Matcha FAQ: the questions we get asked most

Matcha is powdered green tea made from shade-grown leaves milled very finely. Unlike other teas, you drink the whole leaf, so catechins, theanine, chlorophyll and fibre end up in the bowl rather than staying in a teabag.

Both come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, but matcha is shade grown and drunk as a powder. That gives a bowl of matcha more catechins, a clearer umami flavour and a creamy texture when prepared properly.

Mildly vegetal with umami notes. The better grades add a natural sweetness. If your first sip reminds you of a freshly mown lawn, you have either late-harvest powder or water that was too hot.

Origin shapes flavour, aroma and quality. Regions with a long growing tradition and proper shading technique tend to produce more consistent powder.

For the traditional method use 1.5 to 2 g of matcha with about 60 to 70 ml of water at 70 to 80 °C, whisked with a bamboo whisk until a fine foam forms. With very finely milled powder the creamy texture arrives without effort.

Usually 1 to 2 g per cup. That small amount is enough for an intense drink, especially with a good ceremonial grade.

70 to 80 °C. Boiling water scalds the tea and turns it bitter.

Usually because the water was too hot or the grade was low. One of those you can fix immediately, the other at your next purchase.

Sifting removes lumps and gives a finer texture. Ultrafine powder mixes without it, though the difference shows up in the first second on the palate.

First whisk 1 to 2 g of matcha with hot water until it foams. Then add milk or a plant drink to taste.

Usually culinary grade, because its stronger profile holds up against milk. Ceremonial in a latte is not a mistake, only a more expensive one.

Yes. At the usual 2 g of powder, a bowl carries around 48 mg of caffeine, roughly half a 240 ml cup of coffee. Use 3 g or more and the figure rises accordingly.

Matcha carries caffeine plus L-theanine, which coffee does not have. On that combination, a systematic review with meta-analysis of 50 randomised trials in healthy people published in Nutrition Reviews in 2025 (PMID 40314930) measured attention and mood tests in the first and second hour after intake, and stresses that the confidence intervals leave the size of the effect in doubt.

Because of the caffeine, most people drink it in the morning or early afternoon.

Matcha provides catechins (mainly EGCG), L-theanine, caffeine, chlorophyll and fibre, because you drink the milled leaf whole. On effects in people, the published work is specific: attention after stress in 42 young adults (PMID 33744591), cognition and sleep over 12 months in 99 older adults (PMID 39213264), and blood lipids in a meta-analysis of 31 trials (PMID 32434539).

There is no authorised claim in the European Union linking green tea or matcha to body weight, and Regulation 1924/2006 prohibits that kind of statement expressly. You will not read one here. Matcha is a drink with about 6 kcal and 0.4 g of carbohydrate per 2 g bowl.

The published work on green tea and skin consists of two randomised photoageing trials: one over eight weeks that found no clinical difference against placebo (PMID 16029678), and one over two years whose conclusion is that supplementation was not superior to placebo at 24 months (PMID 19469799).

A randomised placebo-controlled trial published in Nutrition Research in 2021 (PMID 33744591) gave 2 g of matcha daily for two weeks to 42 adults aged 25 to 34 and measured reaction times in the Stroop test after a stress task. In 99 older adults over 12 months (PMID 39213264), the primary outcome, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, did not change significantly.

We found no trial in people measuring green tea or matcha and immune function, so we cannot tell you anything about it. What is certain is the composition: around 60 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of powder, according to the USDA database.

Deep green colour, ultrafine texture and a mild flavour with umami notes. Lower grades look dull and taste bitter.

Ceremonial grade from young first-harvest leaf, stone milled, for the bowl. Culinary grade for lattes and baking. Compare price per 100 g, not price per tin.

Quality, origin, growing method and milling all set the price. First harvest, stone milling and traceable origin cost more because the process is slower.

Holland & Barrett and the larger Waitrose branches stock organic matcha, usually in 30 g caddies and usually intended for lattes and baking. If you want powder for the bowl, buy from sellers who name the harvest, the growing region and the processing site.

Yes. Matcha is ground green tea leaf, so it is entirely plant based.

No. Pure matcha is gluten free.

Yes. Many people drink one or two bowls a day. A mild, balanced powder makes the daily habit much easier.

Airtight, away from light, heat and moisture. The shelf next to the hob is the worst spot in the kitchen.

Once opened, use it within a few months so the aroma and colour hold up.

Like other teas and coffee it can cause staining over time, usually to a lesser degree.

Many people begin with a latte or a mild traditional preparation. A balanced powder makes the first weeks far more pleasant.