抹茶とお寿司屋さんなどで出てくる粉茶は似て非なるものです。
どちらも茶の木から作られますが栽培方法も製造過程も全く異なります。煎茶などのいわゆる緑茶は茶畑と聞いてイメージするかまぼこ型の畑で栽培します。
一方、抹茶は覆い下栽培といって茶摘みの季節の1か月ほど前から黒いシートを被せます。新芽を直射日光から守ることで苦み成分であるカテキンの生成を抑制し、代わりに旨み成分であるテアニンの生成を促すのです。
また、摘んだ新芽は蒸す工程は同じですが、抹茶の原料となる碾茶は茎を取り除き葉だけにします。しっかり乾燥させた後は揉まずに半年ほど寝かせます。その碾茶を茶臼で挽いて粉末にしたのが抹茶です。
抹茶は栽培から製造まで手間暇をかけて作られている分、他の緑茶よりも高価なのです。
抹茶は葉をまるごといただくので緑茶の栄養素を余すことなく摂取できます。また茶殻が出ないのでとてもエコフレンドリー。そしてなんといっても粉を入れて混ぜるだけなので誰でも簡単にいただけるのが特徴です！
The powdered tea that is served at places like sushi restaurants is quite different from matcha.
While both are made from tea leaves, their cultivation methods and manufacturing processes are completely different. Green tea, such as sencha, which is commonly known as green tea, is cultivated in rectangular fields called "kamaboko" fields.
On the other hand, matcha is grown through a method called "covered cultivation" where black sheets are placed over the tea plants about a month before the tea leaves are harvested. By protecting the new shoots from direct sunlight, the production of the bitter component, catechin, is suppressed, while the production of the savory component, theanine, is promoted.
Furthermore, after the newly picked shoots are steamed, the leaves used for matcha, called "tencha," are immediately dried without rolling and with the stems and veins removed. Matcha is made by grinding this tencha in a stone mill.
Due to the meticulous and time-consuming process involved in making matcha, it is more expensive compared to other green teas.
Since matcha is consumed by ingesting the whole leaf, you can enjoy all the nutrients of green tea without wasting any. It is also environmentally friendly as there is no tea residue. Moreover, the best part is that anyone can easily enjoy matcha by simply adding the powder and mixing it!