What gives it its colour?
Matcha is made from shade-grown green tea leaves, ground into a fine green powder.
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Matcha 101
A LITTLE MATCHA KNOW-HOW.
ONE LEAF.
A DIFFERENT CUP.
Matcha is finely ground green tea. Unlike a tea bag, the powder is whisked into your drink rather than steeped and removed.
New to matcha? Start with the basics below, then choose a tin and make your first cup.
How do I drink it?
Whisk with a small splash of warm water first. Add more water or milk, and enjoy it hot or iced.
Which tin is for me?
Choose by taste and how you make your cup: traditional matcha, milky lattes or a flavour twist.
A LITTLE HISTORY. YOUR NEXT RITUAL.
Matcha is closely associated with Japanese tea culture and ceremony. Today, it is also part of everyday cups, café lattes and kitchen experiments. You can enjoy the craft without making it complicated.
Custom Liquid
MATCHA 101 / A LITTLE HISTORY
A small leaf.
A long story.
Your next cup.
From the bowls of China to the tea rooms of Japan. Follow a little leaf through centuries of craft, culture and everyday rituals.
Follow the story
OSSU / A LITTLE HISTORYSkip to your cup
01 / CHINA · SONG DYNASTY, 960–1279
Before matcha,
there was a bowl.
In Song-era China, tea was ground into powder and whisked with hot water. Powdered tea, a whisk and a dark bowl: the beginning of this part of the story.
02 / JAPAN · 1191
A small crossing.
A lasting ritual.
The Buddhist monk Eisai returned from China in 1191, helping spread tea seeds and powdered-tea practice in Japan. Tea itself had reached Japan centuries earlier.
03 / JAPAN · THE 1200s
Tea finds
a quiet place.
In Zen monasteries, tea accompanied meditation and daily rituals. Preparing and sharing a bowl became part of a practice of attention.
04 / JAPAN · 1300s–1400s
Even warriors
made time for tea.
Samurai joined tea gatherings, collected treasured bowls and competed to identify different teas. Over time, the tea room also became a place for considered hospitality.
05 / JAPAN · 1400s–1500s
Less display.
More meaning.
Tea masters including Murata Shukō, Takeno Jōō and Sen no Rikyū helped shape a quieter way of tea: care for the guest, simple utensils and a considered setting.
06 / THE CRAFT · THEN & NOW
The craft
in every grain.
Today's matcha starts with shade-grown leaves. They are steamed, dried and refined into tencha, then milled into powder. A small scoop carries a great deal of work.
07 / AROUND THE WORLD · TODAY
Same leaf.
New possibilities.
Matcha now finds its way into cafés, kitchens, iced lattes and sweet things. The traditional bowl remains a living practice alongside these newer ways to enjoy it.
08 / YOUR CUP · YOUR CALL
Now, make
a little time.
A whisked bowl. A milky latte. A moment shared. However you drink yours, there is room for a little matcha ritual in your day.
THE LEAF LED US HERE. YOUR NEXT RITUAL.
The next chapter
is yours.
Start with how you like to drink it. Discover three traditional grades and four flavour blends, and find your kind of cup.
Find your matchaA little help choosing
What is matcha?
Finely ground green tea, whisked into your drink rather than steeped and removed. A small scoop, a beautifully green cup.
Meet the gradesHow do I make it?
Whisk with a small splash of warm water first. Then add water or milk. Hot or iced, make a little time for your kind of cup.
Show me howFeeling curious?
Keep your bowl simple, make a milky latte or try something new. There is more than one way to enjoy matcha.
Try an OSSU recipeA note on the story & our sources
A short illustrated introduction, rather than a complete history. The scenes are artistic interpretations, not portraits or reconstructions of specific events. Tea reached Japan before Eisai's return in 1191; tea ceremony remains a living practice today. The craft chapter describes modern production, rather than one dated invention.
Urasenke: the way of teaTokyo National Museum: tea & samuraiThe Met: a Song tea bowlNational Palace Museum: Song tea preparationJapan Matcha Association
