Catechins in Matcha: Why It Tastes Milder Than You Might Expect
The astringency you notice in tea comes from catechins, a type of polyphenol. They make up roughly 8 to 20 percent of the dry weight of tea leaves. Yet…
July 1, 2025
Composition & How to Drink
成分と飲み方
15 articles
Where Matcha's Green Color Comes From
Matcha looks greener than a cup of brewed sencha. Same plant, so why the gap? Leaf green comes from chlorophyll, the pigment plants use for…
July 1, 2025
What L-Theanine Is: The Amino Acid Behind Matcha's Umami
The savory, faintly sweet quality in good tea comes from L-theanine, an amino acid. It accounts for roughly 0.5 to 3 percent of the dry weight of tea…
July 6, 2025
Caffeine in Matcha: How the Amount Is Actually Determined
Tea leaves contain caffeine — roughly 2 to 4 percent of dry weight. But how much ends up in your cup depends on something most people overlook. With…
July 13, 2025
Calories and Sugar in Sweetened Matcha: Reading the Numbers
The calorie content of sweetened matcha is driven almost entirely by the sugar. Japan's Standard Tables of Food Composition list matcha at 237 kcal per…
July 22, 2025
What to Serve with Sweetened Matcha
Matcha and wagashi is the classic pairing, built on a simple logic: bitterness on one side, sweetness on the other, each softening the other. Sweetened…
August 2, 2025
Making Matcha a Daily Habit: Ratios, Tools, and Cups per Bag
If you are going to drink it regularly, the practical details matter more than the theory. Milk uses less because the dairy adds body. Treat these as a…
August 18, 2025
Is Sweetened Matcha a Substitute for Water?
If you drink it regularly, it starts to feel like any other tea. By composition, it is not. Sugar contributes about 4 kcal per gram. A 20 g serving…
August 31, 2025
Do You Need a Chasen? Tools and Household Alternatives
The bamboo whisk is the traditional tool. For a sweetened powder you drink daily, it is not required. Split bamboo tines break up clumps while…
September 14, 2025
Mixing Matcha with Hot Water: What Changes and What Doesn't
Powdered matcha dissolves in cold or hot water, so it works year-round. But if you are used to brewing loose-leaf tea, one assumption needs adjusting.…
September 22, 2025
Why Matcha Is Stone-Milled: Particle Size and Texture
Tencha is ground into matcha using a stone mill. Faster methods exist, so the persistence of this one deserves an explanation. Sencha and black tea are…
October 3, 2025
Choosing a Tea When You Want Less Caffeine
Whether a drink contains caffeine depends on one thing: whether it was made from the tea plant. Barley tea (mugicha) — roasted barley, not tea leaf. No…
November 12, 2025
Adjusting the Sweetness of Matcha Drinks
Using less powder is the direct approach. It works, with a few caveats. Cut only the powder and the drink tastes watery. If you drop from 20 g to 15 g,…
November 13, 2025
One Package, Different Strengths: Serving a Whole Household
Canned and bottled drinks arrive at a fixed strength. Powder does not, and that turns out to be useful. Using 20 g as the reference makes the arithmetic…
November 14, 2025
Drinking Matcha at Night: Adjusting Caffeine by Concentration
Sometimes you want something warm in the evening but would rather not deal with caffeine. Matcha is easier to manage here than most drinks, for a…
November 15, 2025
