Short answer
Matcha tea is a drink made by whisking finely ground, shade-grown Japanese green tea leaves into hot water. Unlike ordinary green tea, the whole leaf powder is drunk, which gives a thicker, greener and more intense cup.
Matcha tea is a Japanese green tea made by grinding shade-grown tea leaves into a fine powder and whisking that powder into hot water. Because the whole leaf is mixed into the cup, matcha tea looks bright green and frothy, and it tastes stronger, smoother and more savoury than ordinary steeped green tea.
What is matcha tea?
Matcha tea is a drink made from matcha, a powder of dried green tea leaves called tencha. The powder is whisked with water until it froths and is drunk as a thin, bright green tea.
Matcha comes from the same plant as other green and black teas, Camellia sinensis. What sets it apart is the way the plant is grown and processed. The word comes from Japanese and is often written with characters that mean rubbed or ground tea.
How is matcha grown and made?
Matcha is made from tea plants shaded for the last weeks before harvest, then picked, steamed, dried and stone-ground into powder. The shading changes the leaf and gives matcha its deep green colour and savoury taste.
- Growers cover the tea plants for roughly three weeks before harvest.
- The youngest leaves are picked by hand or machine.
- Leaves are steamed quickly to stop them oxidising, then dried flat.
- The dried leaf, called tencha, has its stems and veins removed.
- The leaf is ground slowly into a very fine powder, traditionally with granite stone mills.
Uji in Kyoto Prefecture is one of the best-known matcha regions in Japan, and other areas such as Nishio in Aichi and parts of Kagoshima also produce it.
What does matcha tea taste like?
Matcha tea tastes grassy, slightly sweet and savoury, with a gentle bitterness at the end. Higher-grade powder tastes smoother and rounder, and lower grades taste sharper.
The texture is part of the experience. Whisked matcha is thicker than steeped tea and has a soft foam on top, so the drink feels almost creamy even without milk.
Matcha tea vs green tea: what is the difference?
Matcha is a type of green tea that is drunk whole as a powder, while regular green tea is steeped and the leaves are thrown away. That one difference changes colour, strength, taste and price.
| Matcha tea | Regular green tea | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Fine powder | Whole or broken leaves, tea bags |
| Growing | Shaded before harvest | Usually grown in full sun |
| Preparation | Whisked into water | Steeped, then strained |
| Colour | Bright, opaque green | Pale green to yellow, clear |
| Taste | Savoury, grassy, thick | Lighter, more delicate |
| Tools | Bowl and bamboo whisk | Cup or teapot |
Both start as the same plant, and neither is better in every case. They suit different moments.
How do you make matcha tea?
Matcha tea is made by sifting powder into a bowl, adding hot water and whisking until frothy. Use water around 80°C, not boiling, so the tea stays smooth.
- Sift about 1 teaspoon (2 grams) of matcha into a wide bowl.
- Add about 70 ml of water at roughly 80°C.
- Whisk quickly in an M or W motion with a bamboo whisk for 15 to 20 seconds.
- Drink it straight away from the bowl.
A handheld frother or a small jar with a lid also works if you do not own a whisk. Step-by-step guides to the method and the tools are in the separate how-to articles on this site.
What are the types of matcha drinks?
Matcha can be drunk as a thin tea, as a thicker koicha, in a milk latte or iced. Cafes in Canada mostly sell the latte, and traditional tea service uses the thin version.
- Usucha: thin matcha tea, the everyday style.
- Koicha: thick matcha tea made with more powder and less water, used mainly in tea ceremony.
- Matcha latte: matcha with steamed or cold milk.
- Iced matcha: matcha over ice, with or without milk.
How should you store matcha?
Store matcha tea powder in an airtight container, away from light, heat and air. Oxygen and sunlight dull the colour and flatten the flavour.
Keep the tin in a cool cupboard or the fridge, let it come to room temperature before opening so moisture does not form, and use it within a month or two of opening for the best taste.
What are the common mistakes with matcha tea?
The most common mistakes are using boiling water, skipping the sieve and using too much powder. Each one makes the tea bitter, lumpy or harsh.
- Water too hot: boiling water scalds the powder and brings out bitterness. Let a kettle rest a minute or two first.
- No sifting: matcha clumps as it sits, and unsifted lumps never fully dissolve.
- Stirring slowly: a slow spoon leaves clumps. Fast, light whisking breaks them up and builds foam.
- Old powder: stale matcha turns dull and tastes flat, whatever the method.
- Wrong bowl: a narrow cup makes whisking hard. A wide bowl gives the whisk room to move.
What is the history of matcha tea?
Matcha tea traces back to powdered tea drunk in Tang and Song dynasty China, which Buddhist monks brought to Japan around the twelfth century. Japan kept and refined the method, while China later moved to steeped leaf tea.
In Japan, powdered tea became central to the tea ceremony, known as chanoyu or sado. Details of who first carried the practice across and when are told in several ways, so treat precise dates and names with some caution. What is clear is that matcha as it is drunk today is a Japanese tradition, and the word is Japanese.
Is matcha tea the same as a matcha latte?
No. Matcha tea is matcha and water only, while a matcha latte adds steamed or cold milk and is often sweetened. The tea tastes stronger and more bitter, and the latte is milder and creamier.
Many cafes sell only the latte version, since milk and syrup make the flavour easier for first-time drinkers. If you want to taste the matcha itself, order the least sweet option or ask whether the cafe can whisk a small bowl with water.
What matcha tea does Out of Office Coffee + Bakery serve?
Out of Office Coffee + Bakery in Markham lists matcha drinks in its recorded menu: Matcha Latte, Vanilla Matcha, Double Matcha and Strawberry Matcha, as of November 2026. Its Instagram bio describes premium matcha from Kyoto, and a review page names ceremonial-grade matcha from Uji.
A plain whisked matcha tea with water only is not named in the sources, so ask at the counter if that is what you want. No prices are published. The menu page shows the full recorded list, and the hours and location page has opening times. This guide is independent and takes no orders.
Common questions
Is matcha tea the same as green tea?
Matcha is a type of green tea, but it is prepared differently. Regular green tea leaves are steeped and discarded, while matcha is ground to powder and whisked into the water so the whole leaf is consumed.
How do you pronounce matcha?
Matcha is usually said as MA-cha, with a short a, in Canada and the United States. In Japanese it sounds closer to mah-CHAH. Both are widely understood, and nobody at a cafe will mind either.
Does matcha tea need sugar?
No. Good matcha is traditionally drunk plain as a thin tea. Many cafes add sweetener or milk because the flavour is grassy and a little bitter, so sweetness is a personal choice, not a requirement.
How long does matcha powder last once opened?
Matcha is best within a month or two after opening, stored airtight and away from light, heat and moisture. A fridge or cool cupboard helps. Old powder turns dull in colour and flat in flavour.
This page is part of the independent guide to OUT OF OFFICE COFFEE + BAKERY, which has the address, hours and menu.
This article is general information from an independent guide, not from OUT OF OFFICE COFFEE + BAKERY itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.