Japanese reading: usucha you / koicha you

Originally, these terms describe two preparation styles of matcha: usucha (thin tea) and koicha (thick tea).

In general, usucha is prepared by whisking about 2 g of matcha with about 60 ml of hot water, while koicha is prepared by kneading about 4 g of matcha with about 40 ml of hot water.

These terms do not indicate the grade of the matcha itself, and any matcha can be prepared as either style. However, because koicha can make off-notes more noticeable, matcha with lower astringency and a fuller umami profile tends to be more suitable.

For ease of selection, the market may classify matcha as “for usucha” or “for koicha” as a practical convention.

Japanese reading: seremoniaru gureido

A term commonly used in markets outside Japan to refer to high-quality matcha suitable for tea ceremony use. In Japan, “ceremonial grade” is not widely used as an official classification, and there is no single industry-wide standard. At MATCHA DIRECT, matcha made from first flush tencha harvested earliest in the year, with a flavour profile positioned at “premium or above,” is treated as corresponding to this quality band.

Japanese reading: kurinarii gureido

A category generally used for matcha intended for confectionery and beverage applications. At MATCHA DIRECT, this category uses second flush tencha from the same year. Second flush tends to have more pronounced bitterness and astringency, which can help the matcha character remain perceptible when combined with other ingredients.

Japanese reading: chaki

A term for tea harvest timing, such as first flush, second flush, and autumn flush. For tencha used as the raw material for matcha, first flush typically has higher amino acid and chlorophyll content and therefore tends to be priced higher. In Uji, there are also growers who harvest only the first flush with a focus on quality.

Japanese reading: hinshu

The tea plant cultivar of tencha used as the raw material for matcha. The main cultivars grown differ by production region.

Examples include the following cultivars:

Uji (Kyoto): Samidori, Asahi, Gokou, Ujihikari, Okumidori, Sakimidori, Saemidori, Houshun, Tenmyo, Meiryoku,Yabukita

Kagoshima: Yutakamidori, Saemidori, Asanoka, Kanayamidori, Okumidori, Yabukita

Japanese reading: sanchi

The main production areas for matcha and tencha. Representative regions include Uji (Kyoto), Nishio (Aichi), Kagoshima, Shizuoka, and Yame (Fukuoka). In addition, Nara and Mie are also major areas that cultivate tencha used for “Uji matcha”.

Japanese reading: yuuki matcha

Matcha certified under the Organic JAS scheme. It is made from tencha cultivated in fields managed for at least three years without the use of synthetically produced pesticides, chemical fertilisers, or soil conditioners, and it is manufactured in a facility that holds organic certification.

Japanese reading: kankou saibai

A general cultivation method based on conventional nutrient and field management practices. It is managed in accordance with Japanese domestic pesticide-use standards and is distributed mainly for the domestic market.

For matcha exports, residue limits vary by destination country/region, so export-specific pesticide management is required.

In practice, “conventional cultivation” is often used as a contrasting term to “export-oriented production,” and at the field level it commonly refers to tea produced for the Japanese domestic market rather than for export.

Accordingly, tencha cultivation is practically grouped into three categories:

1) Organic cultivation: cultivated under specified organic standards such as Organic JAS; chemical fertilisers are not permitted, and processing-facility certification is also required, which creates a clear hurdle difference from category 2 and is reflected in pricing.

2) Export-oriented cultivation: not organically certified, but cultivated under strict pesticide-use control to meet the destination residue limits; in some cases, management is effectively close to organic.

3) Conventional cultivation: a general method based on Japanese domestic standards, mainly for domestic distribution.

Japanese reading: dekafe matcha

Matcha with caffeine removed. Major methods include supercritical carbon dioxide extraction and water-based extraction. MATCHA DIRECT uses the supercritical carbon dioxide method. Both approaches are designed to selectively remove caffeine while retaining, as much as possible, the original flavour, aroma, and umami-related components of matcha.

Japanese reading: singuru origin

Matcha produced using tencha from a single farm and a single cultivar. Characteristics specific to the farm, cultivar, and region tend to appear more clearly. At the same time, the volume that can be produced as matcha is limited, so production is typically very small.

Japanese reading: tezumi

In Japan, “tezumi” (hand-picking) is a general term for harvesting fresh tea leaves by hand only, without using blades or machines.

It includes not only picking leaf-by-leaf but also methods such as breaking-off picking and stripping. For tencha, leaf-by-leaf picking is not used.

In Uji today, hand-picking is a very rare harvesting method. Although precise statistics are not available, based on practitioners’ sense, the share of hand-picked tea within Kyoto’s first flush is considered to be below 3%, with most harvested by “hasami-gari” (cutting). “Hasami-gari” is a general term for harvesting methods that use blades, ranging from hand shears to harvesting machines with cutting blades; hand shears are not classified as hand-picking.

In overseas customer communications, there are cases where people assume that much tencha in Japan is hand-picked, but the distributed volume is small.

Japanese reading: hifuku kikan

The period during which tea bushes are covered before harvest to produce tencha. It is generally considered a requirement to shade for 20 days or more prior to harvest.

A longer shading period tends to increase chlorophyll and amino acid content, but longer is not inherently better.

For higher-grade Uji tencha, shading may result in around 30–40 days, but the duration is not fixed in advance; farmers adjust it while monitoring weather conditions and leaf growth.