Matcha Madness has begun. Let me introduce you the the magical world of matcha in my own special way. Buy reviewing a wide selection of brands, surveying them based on color, price, taste and packaging. And I will give my own tips and tricks for enjoying matcha green tea as a part of your healthy, Zenergized lifestyle. Let the matcha madness begin..

Not all matchas are created equal. If you learn anything from this post, let it be that.

Quick List: My Top 5 Picks*, Best Matcha Brands (no order rank here):

1. Encha Organic Matcha – buy on Amazon
2. DoMatcha – buy on Amazon
3. Taste of Kyoto – buy on Amazon
4. Eden – Buy on Amazon
5. American Tea Room – buy online

* Top 5 from brands reviewed in this post

Disclaimer: This review is not scientific by any means and is based on my personal reviews. Matcha reviewing is, like most food-type reviewing, quite subjective. In other words, you might totally disagree with me, and that’s ok. However, colors and numbers don’t lie, so that helps a bit.

Matcha Authority. Why do I call myself a sort of matcha expert? Well I will admit I have never been to Japan (where most matcha comes from) and I could not describe to you all the intricate details about the production process, history and more. Though I do know a little from research. But what I am an expert in is taste and use of matcha. In other words, I know a good matcha when I see/taste it!!

I’ve been drinking matcha green tea almost daily for over a year now, so I’ve definitely become a fan. My first tin was actually a huge splurge from a tea shop in Beverly Hills, where the salesperson passionately explained matcha’s calming yet energizing effects. Unlike coffee, matcha contains less caffeine and gives a smoother, more steady energy boost without the usual jitters.

Basics and FAQs about Matcha Green Tea Power.

1. Basics about:

What is matcha?
Matcha is green tea, yes. But it is not like the tea you find in tea bags. Matcha is not steeped. it is dissolved because matcha is a very fine green powder. Matcha powder is the ground up leaves of green tea. The leaves are harvested, dried and eventually ground up into powder after going through an extensive and (I think) magical processing process. Matcha powder is ground up green tea leaves, so you are actually consuming the whole leaf. For this reason it is extremely high in antioxidants, thus having a wide array of healthy living claims and supposed benefits.

Why should I drink matcha?
I can’t tell you why you should drink matcha, but for me, it completely replaced coffee. I used to drink coffee multiple times a day, but now I only have it occasionally because matcha gives me a calmer, smoother energy boost without the crash. Plus, the bright green color and antioxidant benefits honestly make it feel refreshing both mentally and physically!

How to drink it?
I rarely make matcha in the traditional sense, which is by very lightly (almost) boiling water, then using a matcha whisk to dissolve the matcha into the water. Then you drink the green matcha tea. Once in a while I will drink it like that, but rarely. I drink my matcha in smoothies or lattes – but mostly smoothies! I add about one teaspoon of matcha to a large vegan protein shake. I also love matcha lattes when I go to coffee shops like Urth Caffe and Peets. Even Starbucks makes a great vegan matcha latte if you ask for soy. Non-vegans: do not drink matcha with dairy. It supposedly ruins the whole antioxidant effect. Soy or almond milk are my preferences. Use the search bar on my site to find all my many matcha-infused recipes. My matcha shake is my fave.

What is good matcha? 
A high quality matcha will appear bright spring green in color. Color is VERY important when assessing matcha quality. Imagine a bright green bunch of fresh spinach versus a muddy, wilted, army green bunch. Color not only equals better flavor (most times) but it also equals more antioxidant power. I am amazed how poor in quality some matcha is. Muddy brownish matcha is (to be blunt) pretty nasty stuff. So if you have not tried high quality matcha and think you “don’t like matcha” — just find a way to try a high quality variety and then make your true assessment. Not all matchas are created equal!

2. FAQs about:

Organic? 
I only buy organic matcha, but you can decide for yourself. Organic matchas come in an array of qualities, as you will learn from my review. Organic does not equal high quality, even though organic matcha will be more expensive than a similar non-organic counterpart.

