i'm often skeptical of Chinese matcha simply because the processing of Chinese green teas are so different from Japanese green teas but clearly i shouldn't have painted with a broad stroke.
Matcha originated in China and is no longer popular among Chinese people today. But as long as there are profits, Chinese tea producers can still produce high-quality matcha, using Japanese matcha technology. On the other hand, looking for high-quality matcha in the Chinese tea market is unreliable unless you have a trusted supplier. This is also true.
China is the largest tea producer in the world. And in fact, green tea was transferred from China to Japan many years ago. However, when you have great variety of matcha to buy in japan or online directly mailed from Japan , why do you need to buy from China . Great video. Thank you .
I prefer the taste of Japanese matcha as well however good quality Chinese matcha can offer unusual flavor profiles. There's one memorable Chinese matcha I tried years ago that tasted like a floral high mountain oolong. Never found anything else like it.
Don, I'm so glad I found your channel! I am just now getting back into tea, and your videos provide excellent education on all things tea. Thank you! I hope to order some tea from you soon.
Yes, but in the case of Chinese matcha - or Chinese anything - extra precaution needs to be taken. At best, you get scammed. At worst, you get poisoned, especially with food products. Best to avoid. **edit** I’m talking about Chinese products. NOT PEOPLE.
Can you check the Lead content of Matcha? China's tea have higher lead, which is not a problem drinking tea from tea leaves. But Matcha has the leaves grounded, which means you are ingesting lead. I hope I am wrong
Incorrect information. In the fourth century, tea was produced mostly in bricks. Actually there is even little evidence back then because the first written reference is the "Cha Jing" Classic of tea written by Yu Lu came only in the 7th Century. Matcha (powder tea) was popular much later during the Song Dynasty. The rest is folklore and assumptions. It is puzzling to see how much disinformation exist and is repeated without any fact checking about tea on internet.
Tang dynasty China, around 7th century. Supposedly used by Chan (zen) buddhists for meditative purposes. Was introduced to Japan around 11th century and slowly became less popular in China. Hence the standard Chinese quality stems from lack of demand.
Both surprising and interesting. Thank you for this video. Seeing that, I would say that it is just a matter of time before chinese producers offer us really great matcha that could compete with many japanese ones, even the highest quality picks. It is funny to recall that originally, Matcha is a chinese thing that they abandonned many centuries ago. Now it is a long way before they really get back to it properly but it looks like a never-ending cycle ! I wonder if koreans could do the same. The only matcha I got from them were far away for the high grades in Japan.
I usually get Chinese Matcha and it's usually fine. I think I've only had a bad experience with it once. In fact it originated from China. I've also tried pleasant tasting Korean Matcha from South Korea 🇰🇷
@@oNorw SEEIN .. It’s Matcha from South Korea 🇰🇷 SEEIN is my most preferred Matcha brand when I can actually get it .. it’s high quality Matcha and I recommend it.
@@FaeTae2014 pretty good prices on the hadong type at least, thanks! If you have any chinese brands too let me know. I buy some things for my business like every two months from china so I’m adding some matcha to see how it is
Normally I'm not really a matcha fan. Just the price point for anything that's actually drinkable just puts me off. But maybe I should reconsider picking up some just to give it an other try.
I think it’s lack of popularity of matcha in China, only inferior leaves will be used in matcha. I mean if you could sell for higher price using leave then why bother.
It isnt really a terroir issue, considering that tea is native to China. The issue IS the processing. Many Chinese tea manufacturers just use matcha to use up their late harvest tea leaves and sell it for profit. But, with more people in China drinking matcha, more manufacturers have been more discerning with the process and making better matcha.
@@cpa314 Tea originated in China, but the cultivars and agricultural techniques of Japan have deviated since. Where the tea grows does make a difference. Champagne from France does not taste the same as California sparkling wine, even if they try to replicate it.
@@teaformeplease yes, agricultural techniques and the cultivar can both be learned or brought in to China, and as more tea producers in China get more serious about making matcha they are probably doing just that. Terroir will definitely make a difference in the final outcome of the tea but it's definitely not why Chinese matcha in the recent past was no good. Whether the terroir in Japan is "better" for matcha is subjective and just depends on personal tastes. But, the main reason Chinese matcha in the past was generally bad had more to do with processing and actually caring about the product on a deeper level. As Don mentioned in the video, he said he would not be able to pick the Chinese matcha he tried out if grouped together with other ceremonial grade matchas from Uji. So it's not that the terroir in China isn't suitable for making matcha at all. It really just comes down more to the producers wanting to put in the time and effort to do it well, which not many producers in China did in the past because 1 there was not a domestic market for it and 2 they likely also lacked the know how. Good matcha cam be made outside of Japan, just like good oolong tea can be made outside of China. Heck, Taiwan produces some of the best oolongs in the world, partially due to unique terroir coupled with skillful processing. It's not a stretch that a country other than Japan could also produce world class matcha.
