From Leaf to Powder: How Matcha Is Actually Made
Most people who drink matcha regularly have never thought about what happens between the tea plant and the tin. The process is more involved than most expect, and every step has a direct bearing on what ends up in the cup. Here is the full picture, from the moment the first flush leaf is picked to the moment the powder is ready to whisk.
The harvest
Everything starts with timing. First flush harvest happens in a narrow window in late April to early May. The youngest leaves at the top of the plant are picked by hand, carefully and selectively, at the point where L-theanine, EGCG and chlorophyll concentrations are at their annual peak. The window is two to three weeks. Miss it and the quality of the season's matcha shifts noticeably.
The leaves that come off the plant at this point are the raw material for everything that follows. The quality of that raw material determines the ceiling of the finished product. No amount of careful processing can compensate for a leaf that was picked too late, grown without shade, or cultivated without attention to the soil and the plant.
The steamer
The first machine the leaf encounters after harvest is the steamer, and it is arguably the most consequential step in the entire process.
Fresh tea leaves contain enzymes that, if left active, would begin oxidising the leaf immediately after picking. Oxidation turns green tea brown and fundamentally changes its flavour profile, moving it from the fresh, vegetal character of green tea toward the darker, more complex notes of oolong or black tea. For matcha, oxidation is the enemy. The vivid green colour and the clean, umami-forward flavour profile depend entirely on stopping it.
Steaming does this. The leaves pass through a chamber of pressurised steam for a precisely controlled period, typically between 20 and 60 seconds depending on the style of matcha being produced. The heat denatures the oxidative enzymes instantly, locking in the chlorophyll and the flavour compounds at the point they are at their best.
The timing matters more than most people realise. Under-steaming leaves the enzymes partially active and allows some oxidation to continue. Over-steaming begins to break down the chlorophyll itself, shifting the colour from vivid green toward a duller, more yellow-green tone. The steamer is where the colour of the finished matcha is effectively decided.
Cooling and drying
Immediately after steaming, the leaves need to be cooled rapidly to stop the heat from continuing to affect the leaf compounds. This happens in a cooling chamber where air is circulated around the leaves to bring the temperature down quickly and evenly.
The leaves are then dried. The moisture content of a freshly steamed leaf is too high for grinding. The leaf needs to reach a specific moisture level before it can be processed further. Drying is done carefully and at controlled temperatures to remove moisture without generating the kind of heat that would begin degrading the compounds the steaming step preserved.
De-stemming and de-veining
Before the leaf can be ground into matcha, the stems and veins need to be removed. This step has a significant effect on the quality of the finished powder that most consumers never think about.
Stems and veins are coarser than the leaf blade and grind differently. If left in, they produce a less consistent particle size in the finished matcha and contribute a more bitter, astringent flavour note. Removing them leaves only the most delicate part of the leaf, the blade itself, which grinds more evenly and produces a cleaner, sweeter flavour profile.
The de-stemmed, de-veined leaf at this stage is called tencha. It is the direct raw material for matcha and looks nothing like the finished powder. It is dry, flat, and a deep, vivid green. The quality of the tencha is the final determinant of the quality of the matcha that will be ground from it.
Stone-milling
Tencha is ground into matcha using granite millstones. Two heavy stones rotate against each other at between 20 and 30 rotations per minute. The tencha is fed gradually between the stones and ground into a fine powder over an extended period.
At that speed, a single stone mill produces between 30 and 40 grams of finished matcha per hour. The slowness is intentional. Speed generates heat, and heat degrades the chlorophyll, L-theanine and EGCG that the steaming, cooling, drying and de-veining steps worked to preserve. Stone-milling at this speed generates almost no heat. The compound profile of the tencha arrives in the finished powder effectively intact.
The particle size produced by stone-milling is also more consistent than industrial alternatives. Our matcha is milled to 10 microns. That consistency is what produces the stable, fine-bubbled froth that a properly whisked matcha should have, and the smooth mouthfeel that a coarser grind cannot replicate.
What all of this means for what is in your tin
Every step in this process is an opportunity to either preserve or compromise the quality of the leaf. The steaming locks in the colour. The cooling prevents continued heat damage. The drying removes moisture without degrading compounds. The de-veining removes the coarser material that would produce bitterness. The stone-milling preserves the full compound profile through careful, slow grinding.
A brand that cuts corners at any one of these steps produces a different product. Industrial dryers that run too hot. Skipped de-veining for speed. Industrial mills that prioritise volume over quality. The finished powder looks similar. The colour, the froth, the flavour and the compound profile tell a different story.
Both our Signature Ceremonial Matcha and our Masters Reserve go through this process in full. First flush, shade-grown, single cultivar, JAS certified organic, stone-milled to 10 microns. Available in-store at our Sea Point bar and online, delivered nationwide across South Africa.