matcha

Shop online for fine matcha green powder sourced directly from Japanese artisan farmers and brimming with antioxidants. Available in loose form, or in convenient single-serve sticks. Matcha is powdered green tea that is high in antioxidants and caffeine. It is delicious on its own or may be added to latte, ice cream and cake. Our direct-trade sourcing ensures superior taste, freshness and value.

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matcha

rating: 96

48p / cup

What Is Matcha?

Matcha (抹茶) is powdered green tea — the entire leaf ground into a fine powder and whisked directly into water rather than steeped and removed. That distinction matters more than it might initially seem. When you drink a cup of brewed green tea, the leaf steeps in the water and you drink what it releases. When you drink matcha, you consume the entire leaf in powdered form. Every antioxidant, every amino acid, every flavour compound in the leaf is in your cup.

Matcha originates in Japan and has been central to Japanese Zen tea ceremony for over 800 years. The tea plants used for matcha are shade-grown for 20–30 days before harvest — the same shade-growing process used for Gyokuro — which concentrates the chlorophyll (producing the vivid green colour), boosts the L-theanine content, and develops the distinctive sweet, savoury, umami character that sets quality matcha apart from any other beverage category.

Adagio Matcha

Matcha

Ceremonial grade matcha — stone-ground from the youngest, most tender tea buds of the first spring harvest, shade-grown for maximum chlorophyll and L-theanine development. Adagio's matcha has a vibrant green colour, a smooth, naturally sweet flavour with pronounced umami depth, and a fine texture that whisks into a lump-free bowl without bitterness. The right choice both for drinking straight — as usucha (thin tea) or koicha (thick tea) — and for matcha lattes, smoothies, and cooking applications.

Matcha Sticks

Pre-portioned matcha in individual stick packets — the most portable and convenient matcha format. Each stick contains a single serving of matcha powder, ready to whisk into hot or cold water, a travel mug, or a blender bottle without measuring, scooping, or carrying a tin. The right matcha format for commuters, travellers, gym-goers, and anyone who wants the flavour and benefits of matcha without any preparation complexity beyond tearing open a packet.

Understanding Matcha Grades

Matcha is broadly categorised into grades that reflect leaf quality, processing fineness, and intended use. Understanding the grades is useful context even if the UK range focuses on a single ceremonial grade product:

Ceremonial grade

— made from the youngest, most tender first-harvest spring buds, stone-ground to the finest possible texture, with the most complex umami flavour and the most vibrant green colour. Best when drunk straight in the traditional bowl preparation — the subtlety of ceremonial grade is most fully appreciated without milk. This is the grade available from Adagio UK.

Latte grade

— made from slightly more mature leaves, calibrated for flavour intensity that holds up to milk. The right choice when adding matcha to a latte, smoothie, or any application where the matcha is diluted with other liquids. Adagio's ceremonial grade matcha also works well in lattes — use a slightly larger quantity to compensate.

Culinary grade

— a stronger, more robust profile suited to baking, cooking, and any application where the matcha is a flavouring ingredient rather than the primary beverage. Not available in the UK retail range; Adagio's ceremonial grade works for occasional baking use at quantities suggested in recipes.

How to Make Matcha: Traditional Bowl Method

Traditional matcha preparation — the method used in Japanese tea ceremony — is one of the most meditative and satisfying ways to prepare any beverage:

Warm the bowl — pour a small amount of hot water into the chawan (matcha bowl), swirl to warm, and discard. A warm bowl keeps the matcha at serving temperature longer.
Sift the matcha — pass 1–2g (approximately one bamboo scoop, or chashaku) of matcha through a fine sieve into the warm, dry bowl. Sifting prevents clumping and ensures a smooth bowl.
Add water — pour 60–80ml of water heated to 71–79°C over the sifted matcha. Never boiling water — it scorches the matcha and produces a bitter, flat result.
Whisk — using a chasen (bamboo whisk), whisk in a rapid W or M-shaped motion from the wrist until a smooth, frothy surface forms with small, even bubbles across the entire surface. This takes approximately 20–30 seconds of confident whisking.
Serve immediately — matcha is drunk immediately after preparation, whilst the froth is still present and the temperature is ideal.

The bamboo whisk (chasen) is the most important piece of matcha equipment — it creates the frothy surface and smooth texture that makes traditional matcha what it is. A standard kitchen whisk produces acceptable results; the chasen produces the ideal ones.