Here's a million-pound idea: Open "Don Leaf" in order to offer teas which are below Mei Leaf standard. You could make a minimum order requirement of 100g or even more, catering to resellers and bigger buyers. I bet that you have a contact book full of providers ready to ship tomorrow and definitely the client base ready to upgrade their restaurant/patisserie/tea shop menu with teas selected by you.
@@Unityframe judging by how high Mei Leaf quality is, "below Mei Leaf standard" (the way I wrote it) - is not low quality tea by far. I bet that such tea, if sold at affordable prices, could elevate the "bottom" level of tea (in a town, country, the World, depending on the scale of sales).
I always avoid Japanese Matcha. I actually got Japanese Matcha before and the quality was so poor. Goes to show that Chinese and Korean Matcha tend to be better.
@@FaeTae2014 Always lies is typically people from scam country , people around the world know japan have good pop culture and always making high quality product. Unlike china always plagiat and copycat with poor quality just quantity.
@@GodBimmer No .. I don’t envy Japan but I was just stating my opinion that I believe Korean or Chinese Matcha is usually better despite people saying Japanese Matcha is better.
... Is your Chinese Matcha man going to guarantee that your shipment of Matcha will be the same as what you are tasting here… And is he guaranteeing it... I doubt it… Nice tasting, Don...🇺🇸 In God we trust🇺🇸
Thanks for your videos 茶友. One thing to add: we can't call this chinese tea matcha, no reason for it. Just like AOP wines or Champagne. Let the "Matcha" glorious name for the original one in Japan
Just came across your channel. I particularly enjoyed the Qimen Black Mao Feng tea video. We discovered it about ten years ago when we visited Qimen find the original Red Tea. I got cheated by seller at Tea City in Chengdu who sold me some cheap Yunnan black as Qimen. Went to the source. Keep up the fun videos.
You make great videos. Your enthusiasm, your charisma, and your love for what you do are obvious.
Don da teacher, de pillar of truth inna tea! 🙏🏻❤️
you got completely sucked in by his marketing, like a black hole ( like a black tea 😅? )
So Don, where can we also try this Chinese matcha? :D
Yes, I want to know also. For research purposes lol
Probably in China...
Me too. And I wonder what brand is it.
i'm often skeptical of Chinese matcha simply because the processing of Chinese green teas are so different from Japanese green teas but clearly i shouldn't have painted with a broad stroke.
Matcha originated in China and is no longer popular among Chinese people today. But as long as there are profits, Chinese tea producers can still produce high-quality matcha, using Japanese matcha technology.
On the other hand, looking for high-quality matcha in the Chinese tea market is unreliable unless you have a trusted supplier. This is also true.
I know it’s a conflict of interest for you guys but I would like to test that Chinese matcha out too if it’s available
China is the largest tea producer in the world. And in fact, green tea was transferred from China to Japan many years ago. However, when you have great variety of matcha to buy in japan or online directly mailed from Japan , why do you need to buy from China . Great video. Thank you .
Well, if Chinese manufacturers can nail their processing down, you would potentially be able to buy high quality matcha for much cheaper.
Man he talking about tea… reminds me of Quentin Tarantino talking about movies.
I prefer the taste of Japanese matcha as well however good quality Chinese matcha can offer unusual flavor profiles. There's one memorable Chinese matcha I tried years ago that tasted like a floral high mountain oolong. Never found anything else like it.
Now you made my try matcha again. This is how much I trust you ;) so will we get to try the chinese matcha?
Don, I'm so glad I found your channel! I am just now getting back into tea, and your videos provide excellent education on all things tea. Thank you! I hope to order some tea from you soon.
Does anybody know where I can find Matcha powder in China?
I think just like coffee can have many origins, we should be more open minded to matcha from outside Japan
Yes, but in the case of Chinese matcha - or Chinese anything - extra precaution needs to be taken. At best, you get scammed. At worst, you get poisoned, especially with food products. Best to avoid.
**edit** I’m talking about Chinese products. NOT PEOPLE.
Can you check the Lead content of Matcha? China's tea have higher lead, which is not a problem drinking tea from tea leaves. But Matcha has the leaves grounded, which means you are ingesting lead. I hope I am wrong
@Mei Leaf
The Chinese matcha may make a good _koi-cha_ (濃茶, strong, froth-less matcha) rather than the _usu-cha_ (薄茶, dilute, frothy matcha) you made.
