I want to start by saying hello to the Steemit community. I have never blogged before, other than my monthly newsletters, so bear with me. I truly believe in the potential of Steemit, so I am throwing my hat in the ring and giving it a try.
First of all, my story. I have owned a successful tea shop in Raleigh, NC for about nine years and it continues to thrive and grow at a steady rate. I see all walks of life, with different needs and interests whenever it comes to tea. Even though tea hasn’t been a very large part of American culture (other than the south) when we started, I have definitely seen a complete change within our society’s acceptance of the drink. Now don’t get me wrong, coffee is great, but there is always room at the table for one more, and I am glad to see that tea is coming into its own.
That being said. For one of my first blogs on Steemit, I wanted to cover Matcha. It’s all the craze at this point in time. I have a constant flow of guests that come into the shop wanting to try Matcha for the first time. For all of those individuals out there that are interested in learning about Matcha, I will divide the material into three sections. Matcha: History, Cultivation and Tools prt. 1, Matcha: Health Benefits and Medicinal Uses prt. 2, and Matcha: Preparation and Tips prt. 3.
I hope you enjoy the subject as much as I enjoy teaching it.
Matcha: History, Cultivation and Tools prt. 1
History - Let me begin by saying that there are two main varietals of tea bush. Camelia Sinensis var Sinensis, or China bush, and then you have Camilia Sinensis var Assamica, or the Assam bush. The China bush varietal will be the species that we are going to cover during this lesson. This varietal has about 30% less caffeine than what you would find in its Assamica cousin. This is very similar to the Arabica and Robusta varietals that you have within the coffee world. Anyways, the China bush varietal began its original journey from, you guessed it, China. The monks visiting from Japan were given cuttings from the plants, and they carried those to Japan. You also had a British spy named Robert Forester that stole cuttings from China, and planted them in Darjeeling. So, the only place that you can now find this varietal, for the most part would be in these three countries.
Matcha, is one of the oldest types of tea in Japan, the tea was brought back by Buddhist monks who had been visiting the ninth century Jin Shan monastery located in Kyoto. After returning from China, the monks began cultivating tea, and the Matcha that they made was consumed mostly by themselves and royalty, and trickled down only as far as the noble warrior class, the samurai. The preparation of powdered Matcha became ritualized in the 1550’s by a Japanese tea master named Sen Rikyu, who codified the practice of Chado. Which literally translates as “The Way of Tea”.
Cultivation – Matcha is made from Tencha. The leaves are required to be at least partially shade grown. The shading used for longer periods of time will have a much higher level of chlorophyll and amino acids. The shade-growing method was developed at the end of the Edo era, in the 1860’s. About three weeks before the May harvest, the gardens are shaded over. They were once covered in rice straw, but todays growers use a black plastic mesh or tana. That is why shade-grown teas will have a much brighter jade hue to the liquor.
Increasing the length of time of shading will also increase the level of caffeine, as well as the level of theanine. Theanine is the component in green tea that is responsible for the sweet, savory flavor. Teas that have a higher content of theanine will have a sweeter flavor, and are considered to be a higher grade.
On the flip side of the shade aspect is the exposure to sunlight which increases the level of Vitamin C, as well as the level of tannins. Tannins are the components in tea that give you a light astringent taste, much as you would find in a glass of wine. It is also responsible for giving the liquor a more full-bodied flavor, yet smooth finish.
The next stage in production would be the preparation of the powdered form of the tea. Unlike Tencha, which is left whole. Matcha is deveined, and milled into a fine powder. It takes a full hour of grinding, to produce only two ounces of powder. So, behind the labor in the field, as well as the labor in the factory, you now have a pretty good idea as to why Matcha can be a little pricey.
Tools – Matcha is prepared with a few types of tools, that once mastered can create an incredibly smooth, frothy, and vegetal sensation. Can you say umami!
· Whisk (chasen) – made from bamboo with 80 fine bristles to whisk or whip the tea foam.
· Bowl (chawan) - large enough to whisk the fine powdered tea.
· Spoon (chashaku)– made with bamboo. One large heaping scoop, or half a teaspoon will make one cup of matcha. The shape of the spoon is ideal for pushing the powder through a sieve.
· Sieve – it's necessary to sieve matcha because it will clump up. Think of working with flour. You want a light and fluffy texture so the bread will rise. The same goes for matcha. Light and frothy with a hint of creaminess.
I hope you enjoyed the info. Reach out and let me know if this was helpful, and I don’t mind critiques.
Until next time….
-Ryan
http://www.tinroofteas.com
Disclaimer for the web bot: I have copied and pasted some of the material concerning this article from my website. It's my original content, and steemit allows for me to reach individuals that would not have known about my original material dating back several years. The company, site, and articles are my own. No plagiarism.
Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoyed reading while sipping your favorite cuppa. If you enjoyed the information and would like to give a gift to help my family expand on our ventures I am leaving the address to our Etherium wallet. Any and all gifts are gratefully appreciated. Please let me know if you have done so, so I might return the favor in another way.
Etherium address:
0xa9c3ca0950a368aa7234a74aace0190f36b18539