The taste of real matcha is unforgettable. How do you recognise it?

Your first sip of real matcha stays with you. Yet when you order it at a café, many places will serve you something that is merely an echo of this Japanese tradition.

If a pale green-ish drink of indeterminate flavour is set in front of you, it means the actual matcha content is negligible. The rest is sweeteners, flavourings, additives. Many establishments use so-called premixes — cheaper, easier to prepare, and undetectable to a customer who has never tasted the real thing.

But real matcha is a different world entirely.

And then there is hojicha — a tea most people have never heard of, even though it grows from the same bush. While matcha has conquered cafés around the world, hojicha is only now stepping into the spotlight, and it deserves attention.

What exactly are they?

Both matcha and hojicha are green teas. They are made from the leaves of the same tea plant, are not fermented, and are sold in powdered form — meaning that when you drink them, you are consuming the leaves directly, not just an infusion. The difference lies in what happens to the leaves before grinding.

Matcha stays green. Before harvest, the leaves are grown in shade — the reduced sunlight forces the plants to produce more chlorophyll and L-theanine, which intensifies both colour and flavour. Before grinding, the fibres and stems are removed, leaving only what is known as tencha. Grinding must take place cold, because heat would damage both colour and taste. Premium mills process 80 to 150 kilograms per day — which explains the price.

Matcha contains caffeine and L-theanine, and their combination improves alertness and focus differently than caffeine alone: without the spikes, jitteriness, or anxiety.

Hojicha is brown. The leaves are roasted before grinding, which changes their colour and character. The result is earthier, gentler, less grassy — and for anyone expecting a deep green, quite a surprise. It contains significantly less caffeine than matcha, which is precisely why it is traditionally served in the afternoon in Japan.

How to recognise quality matcha

Much like wine: colour, aroma, taste.

According to Richard Urban, Managing Director at Julius Meinl, the colour must be bright, vivid, and lively green — not grey, yellow, or dark. Matcha is stored in dark packaging specifically to prevent colour loss through oxidation. If the powder looks dull or unevenly coloured, something is wrong. Artificially coloured matcha also exists on the market.

This is why aroma matters too — it should evoke fresh grass, seaweed, or chlorophyll. "Our matcha has a sweeter, more delicate aroma — something like fresh pea pods," says Urban.

The flavour should correspond with the colour and aroma, with a gentle grassiness; Julius Meinl's premium matcha, for instance, carries more pronounced citrus notes of lime zest.

Julius Meinl offers both teas in organic quality, with no additives, at ceremonial grade. The leaves are harvested in southern Japan, in the prefectures of Kagoshima and Miyazaki, and ground in Shizuoka.

What to do with them in the kitchen

Both teas have long outgrown the cup. Matcha appears in ice cream, chocolate, baked goods, and cocktails. Hojicha, with its subtler nutty character, is a rewarding ingredient in desserts where matcha would be too assertive.

For preparation, Julius Meinl recommends trying both teas without milk — either pure matcha, properly whisked, or as a light lemonade.

Summer Strawberry Matcha Fizz

Ingredients:

• 1.5 g Julius Meinl Matcha
• 60 ml hot water (80 °C)
• 30 ml strawberry syrup or purée
• 15 ml lime juice
• 10 ml sugar syrup (optional)
• 100 ml sparkling water or soda
• ice

Method: Whisk the matcha with the hot water until a fine foam forms on the surface.

Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in the strawberry syrup or purée — this forms the coloured bottom layer. Add lime juice and sugar syrup to taste. Carefully top with sparkling water, keeping the layers from mixing.

Pour the whisked matcha over the top — ideally over the back of a spoon to keep it floating on the surface.

Tip: pour the matcha slowly — the denser layers (syrup, purée) will stay at the bottom, while the lighter matcha sits on top. Skip the sugar syrup if your strawberry syrup is sweet enough.