Where is the Chinese one exactly from?
Although China invented matcha in the fourth century, it is seldom eaten by Chinese people nowadays.
Incorrect information. In the fourth century, tea was produced mostly in bricks. Actually there is even little evidence back then because the first written reference is the "Cha Jing" Classic of tea written by Yu Lu came only in the 7th Century. Matcha (powder tea) was popular much later during the Song Dynasty. The rest is folklore and assumptions. It is puzzling to see how much disinformation exist and is repeated without any fact checking about tea on internet.
@@Yalishenderful You are wrong. Matcha originated in the Wei and Jin Dynasties
@@Yalishenderful The works of Wei and Jin Dynasties describe the production process of Matcha.
Where can find supplier for Uji Hikari in japan
When and where did Japanese matcha originate?
Tang dynasty China, around 7th century.
Supposedly used by Chan (zen) buddhists for meditative purposes.
Was introduced to Japan around 11th century and slowly became less popular in China.
Hence the standard Chinese quality stems from lack of demand.
@@Liliquan thanks come late🤞
@@Liliquan 宋朝是中国抹茶最后的辉煌。元朝的蒙古王公还是习惯喝茶饼煮的奶茶，明朝开国皇帝朱元璋为了增加茶叶税收，将蒸青团茶改为散茶，即“改团为散”，自此茶叶才真正的进入中国各个阶层的家庭之中。抹茶也几乎从中国的茶叶市场上消失。
@@Liliquan Incorrect. Matcha was prevalent during the Song Dynasty, much later. Tang Dynasty was the time of fermented teas.
Matcha actually didn't originate there .. it originated in China.
Both surprising and interesting. Thank you for this video. Seeing that, I would say that it is just a matter of time before chinese producers offer us really great matcha that could compete with many japanese ones, even the highest quality picks. It is funny to recall that originally, Matcha is a chinese thing that they abandonned many centuries ago. Now it is a long way before they really get back to it properly but it looks like a never-ending cycle ! I wonder if koreans could do the same. The only matcha I got from them were far away for the high grades in Japan.
I usually get Chinese Matcha and it's usually fine. I think I've only had a bad experience with it once. In fact it originated from China. I've also tried pleasant tasting Korean Matcha from South Korea 🇰🇷
Any particular brand you like?
@@oNorw SEEIN .. It’s Matcha from South Korea 🇰🇷 SEEIN is my most preferred Matcha brand when I can actually get it .. it’s high quality Matcha and I recommend it.
@@FaeTae2014 pretty good prices on the hadong type at least, thanks! If you have any chinese brands too let me know. I buy some things for my business like every two months from china so I’m adding some matcha to see how it is
so, over a year later, when and where can we get the chinese matcha?
I thought I'd be content with the sencha I have but now I'm craving matcha.
such a satisfying video
Hii can you also try genmaicha? :>
Yay!! Teahead for life!
I always drink tea when i see your videos.
Now I know what type of matcha to brew with my bancha tea and kombucha mix.
Interesting review Mei Leaf. I want to know, how did you get the Chinese matcha?
Any suggestions best matcha japan that's worth $10-15? 💚
Normally I'm not really a matcha fan. Just the price point for anything that's actually drinkable just puts me off. But maybe I should reconsider picking up some just to give it an other try.
Chinese loose leaf teas are Fantastic ,black tea is the best.
When I saw the title, I was like, "Chinese vs. Japanese???" Why is this even a conversation? lol. Clicked anyway. lol
More blind taste tests!!
hopefully celine didnt mismatchad the labels
I've definitely never had Chinese matcha that was quite good enough. Terroir makes a difference, even if the processing is the same.
I think it’s lack of popularity of matcha in China, only inferior leaves will be used in matcha. I mean if you could sell for higher price using leave then why bother.
It isnt really a terroir issue, considering that tea is native to China. The issue IS the processing. Many Chinese tea manufacturers just use matcha to use up their late harvest tea leaves and sell it for profit. But, with more people in China drinking matcha, more manufacturers have been more discerning with the process and making better matcha.
@@cpa314 Tea originated in China, but the cultivars and agricultural techniques of Japan have deviated since. Where the tea grows does make a difference. Champagne from France does not taste the same as California sparkling wine, even if they try to replicate it.
