What Is Matcha Made Of? From Leaf to Powder

Matcha is made from a single ingredient: the leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant. Everything about its quality comes from how that leaf is grown and processed.

Shading: the defining step

Three to four weeks before the spring harvest, the plants are covered to block 70–90% of direct sunlight. Deprived of sunlight, the plant produces more chlorophyll — giving matcha its vivid green — and retains more L-theanine rather than converting it to bitter catechins. This single step separates matcha from ordinary green tea and is the biggest cost driver in production.

Harvest

Leaves are harvested in spring during the first flush (ichibancha). First-harvest leaves are younger, more nutrient-dense, and more flavourful. Later harvests produce more volume but lower quality — typically used for culinary grade.

Steaming and drying

Immediately after harvest, leaves are briefly steamed to halt oxidation — preserving the green colour. They are then dried and sorted, with stems and veins removed. This refined product is called tencha, the direct precursor to matcha.

Stone-grinding

Tencha is slowly ground using granite stone mills. One mill produces approximately 30–40 grams per hour — deliberately slow to avoid heat that would degrade chlorophyll and flavour. The resulting particle size is typically under 10 microns, which is what allows matcha to dissolve smoothly rather than sinking.

Packaging

Quality matcha is packaged in airtight, opaque tins immediately after grinding, often nitrogen-flushed. Exposure to air, light, or moisture begins the oxidation that degrades colour, flavour, and nutrition.