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Journalism of Courage
Not until three years ago had content creator Veronica Bahl tried matcha. “Back then, I stumbled upon a video by a creator called Veggiekins, based in New York, who first spoke about matcha. The earthy, plant-based flavour of the tea struck my senses, it was love at first sip!” she said in an interview with Indianexpress.com. Today, Bahl has built a community of matcha loyalists on social media, and also co-created a blend with wellness brand Glow Glossary.
Although certain that matcha can never rival traditional Indian tea, Bahl believes the Japanese tea has the potential to replace coffee among upper-middle-class Indians. For all its hype and obsession, the green tea is undergoing a global shortage.
What are its origins, why does Japan virtually monopolise its production, and what does the future of this purported wellness drink look like?
The origins of matcha
Matcha is a finely powdered version of steamed green tea. While the tea has been consumed in Japan since the 12th century, it has a much dated history in China.
The history of green tea in China dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), when it was first discovered and cultivated by Chinese farmers. “Legend has it,” notes author Amparo Evans in The Seren Haven of Tea, “that the emperor Shen Nung was boiling water when a gust of wind blew some tea leaves into his pot, thus creating the world’s first cup of green tea”.
The Chinese Zen (Chan) monks, however, were the first to grind the bricks into fine powder using a pestle and mortar. They then whisked the powder with hot water in a large bowl to prepare green tea. “The whisking of the ground green tea leaves became a key part of the Zen Buddhist daily ritual,” notes tea taster Louise Cheadle in The Book of Matcha: A Superhero Tea (2016).
Japanese monk Myoan Eisai is credited with having discovered and brought ground green tea leaves to Japan. Eisai was visiting China in the late 1180s, on a mission to study Zen Buddhist meditation, when he was drawn to the idea of ground green tea leaves and carried a few tea plant seeds back home in 1191. “Not only did he bring tea plant seeds from China, he also wrote widely of the health benefits of tea and matcha,” writes Cheadle. Eisai’s book Kissa Yojoki, meaning ‘drinking tea for health’, was published in 1211 and was the first book about tea to be published in Japan. The first line, as cited by Cheadle, reads: “Tea is the ultimate mental and medical remedy and has the ability to make one’s life more full and complete”.
Zen monasteries in Japan furthered the matcha movement as the monks found it easier to meditate after consuming matcha. The amino acid L-theanine, notes Cheadle, helped maintain composure for long periods of time. Among the early propagators of the tea was also Japan’s aristocratic class — the Samurais. Cheadle notes, “Enjoying matcha became part of the cultural tradition and the artistic life of Japan. Those who enjoyed poetry, music and high society activities also enjoyed the luxurious (and expensive) matcha.”
While the Chinese moved on to a variety of other teas, including pu-erh, black tea and oolong, the Japanese stuck to their green tea. ‘Matcha,’ interestingly, is derived from the Japanese words matsu, meaning to rub or to paint, and cha, meaning tea.
Production of matcha
Matcha, with all variants of tea, comes from the leaves Camellia sinensis. Records suggest that the first batch of matcha was planted in Japan around 805 CE by monks Saicho and Kukai who returned to Japan after studying Buddhism in China’s Tang Dynasty. “The emperor Saga fell in love with tea and encouraged the propagation of tea in Japan, but it wasn’t until Eisai promoted matcha in Japan, and brought tea to his friend, the priest Myoe, in Kyoto, that production really took off,” suggests Cheadle.
In the 1190s, Myoe introduced matcha in Uji, in the South-East of Kyoto, where tea cultivation flourished. The region was climatically suited to tea production, with limited frost and a mild wind.
Cheadle explains that in 1738, an individual named Soen Nagatani established the Uji green tea processing method. “This is a standard production method that is still used throughout Japan today,” she remarks. Nagatani’s vision was to steam the tea leaves to stop the fermentation process, a method known as Sencha today. “The Uji method/Sencha gives a fresh, green taste to the leaves,” adds Cheadle. This step transformed the Japanese tea industry, making its green tea unique and different to the pan-fired or roasted green teas of China.
Besides the city of Uji, Nishio in the Aichi Prefecture is the other city which is the largest producer of matcha. “For centuries it has been a major tea-growing region and has an ideal climate for growing matcha, with fertile soil and mild, wet weather pattern,” notes Cheadle.
The production of matcha, roughly, involves a four-step process starting with harvesting, followed by aracha where the rough leaves are refined, and tencha, where they are graded, and lastly ground into fine powder. “The grinding process is done in a highly controlled environment,” suggests Cheadle, adding, “The temperature is cool, consistent and humidity free. The entirely mechanized process is conducted in the dark to keep the leaves bright-green and fresh.”
“The grinding process is extremely labour-intensive,” notes pastry chef Karishma Kothari, emphasising, “It takes an hour to make just one pack of top-grade matcha.”
The hype and global shortage
Ceremonial-grade matcha used for the Japanese tea ceremony can be very expensive, while the culinary grade (used to make ice cream, etc) is more affordable. According to Bahl, the first harvest of the season has the most amount of nutritional value. Every harvest, subsequently, deteriorates in nutritional value. “The matcha produced between the first and the third harvest is the best in colour, flavour, and anti-oxidants,” she says.
But Kothari remarks, “That produce is insufficient to keep up with the global demand. The obsession with matcha became especially prominent after COVID-19, when there was a surge in interest in nutritious, whole foods for immunity building.”
Among potential health benefits from drinking matcha, listed by Rushmina Roy, a doctor based in the UK, are the high-level of antioxidant substances which protect the body from cell damage and disease. “Besides reducing inflammation,” says Roy, “matcha is also known to boost metabolism, help with energy, alertness, and concentration. It contains vitamins which promote collagen production for the skin. This adds to the hype around the drink.”
However, the drink is undergoing a supply shortage. Matcha producers in Japan are dominated by one big player who manufactures 80 per cent of the Japanese matcha in Aichi prefecture. Most others are small tea growers, carrying forward a family legacy. Outside Japan, China has been producing matcha for 15 years. A form of matcha, according to Cheadle, is also being produced in Kenya.
Yet, climate change is impacting the demand for the wellness drink. “In the Kyoto region this year, hot weather has led to poor harvests,” notes Kothari, adding, “Farmers are unable to keep up with rising demand.” She explains that Japan also faces a demographic issue, with fewer younger people to carry forward the industry.
Bahl notes, “Many retailers have, in fact, set limits on how much matcha customers can buy”. Calling the matcha shortage ‘real,’ she reckons it is a temporary issue. “I’m optimistic that the Japanese government, along with other countries, will step in to boost matcha supply by co-creating conditions to produce Japan-like matcha.”
“The trend may die down,” says Bahl, “but I will not stop promoting it.” Unlike the jittery feeling and energy crashes associated with coffee, she explains, matcha provides a more stable caffeine source. As debates over its health benefits continue in newsrooms and around dinner tables, little can be said with certainty about the future of this drink.
