松壽園SHOJUENMatcha Journal

The Matcha

Matcha Encyclopedia

The label may say "matcha," but shading, fixation, rolling, and grinding change what is in the bag. Chapter 0 is the map — start with types A / B / C, then read each farm's recipe and best use.

Overhead view of several heaps of matcha powder in different greens

Matcha Encyclopedia · Chapter 0

Same label "matcha" —
different process, different product.

Market powders are grouped into three broad types — A, B, and C — as a map to read the market.

That map is only a starting point. Each farm and tea maker freely combines shading, fixation, rolling, and grinding to build their own process. That recipe — not the letter alone — defines flavor and best use.

Leaf → shade → steam → tencha → grind → matcha powder

Best for

Matcha latteWhisked teaPremium sweetsMass-produced coloring

Character

  • Umami, vivid green — closest to "real matcha"
  • Labor-intensive; nuance lost in baked goods
From leaf to powder — the fork

Three lanes at the start. All merge, are ground, and share the same label: matcha powder.

Leaf→A / B / C→Dry→Grind→Powder

A Tencha

Shaded

↓ Steam

↓ No rolling

B Sencha

Often unshaded

↓ Steam

↓ Roll

C Pan-fired

Shade yes/no

↓ Pan-fire

The diagram is a framework only. Each farm and maker combines steps freely. Shading changes direction (yes/no; duration is chosen for the garden). Pan-fired tea can still be shaded — type alone does not define the product.

Where every path ends

Finished: matcha powder

Grinding — another layer of difference

Every A/B/C leaf is ground last. Method changes mouthfeel and how flavor comes through.

Ball millIndustry standard
volume · processing
Mechanical stone millBalance of
volume & texture
Hand stone millSlow · cool
whisking grade
Step by step — what each choice changes
ShadingYes — umami, vivid green. No — more astringency.
Kill-greenSteam — routes A/B. Pan-fire — route C.
RollingNo roll → tencha (A). Roll → sencha (B).
GrindingThree methods. The farm's choices define the character.
Content is in the combination — three examples

Type A/B/C alone does not fix flavor or use. Look at the farm's recipe.

Processing · volume
  • B sencha powder
  • No shade · 2nd flush · ball mill

→ Baked goods · bread dough

Toasty · everyday
  • C pan-fired
  • Shaded · 1st–2nd flush · ball or mechanical stone

→ Toasty latte

Premium · craft
  • A or C
  • Shaded · 1st flush · stone mill

→ Signature latte · whisked tea

Check: tencha, sencha, or pan-fired? Shaded? Which flush? How ground?