● Why Are Our Green Tea Powder Different?

In order to provide the healthy and delicious Hakka Leicha, we focus on the grains, green tea powder (the main ingredients of Leicha), professional research and production of matcha.  However, some people may think all the green tea powder is the same. Let me introduce the difference between ”steamed green tea powder” and ”stirred green tea powder.”

There are two types of green tea powder in Taiwan.  One is steamed green tea powder and the other one is stirred green tea powder.  After the tea leaves are plucked, we need to kill green, preventing oxidation from occurring.  In Taiwan, we usually choose “stir fixation.” The traditional way of stir fixation is frying the fresh leaves in the pan.  To prevent from charring, the temperature is high and the tea leaves will dry directly, which makes the scent of tea leaf fully develop.  In short, the stirred green tea powder is fast and cheap. The tea leaves become charred and discolored. 

However, there are some drawbacks of stirred green tea powder.  It tends to lose the nutrition of the tea leaf and the color of the powder is darker.  Also, the taste is bitter and astringent. Therefore, most of the stirred green tea powder needs to add sugar, creamer or spices to make it more acceptable for the customers.

● Top Steamed Green Tea Powder

The cost of steamed green tea powder is higher but it can keep the nutrition, the freshness of powder and the rich taste.  The production process of steamed green tea powder follows Japanese steamed way. With many steps of steamed fixation and the process of heavy rolling, light rolling and medium rolling, the steamed green tea powder with good quality gradually dries over and over again.  Therefore, the aroma is nice and strong. If you savor the green tea leaf directly, you can absorb most of the natural substance in the tea leaf, like vitamin C, tea polyphenols, catechins, antioxidant, dietary fiber, and so on. Its medical theory is as same as the matcha powder.  Only the color and taste are different. (That’s why people have called it “tea eating” (Chi-Cha) since the Tang and Song Dynasties)

● The way to tell the difference

Observing the tea liquid is the easiest way to tell the difference between “steamed green tea powder” and “stirred green tea powder.”  If it has the dark color with bitter and astringent taste and easily precipitates, that’s stirred green tea powder. On the other hand, the principle of making steamed green tea powder is dissolving in the water, processing with steam fixation and drying slowly.   Thus, the emerald liquid can retain the sweet aftertaste.

It is our lifelong goal to share the great green tea, matcha and Hakka Leicha with more and more people.  Please try this Hakka Leicha which is made of this top steamed green tea powder.