Malcha vs. Powdered Green Tea

What is Malcha?

Malcha is the Korean pronunciation of the Hanja characters 抹茶 (pronounced matcha in Japanese, and muocha in Chinese), directly translating to “powdered/ground down tea”.

How is "malcha" different from "powdered green tea"?

The two are essentially the same - green tea leaves ground down to powder form.
All malcha is powdered green tea, but (technically) not all powdered green tea is malcha.

So what's the difference?
Any type of green tea that is ground up can be qualified as “powdered green tea”. The green tea can be sun-grown, shade-grown, steamed, pan-fired, etc. As long as it is ground up into powder form, it can be called “powdered green tea”.

In order to qualify as “Malcha”, it MUST follow these rules:
(1) The green tea must be “연차” (yeoncha 碾茶 - “tencha” in Japanese). Yeoncha is made of tea leaves that are shade-grown (partially or fully), steamed and dried. Some tea makers may roll or chop the leaves to make it easier to grind.
(2) The yeoncha must be ground to a fine powder with a stone mill.

High-quality malcha will foam well upon whisking. In Korean, we call this process of whisking and foaming “격불” (gyeokbul). In the photo above, you can see the finely whisked malcha in the bowl on the top right (to the right of the bowl with the tin canister).

In order to produce such fine foam, two things are necessary: quality malcha and technique. The latter is a skill that must be honed over time, through practice and experience. Finding the right ratio of powdered tea to water, and using the correct temperature (not too hot or cold) are important factors. This may vary depending on the tea you are using. A good place to start is following the manufacturer's suggestions and then playing around with different ratios and temperatures until you find what works for you. Like a great cup of latte, the smoothness and fineness of the foam at top can make all the difference.

The finest powder comes from tea leaves that are ground down slowly using a stone mill. While other methods (ceramic-ball milled, machine ground, etc.) are used to produce powdered green tea, the stone mill is what gets malcha to this ultra-fine state, without destroying the essence or health benefits of the leaves. Turning the mill too quickly will heat up the stones and "burn" the tea. This slow process only allows about 30-50g of tea to be produced each hour, making fine malcha such a high-priced commodity.

In the world of tea, especially when it comes to describing green tea and powdered green tea production, the term "shade-grown" is often used to describe the environment in which the tea leaves were grown.

What does "shade-grown" mean?

All malcha and some powdered green teas require the tea leaves to be at least partially shade-grown. While some shading is naturally provided by surrounding mountains and/or dew and fog from the ocean, this step is usually done manually by placing a large mesh net over the tea bushes to control the amount of sun/shade that the leaves are exposed to. The amount of shading and period of time before harvesting will vary depending on the farmer/company. Hankook Tea's malcha and higher grades of powdered green tea are all shaded for approximately 2-3 weeks before harvesting. (Hankook Tea's culinary grade is the only powdered green tea grade that is fully sun-grown without any manual shading.)

How does this affect the tea?

All tea (camellia sinensis) leaves are made up of the same components. Where and how they are grown and processed will change the level of each component within the tea leaf.

Tea leaves that are shaded for longer periods of time will have higher levels of chlorophyll and amino acids. This is why shade-grown teas will be brighter green in color and taste "sweeter". Increasing the length of time of shading will also increase the level of caffeine, as well as the level of theanine. Theanine is the component in green tea that is responsible for the smooth texture and the sweet, savory flavor. Teas that have a higher content of theanine will have a sweeter flavor, and are considered to be of higher grades.

Exposure to sunlight increases the level of vitamin C, and converts theanins into tannins. Tannins are the components in tea that is responsible for the astringent, bitter taste (same as in wine, chocolate, coffee, etc). Tannins are a type of polyphenol, which are known for their antioxidant properties (one of the main components that fight cancer). Fully sun-grown, non-shaded teas will generally have a more full-bodied flavor.

Even though there are "higher" and "lower" grades, one method is not necessarily better or worse than the other. It really depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for a specific flavor profile or for a specific health benefit, these are the factors that you should pay attention to, especially when looking for malcha and powdered green tea.

Edited from original 2 posts, posted on our blog in 2014: https://hankooktea.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/malcha-vs-powdered-green-tea/ and https://hankooktea.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/shade-grown-tea/