Matcha (抹茶), the powdered green tea, is the zenith of the Japanese tea ceremony. Similar to Gyokuro, the tea plants are shaded for three weeks before being harvested so that the leaves stay small, fresh, and juicy, making their taste sweeter and softer. Like any other Japanese green tea, after plucking, the leaves are steamed and dried. Then, having carefully selected the leaves, they are milled into a soft, bright green powder. This powder tea is prepared with a bamboo chasen (茶筅, tea whisk) in a chawan (茶碗, tea bowl). The result is an emerald-coloured liquid with rather intense greenish flavour and a sweet, light, jade-like foam.
