THE TAO OF TEA Matcha Mill
We are pleased to announce the installation of our new Matcha Mill in Portland . The new Matcha Mill is in line with our commitment towards offering the freshest teas to our customers and tea lovers.
Making Matcha starts with Shade Grown Leaves
In making Matcha, the tea plants are covered with bamboo mats in the last few weeks of their growing season to promote full flavor. After the leaves are plucked, they are immediately steamed to spread the chlorophyll throughout the leaves and stop any oxidation. The leaves are then dried and rapidly cooled. The resulting dried product is called rough tea, or Aracha. Aracha is then cut into small pieces and the twigs, veins and stems are removed. The leaves are dried again and the resulting product is known as Tencha. Tencha is then ground by stone mills in a climate-controlled, clean room to produce Matcha. A single mill can only process 40 grams of leaves per hour.
Worldwide Matcha Demand
With the growing worldwide popularity of Matcha, many producers in Japan have been pre sold on their production. This trend is expected to continue over the next few years until more raw leaf production increases.
Our Relationships at Origin
Since 1997, we have been working to source our teas directly from the tea farms at origin. Our founder Veerinder Chawla has travelled to Japan several times to strengthen these relationships. In the past, Veerinder has been invited by the Japanese tea associations to visit as their guest and travel to the key regions of Shizuoka, Uji, Yame, Kagoshima to meet directly with tea producers. Among these has been a strong friendship and relationship with one of the largest organic tea organizations of Japan.
Classic Tea Cultivars to be used in our Matcha Mill
There are various tea plant cultivars that can be used in the making of Matcha. The cultivar, season, quality of grind and the tea maker’s skill, all make up the quality of the Matcha. With this project, we are not attempting to displace all our Matcha selections. We are intending to only add to the selection more variety that our customers can enjoy and take pride as locally crafted. The new cultivars are expected in the summer of 2026.
Check out our Matcha Products here: MATCHA
