There are so many coffee shops offering green tea lattes and green tea blended beverages, and then you keep hearing the word “matcha” thrown around as well. When I was new to tea, the difference wasn’t immediately clear. In fact, the first time I made matcha tea I did it completely wrong and I just hated it. Hated it. So, if you’re wondering if matcha is just a fancy word for green tea or if it is a different tea altogether, you’re not alone. Here’s what you need to know.
Green tea and matcha are both made from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, but they are not the same tea. The main differences between green tea and matcha is in how they are grown, processed, and prepared. Matcha tea also has much more caffeine and offers more antioxidants and health benefits.
These aren’t the only differences, however.
Matcha is picked, steamed, dried, then destemmed and deveined. The leaves are kept refrigerated until they are ground into a powder. Green tea is picked, steamed, rolled and dried, sometimes several times.
There are several more ways that green tea and matcha differ. By the end of this article, you’ll know everything you need to know about the difference between matcha and green tea, and why green tea powder isn’t the same as matcha!
How is Green Tea Different from Matcha?
Green tea and matcha are both made from varieties of the same plant, Camellia sinensis, but unlike oolong and black teas, they are never fermented.
Yes, that’s right. Black, oolong, green tea, and matcha all come from the same plant. Their differences come from the amount of fermentation the leaves undergo before processing.
This is where the similarities between green tea and matcha end.
Beyond these similarities, they are grown using different methods, processed differently, and used for different purposes.
“Every difference between matcha and green tea stem from how the Camellia sinensis plant is grown and how it is processed.”
TEA CROSSING
Difference #1: Green Tea and Matcha Are Grown Differently
Every difference between matcha and green tea stem from how the Camellia sinensis plant is grown and how it is processed.
Let’s do a side-by-side comparison of the differences in how green tea and matcha are grown:
| How Green Tea is Grown | How Matcha is Grown |
| Green tea is primarily grown in Asian countries on beautiful farms. It is an evergreen shrub often grown on the sides of hills and mountains. The two newest leaves are harvested by hand to avoid damaging the bush. The plant is typically left in full sun without any shade. | Matcha is grown much the same way as green tea, except for two important differences: 1. Matcha is typically only grown in Japan. Many matcha lovers believe that for it to be authentic, Matcha must be grown in Japan. 2. The plants are shaded using a black cloth that is held up over frames several weeks before the tea leaves are harvested. The lack of sunlight causes the plant to create more amino acids, which leads to less bitter tea. The reduced sunlight also causes the plant to produce more chlorophyll, which is why Matcha is such an intense green color. |
Difference #2: Green Tea and Matcha Are Processed Differently
After the tenderest leaves are harvested by hand, the leaves are processed using different methods to produce the different styles of tea.
Let’s do a side-by-side comparison of the differences in how green tea and matcha are processed:
| How is Green Tea Processed? | How is Matcha Processed? |
| Green tea is processed like most other teas except that it isn’t allowed time to oxidize or ferment. | Matcha is also immediately steamed to prevent oxidation and fermentation, but that is the only way that the processing is similar. |
| 1. Green tea is immediately pan-fired or steamed to prevent oxidation and fermentation. 2. It is then allowed to cool. 3. After cooling, it is rolled and dried, usually mechanically, but sometimes by hand. 4. The rolling and drying process is completed at least one more time to ensure that the leaves are absolutely dry. | 1. The tea leaves are steamed, but never pan-fired. Then the leaves are allowed to dry and cool. 2. Once the leaves have cooled enough, they are sorted. Higher quality leaves are used for ceremonial teas, and lower quality leaves are used for cooking. 3. The leaves are then destemmed and deveined. This is typically done mechanically. The leaves at this stage are called tencha, and they are usually stored in a refrigerator to maintain quality. 4. The leaves are then ground into the powder that you know and love. This takes a very long time as friction can cause the tea to heat up and scorch if it is not done slowly. 5. Once the leaves have been destemmed, they are held in a refrigerator until they are ground. 6. The traditional method of grinding uses granite wheels and is very time-consuming (which is why ceremonial Matcha is very expensive). |
Difference #3: Green Tea and Matcha Are Prepared Differently
After the green tea or matcha is packaged and you buy it at the store, you’ll also prepare it differently.
How to Prepare Green Tea
Most of us are familiar with how to use a tea bag or a tea strainer to prepare a cup of tea. Boil water and steep the tea to your liking, wait for it to cool a little bit, and drink, right?
Yes and no. Many don’t realize that you should only steep green tea for a short amount of time and use water that is neither too hot nor too cold.
For the perfect cup of green tea, I recommend this method:
- Heat water until it reaches approximately 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit. An electric kettle with temperature sensor is perfect for this.
