How Is Matcha Made? From Shaded Tea Fields to Fine Powder
Sep 30, 2026
Matcha is not simply ordinary green tea ground into powder. Traditional Japanese matcha begins with a specific raw material called tencha: tea leaves grown under shade, steamed, dried without rolling, finished, blended and then ground into a very fine powder.
That sequence matters. It is what separates matcha from powdered sencha and other powdered green teas.
1. The tea plants are shaded before harvest
Tea grown for tencha is covered before harvest to reduce direct sunlight. In Uji tea production, the covering period is commonly around two to three weeks; some traditional producers use progressively heavier shading as the new leaves develop.
The purpose is not simply to make the leaves darker. Shading changes the chemistry and growth of the leaf. Kyoto tea producers describe it as helping preserve more theanine and umami while suppressing the conversion toward more astringent catechins. The leaves also develop more chlorophyll and a deeper green appearance.
This is one reason good matcha can combine savory umami, sweetness and relatively low astringency.
2. The leaves are harvested
Harvesting can be by hand or machine depending on the producer, field and intended quality. In parts of Kyoto, high-end tencha is still hand-picked so that tender shoots can be selected carefully and fewer coarse stems or old leaves enter the batch.
Japanese government material on Uji tea notes that first-flush leaves from late April to late May are commonly used for high-grade tencha and gyokuro.
3. Fresh leaves are steamed quickly
After harvest, the leaves are brought to the processing facility and steamed. The Kyoto Prefectural Tea Industry Chamber gives roughly 20–30 seconds as a typical steaming stage for tencha, depending on leaf condition.
Steaming stops enzymatic oxidation and helps preserve the fresh green character of the leaf.
4. Tencha is dried without rolling
This is one of the most important differences from sencha and gyokuro.
Sencha and gyokuro are rolled as part of their processing. Tencha is not. After steaming and cooling, the leaves are spread open and dried. Traditional tencha production uses a dedicated drying furnace.
Because the leaves are not rolled into needles, they remain relatively flat and fragile—useful later when the soft leaf tissue is prepared for grinding.
5. Rough tencha is finished and cleaned
The dried leaves are not immediately ground.
At the finishing stage, producers such as Marukyu Koyamaen cut the tencha to a more uniform size and repeatedly sift and clean it to remove stems, veins and other coarse material. The remaining softer leaf tissue is then dried again to refine its aroma.
This finished tencha is the material that will eventually become matcha.
6. Batches are evaluated and often blended
Single-cultivar matcha exists, but blending is a major part of traditional tea-house skill.
Tea masters evaluate batches for appearance, flavor, aroma, color, body and astringency. Tencha from different cultivars, fields or soils may then be blended to create a consistent named tea year after year.
That is why a blend should not be considered automatically inferior to a single-cultivar matcha. Consistency can require considerable expertise.
7. Tencha is ground into matcha
Finished tencha is ground into very fine powder. Traditional premium production often uses granite stone mills, though modern Japanese definitions also allow other suitable grinding equipment for matcha production.
Stone grinding is slow. One Kyoto producer described by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture operates stone mills at roughly 53–54 rotations per minute, producing only around 40 g of matcha per mill per hour.
Slow grinding helps avoid excessive heat and produces a very fine powder with a smooth texture.
Is all matcha stone-ground?
No. Traditional stone mills remain important, especially for high-end tea, but modern machinery is also used. The Kyoto Prefectural Tea Industry Chamber notes that fine powder produced from tencha using suitable modern grinders can also be classified as matcha.
The more important distinction is that the raw material is tencha—not simply any green tea leaf.
Is powdered sencha the same as matcha?
No.
Sencha is grown and processed differently, including rolling. If sencha is later pulverized, the result is powdered sencha or powdered green tea. Matcha is specifically made from tencha.
This distinction explains why powdered sencha and matcha can differ so much in texture, taste and intended use even when both look green.
Why does the process affect taste so much?
Every stage changes the final cup:
- shading influences umami, chlorophyll and astringency;
- harvest selection changes tenderness and flavor;
- steaming stabilizes the leaf and preserves green character;
- drying without rolling creates tencha rather than sencha;
- finishing removes coarse stems and veins;
- blending builds a target flavor profile;
- grinding determines particle fineness and texture.
From field to bowl
By the time matcha reaches a chawan, it has passed through farming, shading, harvest, steaming, drying, sorting, blending and grinding. The whisking step is only the final few seconds of a much longer process.
Understanding that chain makes it easier to judge Matcha by more than a marketing label.
Next, read What Is Tencha? and Why Is Uji Famous for Matcha?. For buying criteria, see How to Tell if Matcha Is Good Quality Before You Buy It.
