MAGIC, ANSWERED

If you've tried matcha and it tasted like grass, you tried bad matcha.

Good matcha (first-harvest, shade-grown, stone-ground) doesn't taste grassy. It's smooth, naturally sweet, rich with umami. Magic Matcha is all of those things.

Most matcha tastes like lawn clippings because it's second or third harvest (older, bitter leaves), wasn't shade-grown properly, or was ground with heat instead of stone mills.

Ours is first-harvest Okumidori, shade-grown for three weeks, stone-ground on granite. Zero bitterness. Zero grass. Just smooth, naturally sweet magic.

If you don't like this, matcha might not be for you. But if you've only tried bad matcha, you haven't actually tried matcha.

You might be wondering why we don't call our matcha "ceremonial grade."

By all standards, it is. But that's a Western term that's become so overused it's lost all meaning. Anyone can call their matcha "ceremonial grade" – and many do, regardless of actual quality.

So instead of using vague marketing labels, we're just going to tell you the provenance of Magic Matcha (first-harvest, shade-grown, hand-picked and stone-ground) and let the quality speak for itself.

The first leaves of spring (late April to May) are the most tender, sweetest, and packed with the most vibrant flavour. After winter, tea plants concentrate all their energy into these young leaves, which is why first-harvest matcha is smooth and naturally sweet, not bitter and chalky.

Hand-picking ensures only the youngest, most tender leaves are selected for Magic Matcha. Machines can't distinguish between young and old leaves, which means lower-grade matcha often includes tougher, more bitter leaves.

Hand-picked first-harvest leaves are softer, sweeter, and packed with more nutrients and flavour. It's slower and more labour-intensive, but it's the difference between smooth, naturally sweet matcha and bitter, chalky powder.

If it tastes grassy or harsh, it wasn't picked carefully enough. Something you don't have to worry about with ours.

Three weeks before harvest, the tea plants are covered to block 90% of sunlight. This shade stress increases chlorophyll (that vibrant emerald colour), L-theanine (natural sweetness and calm energy), and reduces bitterness. It's what makes matcha taste like matcha.

After the leaves are dried, they're slowly ground between granite millstones and it takes about an hour to grind just 40g. Granite stays cool, protecting delicate flavours and creating ultra-fine powder that whisks into smooth, velvety magic instead of chalky clumps.