- While your water is heating, you can prepare your mug by filling it with hot water and then emptying it. This way, the room temperature mug doesn’t cause your hot water to cool too quickly.
- Place 1-2 teaspoons of tea into the tea strainer or prepare one bag of tea. Place it in the empty mug.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the mug with the tea.
- Steep for 1 minute, but no more than 3 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea and what you like to add to your tea. If you’re adding sugar, a 3 minute steep is fine. If you’re drinking plain, stick to 1 minute.
- Remove the tea from the cup.
- Add sweetener or sugar if desired and enjoy!
How to Prepare Matcha
There is more than one way to prepare your matcha! You can drink it hot, cold, iced, or blended with ice. You can include it in sweet treats or ice cream.
For this section, let’s take a look at how to prepare a warm cup of matcha.
Prepare Hot Matcha with a Tea Whisk
- Heat water to approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place 1-2 teaspoons of matcha per 2 ounces of water you intend to use into a small bowl. (You can buy whisk/bowl sets specifically for making matcha.) Many people like to strain the matcha powder to prevent clumps.
- Pour water into the bowl.
- Whisk the tea with the tea whisk, use both circular and zig-zag motions.
- Add sweetener or milk as desired. Stir with a spoon.
- Pour into a cup or drink right from the bowl.
Note: The matcha may disincorporate and sink to the bottom if you let it sit for too long, so don’t wait too long to enjoy it!
How to Prepare Matcha if You Don’t Have a Tea Whisk
If you don’t have a tea whisk, you can try to mix the matcha using one of these kitchen tools.
- A regular whisk, spoon, or fork: These won’t give you the same frothy, clump-free results as the tea whisk would, but they will get the job done in a pinch. Once you realize how much you love matcha, you can invest in a matcha set.
- A bottle, mason jar, or another container with a lid: Simply place the matcha and water into the container and shake for about 30 seconds or so. This should work better than mixing with a spoon or fork.
- A blender: If you’re only making one cup of matcha, you’ll want to use one of those smaller bullet blenders, but if you’re making matcha for a crowd, the easiest and fastest way is to use a blender. The resulting tea will be frothy and delicious. A blender also works great for cold or iced matcha.
- Milk frother: Those little handheld milk frothers come in handy for matcha, and if you enjoy tea and coffee, you might already have one in your cupboard.
Tip: While a tea whisk is the preferred way to prepare warm matcha, it actually doesn’t work so well if you’re using cool or cold water. The blender and milk frother will be far more effective in these cases.
“As with everything on your tea journey, the choice is yours. Experiment with your options.”
TEA CROSSING
Difference #4: Green Tea and Matcha Taste Different
Although green tea and matcha come from the same plant, they have completely different flavors.
You might pick up some slightly similar notes in green tea that you would find in matcha, but many green tea drinkers won’t go anywhere near a cup of matcha (and vice versa).
However, it is important to note that for both green tea and matcha, the tea’s quality will make a big difference to the flavor. Generally, lower-quality green tea and matcha will be more bitter.
Let’s compare the taste of green tea and matcha:
What Does Green Tea Taste Like?
- Properly prepared green tea should be light, bittersweet, nutty, and slightly vegetal.
- Green tea has a delicate and earthy flavor unlike oolong and black, which are increasingly robust.
- There is no mouthfeel, so to speak. It is much like drinking any other tea.
- If over-steeped, green tea quickly becomes bitter and unpleasant, so be careful while preparing it.
What Does Matcha Taste Like?
- Matcha has a much stronger flavor, as you might guess since you are not steeping the leaves, you’re actually drinking them!
- The flavor is often described as slightly bitter, buttery, smooth, and grassy. Grassy might not sound like the most pleasant flavor, but matcha drinkers love the earthiness.
- It is also associated with an umami flavor. It just has that little bit of indescribable yumminess, especially if like a somewhat “fishy” taste.
- Matcha has a definite mouthfeel unless very lightly prepared. It is thicker than other types of tea. How thick will depend on the tea to water ratio used to prepare the matcha. Ceremonial matcha tends to be rather thick.
Because of its strong flavor, matcha benefits from milk and/or sugar being added to it, but it can be consumed without additions.
The difference is taste comes from the different growing methods for plants intended to make green tea and those intended for matcha.
“Matcha offers all of the same health benefits that green tea offers except in greater quantities.”
TEA CROSSING
Difference #5: Matcha Has More Health Benefits Than Green Tea
You’ve probably heard about the many health benefits of drinking green tea. If not, let’s take minute to go over them briefly and then compare them to the health benefits of matcha:
The Great Benefits of Green Tea
- Green tea contains antioxidants that are known to decrease the risk of cancer.
