The History of Matcha: From Ancient China to Your Cup

Matcha’s story begins in China, where tea was first valued as medicine and later became a refined drink. During the Song dynasty (960-1279), tea leaves were ground into a fine powder and whisked in a bowl, which is the ancestor of the matcha we drink today. Around 1191, the Japanese Zen monk Eisai brought tea seeds and this whisked-tea tradition home to Japan. Monks drank it to stay calm and alert during meditation, and tea became part of temple life.

Over the next few centuries, matcha grew from a monastery drink into an art form. Tea masters such as Sen no Rikyu shaped the Japanese tea ceremony around simplicity, respect and mindfulness. Japanese growers also developed shade-growing, covering the plants before harvest to produce the vivid green colour and rich umami flavour matcha is known for.

Today, matcha has moved well beyond the tea room and into cafés and kitchens around the world. At Aimi, we still honour that heritage with single-origin, first flush, hand-picked ceremonial matcha from Uji and Yame.