Just a Splash is Tour de Tea’s economical info-dump where we answer our most frequently asked questions in as few words as possible. A true Goliath of a task for our loquacious tendencies. Today’s question on ceremonial matcha grading seems to be a burgeoning conversation, often quite heated, among matcha enthusiasts.
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Ceremonial Matcha Grading
There are some incredibly strong opinions out there on this one. A lot of eye rolling, and a lot of exasperation. The good news is, the heart of the issue is quite different to the criticism being levelled.
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“Is ‘Ceremonial Matcha’ a Legitimate Indicator of Quality, or a Marketing Scam?”
The common criticism from matcha enthusiasts (many of whom are new to matcha) is pointing out that ‘ceremonial matcha’ as a grade, is something that ‘doesn’t even exist in Japan’. However, without further clarification, this is technically untrue.
Ceremonial Matcha *is* a term used in Japan, by Japanese plantations. We know this because our growers have used the term as we’ve sat across the table from them. It is a term which was born from communicating the quality of matcha to westerners for export. So it’s been coined by Japan, for western markets.
That, in and of itself, is perfectly reasonable.
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The Use of the Term ‘Ceremonial Matcha’.
The language divide between English and Japanese is considerable. As with most elements of language, words have evolved and developed in the process of achieving mutual understanding. Sure – Japan, if left undisturbed by foreigners – may never have needed to coin the term ‘ceremonial grade’. Conversations on matcha quality could have kept to more culturally understood descriptions of the practise such as referring to the shading, terroir, cultivar, tencha processing etc – but all of these components really only make sense to those with a comprehensive knowledge of matcha and Japanese tea horticulture. Ceremonial grade, is the plantation communicating to you that it’s the matcha they’d recommend for ceremonies – not cooking and ideally not lattes once you’re in premium matcha land. It offers an immediate communication of the grower’s estimation of quality.
The suggestion that Ceremonial Matcha is marketing spin, is not accurate.
The heart of the issue is: it is a not an standardised grade. It is a functional grading term.
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Our Observation.
Every Japanese matcha producer we have met with (from large plantations to tiny village tea gardens) has used the term ‘ceremonial matcha’ for their highest quality grades. As such, we are comfortably unperturbed by the wave of negativity the term is currently receiving among matcha enthusiasts.
The Understandable Frustration.
Where we can sympathise is acknowledging the rise of underwhelming matcha – sold as ceremonial grade – dominating the market. Because ‘ceremonial grade’ isn’t an official or standardised term, nor a protected label – matcha sellers capitalise on it. There is no official body stopping someone from deciding their matcha is ceremonial grade. As such, because of this trend, there’s now droves of very average matcha being sold by glamorous matcha companies spruiking ‘high grade ceremonial matcha’. This is not doing matcha culture, tea culture, nor the term ‘ceremonial grade’ any favours.
Some companies have gone one extra and are using invented terms such an ‘pinnacle grade’, ‘superior grade’, ‘imperial grade’ – all of these newer terms sound lovely and luxurious – but they are just as susceptible to being stamped on inferior grades of matcha and thus the cycle continues.
Tour de Tea Ceremonial Matcha.
The matcha we source is so scarce we struggle to convince the plantation to let it out of the country – we are limited to a restricted amount of units per variety, with a raft of conditions to meet with each order. To see a ‘pinnacle grade’ or ‘the best matcha in all of Japan’ being imported in mass kilos across Australia makes us raise an eyebrow. Certainly, we have not come across any Japanese producers using these terms, and would have no arguments if anyone were to suggest they were marketing fluff.
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The best thing you can do for matcha, as with all tea, is to source it mindfully. Engage with tea specialists who devoted their time to premium matcha long before it was popular. They’re probably aching to share their hard work with you.
You can learn more about our matchas here.
