history

Matcha's roots stretch back to Tang Dynasty China, where Buddhist monks first began grinding tea leaves into a fine powder. It was during the Song Dynasty that the practice of whisking powdered tea with hot water truly flourished — and it was Japanese Buddhist monk Eisai who, upon returning from China in 1191, brought tea seeds and this preparation method back to Japan. Matcha quickly became central to Zen monastery life, prized for the calm alertness it provided during long hours of meditation. By the 16th century, the Japanese tea ceremony (Chanoyu, or "the way of tea") had been formalized by tea master Sen no Rikyu, transforming the simple act of preparing and drinking matcha into a spiritual practice built around the principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. For centuries, matcha remained the domain of monks, samurai, and the aristocracy. It wasn't until much later that it found its way into everyday Japanese life, and eventually, into the hands of the rest of the world.