MATCHA HISTORY
9th Century
(Tang Dynasty) First records of tea emerges. Teas were harvested and formed into tea bricks for storage and efficient transportation
12th Century
Buddhist Monk Eisai brought back tea seeds and planted these seeds on the temple grounds in Kyoto, the home of the Kamakura Shogun. This is thought to be the origin of tea culture in Japan.
12th Century
Buddhists developed a new method for cultivating the green tea plant inventing Tencha. This kind of tea was developed by growing the green tea plant under shaded conditions – the method that is largely credited for maximizing the health benefits of matcha.
15th Century
Zen student Murata Juko created a formalized ritual that included the cultivation, consumption and ceremony. Zen Master Sen-no-Rikyu is credited with popularizing these tea ceremony rituals and has become the most revered historical figure of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.
17th Century
Matcha was extremely precious and rare, thus only the Shogun and nobility had access. Until Sohen Nagatani invented the "uji" green tea processing method that revolutionized matcha practices and is still in use today.
18th - 19th Century
With new production techniques at Uji, matcha, the ceremonial tea of the shogun and nobility, now became more available to the public.
21st Century
Matcha is enjoyed all around the world, not just in the form of tea, but also in the form of lattes, desserts, and snacks; all of which are made possible through advanced Uji production techniques.