- L-theanine found in green tea promotes brain health.
- Green tea may promote fat oxidation, which leads to optimal body composition.
- Green tea may help prevent dementia.
- Green tea may prevent advanced prostate cancer.
- Research suggests that green tea may reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease and some cancers. It may also promote oral health, offer solar ultraviolet protection, and increase mineral bone density, among other health benefits. Although more research is needed to say this is true beyond a shadow of a doubt.
All in all, green tea is a very healthy drink when consumed in moderate quantities of a cup or two a day.
The Even Greater Benefits of Matcha
Matcha is like green tea kicked up a notch. Matcha offers all of the same health benefits that green tea offers except in greater quantities. Because you’re consuming the whole leaf and not the leftovers after steeping, you can expect to drink way more health-promoting antioxidants and the amino acid L-theanine.
Research shows that there is about 137 times more of the antioxidant EGCG in matcha than in green tea. According to Healthline, an 8-ounce cup of hot green tea can contain between 50 and 100 mg of EGCG. That means green tea might contain 10 mg, and matcha would contain well over 6,000 mg!
Difference #6: Matcha Has More Caffeine Than Green Tea
Green tea and Matcha are both caffeinated beverages (unless processed in such a way that it removes the caffeine).
- Green tea contains about 28 mg of caffeine in 8 ounces.
- Matcha contains about 70 mg of caffeine per 1 teaspoon of powder.
Because of matcha’s high caffeine content, people trying to break their coffee habit often try switching to matcha in the mornings.
If you’re careful about how much caffeine you consume during the day, I would recommend sticking to green tea.
Difference #7: Matcha Is More Expensive than Green Tea
Green tea sachets can be bought for pennies for basic, lower quality teas, but even higher quality green tea is going to be less expensive than Matcha powder.
Let’s look at the numbers:
- Basic green tea (grocery store pricing): about .15 cents per bag
- Loose green tea: between .20 cents and .75 cents per serving depending on the quality
- Matcha powder: between .50 cent and $3.50 per serving depending on the quality
Even the lowest quality matcha is double the cost of lower quality loose teas (which are usually still quite good).
However, there really is no replacing matcha. It is a completely different beverage. However, if you’re on a budget, you might savor matcha as a treat instead of drinking it habitually.
Don’t be fooled by the companies that are coming out with “matcha green tea” in bags that you steep. This is most definitely not matcha.
Difference #8: Green Tea and Matcha Come in Different Varieties
There are many varieties of green tea that are either processed differently or have added flavors like honey or vanilla.
What Varieties Does Green Tea Come In?
Green tea is currently available in various types and with added flavors. It can take some patience and experimentation to find your favorite sources of green tea as well as the type and flavor that you prefer.
For example, after trying several varieties, both with and without flavoring, I am very happy with all of the types below as long as I steep them along with some mint.
Take you time finding the combinations that you love.
Here are some possibilities:
Types of Green Tea:
- Sencha
- Tencha
- Hojicha
- Gyokuro
- Shincha
There are many more varieties, but these are some of the most common that you’ll find. In fact, matcha is commonly considered to be a variety of green tea, even though it is very different.
Flavors Added to Green Tea:
- Jasmine
- Lavender
- Citrus like lemon, orange, and bergamot
- Vanilla
- Honey
- Mint
Green tea’s light and earthy flavors pair nicely with many other flavors as long as they aren’t too strong or overdone and overpower the green tea.
What Flavors Does Matcha Come In?
Unlike green tea, matcha doesn’t come in specific flavors, and there aren’t any varieties.
There are, however, grades or different levels of quality.
Here are the grades you can expect to find when you’re looking to buy matcha:
- Ceremonial grade, thick tea grade: This is the highest quality matcha, and consequently, it is also the most expensive.
- Daily drinking, thin tea grade: This tea is the middle of the road matcha. It isn’t the best quality, but still good for use in beverages.
- Culinary grade: This is the matcha used for baking or making other (typically sugary) edible creations. It is the lowest quality of matcha. It is also sometimes used for making sugar and milk-laden matcha drinks because the sugar and milk hide the low quality.
Which is Better Matcha or Green Tea?
There is no wrong way to go.
Matcha is a delicious, earthy tea that is great for your health and will give you a substantial boost in energy. Green tea is much the same, but with a more delicate flavor and much less caffeine.
If you like matcha and don’t mind the extra caffeine, consider adding it to your tea experience because it will provide far more antioxidants.
However, matcha isn’t a drink everyone enjoys. Many people don’t enjoy the grassy aftertaste. If that is you, there’s no need to force yourself to drink matcha.
As with everything in your tea journey, the choice is yours. Now that you know more, you can experiment and find what works best for you.