Matcha mania has taken the world by storm. What was once a ritual beverage consumed exclusively at tea ceremonies has quickly become a global sensation. Across the world, matcha’s bright green colour, earth aroma, and slightly bitter taste have captured the taste buds of millions. But when have you ever stopped to ask: what exactly is matcha and where does it come from? While the drink is mostly associated with Japan, you may be surprised to learn that its origins are in fact Chinese.
The concept of powdered tea that is whisked is an ancient Chinese method of consuming tea. During the Tang Dynasty, tea was steamed and then pressed into bricks, which were ground into a powder and whisked with water. The powdered tea consumed at this time looked very different from modern matcha. Instead of a vibrant green, this Chinese style of matcha was usually darker in colour, brown with a pale foam when whisked. This style of tea drinking reached its zenith in the Song Dynasty, which is around the same time it was introduced into Japan by Zen Buddhist monks.
Japanese monks integrated matcha into daily temple life, using it to stay alert during long periods of meditation. It spread from temples to the public, particularly the ruling samurai class. Samurai warlords and elites entertained themselves with matcha tasting competitions, where each participant had to try to guess the quality and origin of a particular tea (like blind wine tastings today). These lavish affairs were often an excuse for samurai to show off their expensive imported Chinese paraphernalia, including tea bowls, vases and paintings. It was also in this period that the processing of matcha started to resemble that of modern matcha. However, it didn’t take long for matcha culture to undertake its next major evolution. For in the hills surrounding Kyoto, a new style of tea drinking was being developed, far removed from the ostentatious tasting competitions of the samurai elite.
Sick of the pretentiousness of the samurai tea culture at the time, the 15th century Zen monk, Murata Jukou, set on a journey to create a new way of enjoying tea. Jukou was a pioneer who set into motion what is now known as Chado (also called Sado), known in the West as the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Chado was not your average tea drinking ritual. What Jukou had created was a movement that would influence many aspects of Japanese culture. And under the guidance of tea master Sen no Rikyu, Chado was further refined into an artistic discipline, with the ritualised preparation of matcha at its core. Chado is more than just making and drinking tea. It is a philosophy of architecture, art, garden design, and more. This new art form was a hit with merchants and the Samurai elite alike, and to this day Chado continues to be one of most popular and important art forms in Japan.
For the next few centuries, up until very recently, matcha was almost exclusively the domain of Chado. However, today, matcha is now undergoing a new metamorphosis. Far from the rustic tea rooms of Japan, matcha has now gone from a drink of spiritual contemplation to a mainstream beverage found everywhere. However, despite this newfound popularity, it is undeniable that matcha continues to mean something profoundly deeper for many. So, the next time you order your matcha from your favourite coffee shop, pause for a moment as you meditate on the fact that what you are holding in your hand isn’t just a drink— it is centuries of culture, philosophy, and ritual in a single cup.
