What is tencha? The leaf that becomes matcha

Matcha doesn't exist as such in nature: it comes from a very specific tea leaf, processed through several steps even before being ground into powder. That leaf has a name: tencha. Understanding what tencha is means understanding what really sets a good matcha apart from a bad one, well before the question of grinding even comes up.

Tencha, matcha's raw material

Tencha is a Japanese green tea dried flat, without being rolled or shaped the way most classic green teas are. It's precisely this lack of shaping that makes it possible, once the leaf is ground with a stone mill, to get the fine, even powder known as matcha. In other words, every matcha starts life as tencha, matcha is simply the next step, after grinding.

Shading the tea plants, even before harvest

As with a quality ceremonial matcha, the tea plants intended for tencha are shaded for several weeks before harvest, with the light reaching the plant gradually reduced. This light stress pushes the tea plant to produce more chlorophyll, which gives that intense green color, and more theanine, the amino acid responsible for the umami taste and for a caffeine that acts more gently. We cover this mechanism in more depth in our article on matcha's benefits for the body.

The tea plants are covered for several weeks before harvest, to concentrate chlorophyll and theanine in the leaf.

Steaming, the step that prevents oxidation

Once harvested, the leaf is steamed very quickly after picking. This step is decisive: it deactivates the enzymes responsible for oxidation, the very ones that, left to act, would turn the leaf into black tea or oolong tea. It's this rapid steaming that preserves the leaf's green color, freshness, and catechins, rather than letting them oxidize as with other types of tea.

Steaming happens very soon after harvest, to stop oxidation and preserve the leaf's green color.

Drying and de-veining, what truly sets tencha apart

After steaming, the leaf is dried, then comes a step unique to tencha: de-veining. The stems and veins, which are more fibrous and tougher than the flesh of the leaf, are carefully removed. This sorting is exactly what distinguishes tencha from a classic green tea meant to be brewed as whole leaves: only the tenderest part of the leaf is kept, the part that, once ground, will produce a fine powder rather than coarse fibers.

De-veining removes the stems and veins, keeping only the tenderest part of the leaf.

Poorly de-veined tencha produces a matcha that still contains small bits of stem, which cause lumps and a less silky mouthfeel, a trait that's often found, in fact, in lower-quality matchas.

From tencha to matcha, grinding with a stone mill

The tencha obtained this way is then ground slowly, traditionally with a stone mill, to become matcha powder. This grinding, deliberately slow so that the heat from friction doesn't alter the aromas, produces the fine, silky texture characteristic of a good matcha. Not all tenchas produce a matcha of equal quality: the part of the leaf used, the tea plant variety, and the producer's know-how all directly influence the final grade, a concept we cover in our article on what matcha grades actually mean. The tea plant cultivar also plays its part, as we explain in our article on single cultivar versus blend.

Grinding with a stone mill is deliberately kept slow, so the powder doesn't heat up and tencha's aromas are preserved.

Can you drink tencha as is?

Yes, that's possible, even if it isn't its most common use. Brewed as loose leaves like a classic green tea, tencha produces a drink that's softer and less grassy than a sencha, with a lovely umami roundness inherited from the shading. What it doesn't have, however, is the creamy texture and concentration of powdered matcha: when brewed, you only consume what the water extracts from the leaf, whereas with matcha, you drink the whole ground leaf. We explain this difference in taste in our article on umami.

In summary

Tencha is the shaded, steamed, dried, then de-veined green tea leaf that becomes matcha once ground with a stone mill. Every step of its production, from shading to de-veining, directly affects the color, taste, and texture of the final matcha. Understanding tencha means understanding why not all matchas are equal, well before even talking about grinding.

Have a question about how your matcha is made? Feel free to contact us, we'll be happy to answer.