If you’re wondering how we select which matcha to share with you, here’s a quick explanation. The general green tea market can be split into a few sections. In fact, there are over 100 terms in Japanese that break down the specifics of each leaf, region, growth pattern or method, as well as specifics for each location the leaves are grown in. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll break it into the two main teas: Matcha and Sencha.
All of the matcha on our menu is authentic matcha — made from Tencha. The word Tencha refers to a unique growing method, requiring a period of shading, which allows the leaves to maintain L-theanine and chlorophyll (the healthiest active ingredients in green tea). Then begins the process of removing stems, deveining leaves, and drying them, all before they are hand crushed within stone grinders. This produces a very fine, uniquely green powder known as Matcha. In its liquid form, we get a smooth, sweet, and creamy beverage with a gentle finish.
Sencha is simpler to make every step of the way. There is no shading process and no specific manner of refinement. Once the tea plant is grown, the leaves are thrown into a grinder. This still produces a strong, healthy, green tea. But it is not Matcha. Currently, the market does not regulate the specific definition of Matcha as mentioned above. This is reflected in the wide-range of “matcha” that can be found at a cost of 3¢-4¢ per gram. If you’re wondering why your tea has a brown or yellow hue, why it’s coarse, somewhat like table salt, if you’re wondering at all, you may have purchased a Sencha branded as matcha without realizing it. You’ll never run into that trouble with Santé Matcha. Whether you choose a Culinary grade or Ceremonial grade, if it is on our menu you can rest assured it is made from the finest Tencha grown in Japan.