The Difference between Matcha and Green Tea is easy to see just by looking at the two drinks. Matcha is bright green, opaque and often has a foam on top.
A normal green tea on the other hand is more yellow and translucent. In this article however, we want to dive deeper and explore more differences between these two teas. We'll explore each difference between green tea and matcha and answer is matcha the same as green tea.
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Difference between matcha and green tea
So what is the difference between matcha and green tea? Green tea is made from the unoxidized leaves of the camelia sinensis plant. When the tea leaves are picked, they will begin to oxidize naturally and turn into a black tea.If the producer wants to produce a green tea, he will have to apply heat to the leaves in order to stop the oxidation process.
When it comes to the difference between Matcha and Green Tea it is important to clarify that matcha actually is a type of green tea.
So is is matcha the same as green tea? Matcha is essentially made from powdered tea leaves, and through that small difference comes so many other differences. In the next section, we will try to cover every difference between Matcha and Green Tea.
#1 Difference between matcha and green tea Processing
So what's the difference between matcha and green tea when it comes to processing? When you grind a tea leaf into a powder, you really concentrate the flavor. All of the bitterness is magnified, so it is really important to use the best leaves possible. This is a key difference between green tea and matcha, as premium matcha can only be made from the fresh sprouts of the tea plant.
The tea plants are shaded for 3 weeks before the harvest to maximize their flavor even further and then the leaves need to have their stems removed. All this makes matcha more difficult to produce.
#2 Difference between matcha and green tea Taste
If you have ever drinken a cup of matcha tea you will know that the biggest difference between Matcha and Green Tea is the taste. As mentioned before, when tea leaves are ground into powder, the flavor is really magnified.
This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your taste preference. Some people prefer the subtlety and sweetness of a normal green tea like sencha. Others prefer the strong, full-bodied flavor of a matcha tea. Whatever you prefer, it is difficult to ignore that these two teas taste very different!
#3 Difference between matcha and green tea brewing
When preparing matcha, you still will want some teaware.
The chasen matcha whisk is the most important tool to get. This makes it easy to whisk up smooth and foamy bowls of matcha tea. You may also want to get the chawan matcha bowl. This bowl is the best tool to prepare and drink the matcha tea, and it is even used in the Japanese tea ceremony!
#4 is matcha the same as green tea in terms of health?
So is matcha the same as green tea when it comes to health benefits? When you drink a bowl of matcha tea, you are consuming the entire leaf. When you drink a cup of normal green tea, you are drinking just the water soluble components of the outer leaf.
This is a key difference between green tea and matcha with regards to health benefits. As we will discuss later in this list, there are many things that matcha contains more of, due to the fact that you are drinking the entire leaf rater than an extraction. Matcha is essentially a superpowered green tea with more antioxidants, caffeine and chlorophyll than a normal green tea!
To learn more about health benefits, you can read our article 👉 Green Tea Benefits and Why You Should Drink it Everyday
#5 Difference between matcha and green tea history
So what is the difference between matcha and green tea in terms of history? Matcha was the original way to consume green tea in Japan. This practice was brought over from China, where it was common to store tea in compressed bricks and grind it into a powder to mix with water.
The Japanese monks that traveled to Japan to learn from the Chinese monks, found that this tea helped improve their concentration during long periods of meditation. The tea was later brought into Japan, and soon Japanese tea was being grown as early as the 1100’s. Leaf tea like sencha came about much later, in the 1700s.
If you want to take a deep dive into tea history, we suggest you read this article 👉 History of green tea in japan & Tea ceremony
#6 Difference between matcha and green tea Cultivation
The cultivation is another difference between green tea and matcha. While some green teas like Gyokuro go through a similar shading and leaf selection process, the removal of the stems is a unique step that is only done to make matcha.
These leaves are known as “Tencha” and they are one step away from becoming matcha. They simply need to be ground into a fine powder in a large stone mill.
#7 How Texture Makes a difference between matcha and green tea
So what is the difference between green tea and matcha when it comes to texture? A premium matcha will be much heavier on the palate, with a smooth and rich consistency almost like milk.
A normal green tea like sencha on the other hand will have a much more watery consistency. The consistency of a sencha can still be thick and rich, but it won’t come close to a premium matcha.
#8 Infusing green tea and matcha multiple times
Not only is there a difference between green tea and matcha in terms of how the tea is prepared, but also there is a difference in how many times the tea can be prepared. Most high quality green teas can be infused 3-4 times. That means you can get multiple cups out of the same 5 grams of leaves.
When you are preparing matcha, you consume the entire leaf all at once, so you will only get one bowl or cup of the tea. So is matcha the same as green tea? One advantage green tea has is that it can be prepared multiple times.
#9 How Price is a difference between matcha and green tea
So what is the difference between green tea and matcha in terms of price? A regular premium green tea can sell for 30 cents per gram, whereas it is difficult to find a high quality matcha for under $1 per gram. This has to do with a lot of different factors, but mostly the more labor intensive production process.
If you are looking for a matcha that is nice and smooth, without being expensive, we recommend the matcha tea Noike.
#10 Versatility of Green Tea and Matcha
One added difference between matcha and green tea is the versatility. Because matcha is a powder, it can be easily mixed into all sorts of different creations.
This is almost impossible to do with leaf tea and one of the major benefits of matcha. So what is the difference between matcha and green tea? There are at least 10 differences!
