Matcha as a Summer Drink

Having spread as a cold sweet drink, matcha carries a summer association in Japan.

Refrigeration changed things

Adoption ran from the mid-1950s, coinciding with household refrigerators reaching most homes.

Ice at home was new. Before that, summer meant barley tea cooled in a well, or ice bought from an ice dealer.

Making ice at home was a genuine shift in what was possible.

Kyoto and Osaka sweet shops hang the ice banner when the season turns.

Uji-kintoki, matcha shaved ice, matcha anmitsu — cold matcha confections, with the drink alongside them.

Mixed thick, sweetened matcha works directly as shaved ice syrup. The sweetness is already there.

Mix with water and ice, keep it in the refrigerator, serve it to visitors. That convenience carried it.

Powder means making only what you need, with nothing left over.

Chugen season favors items that suggest coolness. Jellies, mizu-yokan, and drinks that serve cold.

Powder is light, ships at room temperature, and keeps. It meets the requirements.

Made with warm milk it becomes a latte. Warmth amplifies sweetness, so less powder satisfies.

Separate from the drinking season is the production season.

Tencha's new shoots are picked in April and May. During that period the covers hide the tea bushes in Uji entirely.

The matcha you drink in summer grew that spring — the calendars are offset by one season.