How to Make a Matcha Latte at Home

The matcha latte is the most popular matcha application in the modern café and home kitchen — and considerably simpler to make than most people expect:

Make the matcha paste — combine 2g of matcha with 2 tablespoons of hot water (71–79°C) and whisk vigorously until a smooth paste forms with no lumps. This paste step is the key to a lump-free latte — adding matcha powder directly to a full glass of milk produces clumps that don't dissolve.
Heat your milk — warm 180–200ml of dairy or plant-based milk. Oat milk produces the closest result to a café latte; whole dairy milk produces the richest result; almond milk produces the lightest.
Froth the milk — use a milk frother, a steam wand, or shake the hot milk in a sealed jar until frothy.
Combine — pour the frothed milk over the matcha paste and stir gently to combine. Add sweetener to taste — honey, maple syrup, or a simple sugar syrup all work well.

For an iced matcha latte: make the paste with 2 tablespoons of cold water (whisking vigorously), fill a glass with ice, add cold milk, and pour the paste over. Stir to combine. The vivid green of matcha against white milk over ice is one of the most visually distinctive café drinks available.

Matcha Health Benefits

Matcha is the most nutrient-dense of all tea preparations — consuming the whole leaf in powdered form rather than a steeped infusion means the compounds naturally present in the leaf are consumed entirely rather than partially extracted:

EGCG and antioxidants

— matcha contains significantly higher concentrations of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) than standard brewed green tea, because the whole leaf is consumed rather than just the infusion. EGCG is the most studied catechin antioxidant in green tea and is the subject of ongoing research interest.

L-theanine and caffeine

— the shade-growing process that makes matcha distinctive concentrates L-theanine in the leaf. A cup of matcha contains both caffeine and L-theanine, a combination that many drinkers describe as producing a more sustained, focused alertness than coffee. This combination is the most commonly cited reason people make the switch from coffee to matcha.

Chlorophyll

— the vivid green colour of quality matcha comes from high chlorophyll concentration, developed through the shade-growing process. Chlorophyll gives matcha its distinctive visual character and is part of what makes the whole-leaf format visually distinct from any brewed tea.

Full-leaf consumption

— unlike any brewed tea, matcha delivers the complete profile of the leaf. No compounds are left behind in the infused leaves after steeping — everything the leaf naturally contains is in the cup.

Matcha Caffeine Content

Matcha contains approximately 60–70mg of caffeine per 2g serving — more than brewed green tea (25–45mg per 250ml) but less than a standard cup of coffee (95–200mg). The caffeine in matcha behaves differently from coffee for two reasons:

L-theanine

— matcha's L-theanine content is present alongside the caffeine in the same cup. Many matcha drinkers who switch from coffee describe the absence of a mid-morning or mid-afternoon energy dip as the most immediately noticeable difference.

Slower absorption

— the compounds in matcha are absorbed more gradually than coffee caffeine, producing a more sustained, even energy curve over 3–4 hours rather than a rapid peak and decline.

Matcha in Cooking and Baking

Matcha's concentrated flavour and vivid colour make it one of the most versatile culinary ingredients available from the tea world. A few applications that consistently work well with Adagio's ceremonial grade matcha:

Matcha cookies and shortbread

— 1–2 teaspoons per standard recipe batch. The flavour intensifies with heat, so start at the lower end and adjust. The pale green colour deepens during baking into a distinctive sage green.

Matcha pancakes

— 1 teaspoon per standard recipe. Vivid green pancakes with a subtle matcha flavour that pairs well with maple syrup and fresh berries.

Matcha smoothies

— 1 teaspoon blended with banana, spinach, and oat or almond milk. Matcha blends into smoothies without any preparation steps beyond measuring.

Matcha overnight oats

— stir 1 teaspoon of matcha into the oat mixture before refrigerating. The flavour fully develops overnight.

Matcha hot chocolate

— combine a matcha paste with warmed milk and cocoa or dark chocolate for a matcha-chocolate blend that produces one of the most naturally compelling cold-weather café-style drinks you can make at home.

Buy Matcha Online

Browse the Adagio matcha range above — ceremonial grade matcha powder and Matcha Sticks for convenient single-serve preparation. Order matcha online and have it delivered from our UK warehouse with free UK delivery on qualifying orders.

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