Matcha Manufacturing Process: Authenticity in The Face of Modern Developments

Matcha is a tea made from a combination of the Japanese words Matsu, which means "to rub, smear, paint," and Cha, which means "tea." The art of drinking tea has been a part of Japanese culture for centuries. After it was introduced by a Buddhist monk and considered a luxurious status symbol, matcha tea has become a unique and main part of Japan's cultural identity. 

Because of its cultural history, authenticity, and long process-production standards, matcha become one of the most expensive types of tea on the market. In order to maintain its culture and authenticity, it is very important for matcha producers to keep up with the original tradition of making the best quality matcha while still meeting the market demand for matcha powder, as we all know matcha become very popular and has been used for several purposes, such as making matcha-flavored ice cream and mochi.

Matcha is made with a long process and complex techniques. Matcha must be harvested from tea plants that are grown under the shade to maximize the photosynthesis process, to increase the amount of chlorophyll in tea leaves. The tea leaves of matcha are only harvested from the tips of three layers of young tea plants. The tea leaves are then processed in a factory through many stages to become a matcha powder. 

After the tea leaves are carefully hand-picked, they’ll go through the manufacturing process which is steamed and air dried. They will put the leaves in a conveyor belt while the hot wind circulates so the tea leaves can be preserved for a long time. By this process, the tea leaves are called Tencha. Once the air-dried process is done, tencha will be assorted by their quality to make various types of matcha. Using large granite wheels that rotate very slowly, tencha that are already assorted will be ground until their texture turns into a fine matcha powder. 

After going through several manufacturing processes, the tencha that has become matcha powder will be vacuum packed, sealed, then stored at a certain temperature to preserve the quality and ready for shipping or go for another process to make any type of dish from matcha-based like cake, drinks, mochi, ice cream, many more. 

Looking at the process above, before diving into the matcha production process, the matcha producers need to know what type of manufacturing process suits the most to maximize the production while still appreciating the authenticity and dedication that goes into producing this special green tea powder. 

A batch production process is typically used in the production of Japanese matcha green tea powder. This type of production process will make a certain amount of products at a time. The first step in the procedure is to have all of the equipment and raw ingredients ready for the batch. The products are then produced in order through several processes, and once the previous batch is finished, the procedure will repeated for the following batch.

Here are some of the reasons why batch production is used in making Japanese green tea matcha powder:

1. Production Volume

Matcha is a relatively low-volume product with complex stages through out the process compared to other green tea products. The batch production process is more suitable for producing small quantities with high variation.

2. Quality