Storage? 
Keep matcha away from light, moisture and heat. You can store it in a cool dark place along with your tea bags, or in the fridge. You can even store in the freezer if desired. The most important point of fridge storage is to make sure condensation doesn’t seep into your matcha (moisture!) or that smells from your fridge are allowed to seep into the matcha .. it easily picks up aromas. I either store it in the “butter” compartment in my fridge, or in a cool dark place. I always consume my matcha within two months, usually one even. The faster you consume it, the fresher the flavor and color will be .. as with most pantry foods. That is why it is actually better to buy matcha NOT in bulk. Smaller amounts will be consumed faster than a huge tub of the stuff.

Price? 
Matcha is not cheap. And you DO get what you pay for in most cases. Matcha that is super cheap and seems too good to be true, probably is. You can see my guide for price variations. But in general, expect to pay $20-50 for 30g of highest quality matcha. And $20 is pushing it. If $30 for “tea” is out of your budget, think of matcha as a splurge item and buy it once in a while. But buy the good stuff. Nothing is worse than buying a tin of “bad” matcha to save a few bucks, then hating it altogether. If you are going to buy matcha, buy matcha.

Quality? 
For Americanized shopping purposes, there are two basic words to look for: ceremonial and culinary. Ceremonial matcha is in general (and if labeled honestly) the higher quality of matcha. Culinary is a lesser quality, meaning it may have a more bitter and muddy flavor and less bright green color. However, check out my review for discrepancies. Sometimes brands will also carry a “premium” variety – or something even “better” than ceremonial. This is usually a special origin of tea or has a special preparation. One store I visited has one for over a hundred bucks because it is hand-made by monks (or so the sales guys said). I’m sure it is amazing, but quite a splurge item for matcha lovers!

Origin? 
I strictly only buy matcha from Japan. I do not buy matcha from China.

Color?
Is an very important indicator of quality. Spring green please..

Nice and green..

Not so much..

Bad batch? In my guide I note how many times I have purchased a certain brand. If only one time is listed, you have to keep in mind that I may have received a bad or good batch. Kinda like wine. Sort’ve. If matcha has been sitting in a storage warehouse for too long or very freshly shipped it may vary in quality once opened. So if I bash one brand that you tried and love, please let us all know in the comments. Or if I love a brand you didn’t care for, tell us that also. Comments will be very helpful to gain a full spectrum of opinions in this review! And to open eyes to other brands to try. Lets chat matcha!

Brands? There are MANY brands of matcha. This is just a small selection. I will try to add more brands as I try them. If you run a matcha brand and would like to be included in this post, please leave a comment so we can get in touch. I am happy to add more brands to this list. But to be honest, this was a very expensive undertaking, so I will not be buying many more brands to try (well, anytime soon that is!) So donations of samples are much appreciated!

How I reviewed:

I opened fresh packages, assessed the color by eye, then spread out a sheet of samples. For taste testing I dry-tasted each brand. The colors are quite obvious to see differences, the taste takes a keener sensibility. I did my best to let my palate judge flavor. All prices are based on what I paid, not retail value.

Japan vs China Matcha Green Tea Power:

With the Fukushima radiation disaster, many green tea lovers became worried if green tea production would be effected. Well, to be honest, I do not think anyone has a 100% answer on this issue, but you can research on many green tea producer sites and read their explanations for how everything is indeed ok. The main reason being proximity to the blast. But even still, some China matcha is avaiable for those who want to steer clear. Me? I 100% choose Japan matcha over China. Simply because I have never really tasted a premium China-origin matcha. Japan is where matcha was born and they have perfected the process from leaf to container. So while I agree it is a scary issue to talk about and analyze, right now, I personally have not seen anything to deter me from Japan-origin matcha.

So are you ready to browse these beauties?.. I was! This was fun. And I will NOT be buying more matcha for a while..

Go to the Community to discover more!