- Latin name
- Camellia sinensis
- Family
- Tea family (Theaceae)
- Origin
- Japan (Uji, Nishio); in perfume an accord
- Parts used
- shade-grown tea leaves ground into powder
- Raw materials
- tea and green accords
- Extraction
- synthesis
- Olfactory group
- green (tea)
- Position in the pyramid
- heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- Hedione, cis-3-hexenol, tea bases
Matcha is a Japanese green tea that is not brewed as leaves but whisked from a fine powder with a bamboo whisk. A few weeks before picking the tea bushes are shaded, and the leaves become especially vivid, tender and rich.
How it smells: green, soft and creamy: fresh grass, an umami sweetness, a light bitterness and a faintly nutty powderiness. Matcha sounds denser and creamier than ordinary green tea, without its transparent wateriness.
Shading changes the composition of the leaves: they contain more chlorophyll and amino acids, which give matcha its sweetish, creamy softness. Perfumers recreate this by combining green notes with soft milky and powdery ones.
What it pairs with: with milk and vanilla — a “matcha latte”, with jasmine — Japanese tea minimalism, with yuzu — a fresh Asian composition, with pistachio — green gourmands, with musk — clean powdery greenery.
Good to know: in the Japanese tea ceremony matcha is the main drink: it is prepared by strict rules, and a master spends years perfecting the movements.
