Collection: matcha

You also need to understand - for what do you even buy matcha?

 If you are in search of a base for matcha latte, cake, chocolate or other desserts, then pick up a tea with more bitter and even slightly rough taste. Accordingly, this matcha is very different from ceremonial matcha; it is lower in quality and price. 

The generally accepted main criteria for high-quality matcha, which is used pure in CHADO/SADO tea ceremonies, is a mild taste, delicate aroma with a delicate unobtrusive sweetness and a beautiful green color with a slightly golden tint. Such tea cannot be cheap and since it is delicate and soft, it is less suitable for confectionery and latte. 

I tried a lot of japanese ceremonial matcha to find for myself that elusive sweetness and amazingly vibrant green color.

The KITSUNE tea is on the right. 

Also, you can grind the matcha powder with your fingertips. 
The tea literally dissolves on your skin, absorbing like a cream. 

How long does matcha stay fresh for? 

Of course, the fresher the tea, the tastier and more aromatic it is. 
The Japanese never store tea for years and especially value the first cut of tea leaves, which is collected in May - "ichiban-cha" 

In Japan, tencha tea leaves (raw materials for matcha) can be stored for 1 year.....

Tencha is stored in special refrigerators, similar to those in which maguro tuna is stored.

The time really starts ticking as soon as the leaves have been ground and the powder has been produced. From the moment tencha is grated into the final product - matcha powder, the shelf life of unopened matcha  is 6 months. The manufacturing date is much more meaningful if you really care about the beneficial properties of Matcha Powder. 

When I order tea from farmers, the tea is ground into powder after my order. In principle, this is how all production works in Japan - before ordering and sending tea to a business partner, tencha tea raw materials are carefully stored and await their time to be ground into matcha powder, thereby retaining all the beneficial properties, aroma and color.

After opening the package, consume the tea soon (within around 1 month) for the freshest flavor and aroma. Keep in mind that even unopened tea will lose its freshness steadily after the 6 months best-before period.