture? Follow my Instagram: @stevie.aana for more.
Stevie
Sources: - My own dissertation - Japonisme by Erin Niimi Longhurst - some sources already linked throughout the journal entry
Fascinating read and I fully understand those morning tea moments