@@teaformeplease yes, agricultural techniques and the cultivar can both be learned or brought in to China, and as more tea producers in China get more serious about making matcha they are probably doing just that. Terroir will definitely make a difference in the final outcome of the tea but it's definitely not why Chinese matcha in the recent past was no good. Whether the terroir in Japan is "better" for matcha is subjective and just depends on personal tastes. But, the main reason Chinese matcha in the past was generally bad had more to do with processing and actually caring about the product on a deeper level. As Don mentioned in the video, he said he would not be able to pick the Chinese matcha he tried out if grouped together with other ceremonial grade matchas from Uji. So it's not that the terroir in China isn't suitable for making matcha at all. It really just comes down more to the producers wanting to put in the time and effort to do it well, which not many producers in China did in the past because 1 there was not a domestic market for it and 2 they likely also lacked the know how. Good matcha cam be made outside of Japan, just like good oolong tea can be made outside of China. Heck, Taiwan produces some of the best oolongs in the world, partially due to unique terroir coupled with skillful processing. It's not a stretch that a country other than Japan could also produce world class matcha.
Must be unlucky then because I always get Chinese Matcha and I usually don't have a problem with it, well except for like once.
Here's a million-pound idea:
Open "Don Leaf" in order to offer teas which are below Mei Leaf standard.
You could make a minimum order requirement of 100g or even more, catering to resellers and bigger buyers.
I bet that you have a contact book full of providers ready to ship tomorrow and definitely the client base ready to upgrade their restaurant/patisserie/tea shop menu with teas selected by you.
why low quality?
@@Unityframe judging by how high Mei Leaf quality is, "below Mei Leaf standard" (the way I wrote it) - is not low quality tea by far.
I bet that such tea, if sold at affordable prices, could elevate the "bottom" level of tea (in a town, country, the World, depending on the scale of sales).
"china vs..." title got me here
Understand the Chinese being not as good. There isn’t a matcha drinking culture there. No market. Though more quality matcha is also better.
But… you don t use the right pottery for thé chinese matcha.
I loveeeee matcha.
Great show totally trustworthy !
How tea getting umami🤔
L-theanine
Mah-cha. Not Margaret Thatcher's matcher.
And keep the vowel short and sweet, with the subtlest of pauses before the "cha"
The way it's pronounced in English is different from Japanese. That's how language works. Hence why chokoretto don't sound like chocolate.
@@Liliquan Haha, but he also mispronounces "master" 😅😅
@@Liliquan Does that mean we can say Peking and Canton and Burma again? 😃
Great channel. I'm just "taking the piss". Studied Japanese language for 10 years but I don't have a clue about Chinese pronunciation.
@@juglanscinerea Well Peking and the rest are still commonly used.
His Chinese pronunciation is comprehensible but not great.
Hey don i am very scared of tea going extinct in my lifetime, or at least quality tea. When do you think camelia sinensis goes kaboom?
Bought it!
日本抹茶有很重的海苔味
生长环境不一样
I always avoid Japanese Matcha. I actually got Japanese Matcha before and the quality was so poor. Goes to show that Chinese and Korean Matcha tend to be better.
Human from Scam country detected
Salty , you so envy japan always best and have good image.
@@FaeTae2014 Always lies is typically people from scam country , people around the world know japan have good pop culture and always making high quality product. Unlike china always plagiat and copycat with poor quality just quantity.
@@GodBimmer No .. I don’t envy Japan but I was just stating my opinion that I believe Korean or Chinese Matcha is usually better despite people saying Japanese Matcha is better.
... Is your Chinese Matcha man going to guarantee that your shipment of Matcha will be the same as what you are tasting here… And is he guaranteeing it... I doubt it… Nice tasting, Don...🇺🇸 In God we trust🇺🇸
I've tried Chinese Matcha once, it tasted like a swamp.
Bias AF
Don, you are mispronouncing Uji Hikari. its. YOO-jee he-KAR-ee not OO-jee HICK-or-ee.
Get over it, Dustin.
matcha is a japanese word, ok
ya chinese way to say matcha would be mo cha but the japanese and chinese characters are the same, it’s both written as 抹茶
🇯🇵🥋💨🍵 Ryu Wins.
If you want to call a clearly unfair match a win, then go for it.
@@Liliquan Haduuukin 💨🍵
lol, Chill, it's just a Street Fighter joke.
Thanks for your videos 茶友. One thing to add: we can't call this chinese tea matcha, no reason for it. Just like AOP wines or Champagne. Let the "Matcha" glorious name for the original one in Japan
Matcha was historically from China, and evolved in Japan
Just came across your channel. I particularly enjoyed the Qimen Black Mao Feng tea video. We discovered it about ten years ago when we visited Qimen find the original Red Tea. I got cheated by seller at Tea City in Chengdu who sold me some cheap Yunnan black as Qimen. Went to the source. Keep up the fun videos.