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high-tech operations. I had the chance to visit one factory and had to don protective clothing as if heading into surgery. I even had to pause in an airlock where machines blew off from the protective clothing any particulate matter that might contaminate the powder. In the production room, everything was covered with bright green dust, especially the rows upon rows of millstones whirring away. The millstones have their work cut out for them: After a full hour of grinding, they produce only two ounces of the powdered tea.

There are several levels of Matcha. The best is called koicha, or “thick tea.” Made from the best spring leaves harvested in Uji, koicha is ordinarily reserved for tea ceremonies. The next level down is called usucha, or “thin tea.” Usucha is less expensive, making it more suitable for everyday use. A third commercial grade is used for ice cream, lattes, and other green tea flavorings. As with Sencha, the demand for Matcha is now great enough that some is made in China, a curious reversal of history given that powdered tea had not been made in China since the Ming dynasty, which ended in 1644.

The oldest type of tea found in Japan, Matcha is what Buddhist monks brought back with them to Kyoto after visiting the Jin Shan monastery in the ninth century (see “Jin Shan,” page 35). After monks began cultivating tea in Japan, the Matcha they made was consumed mostly by monks and royalty, then trickled down only as far as the noble warrior class, the samurai. The preparation of powdered Matcha became ritualized in the 1550s by a Japanese tea master named Sen Rikyu, who codified the practice of Chado. Literally translated as “the Way of Tea,” Chado is a form of religious observance as well as a tea ceremony. Influenced by Taoism as well as Zen Buddhism, Rikyu ritualized the tea service as a means of drawing attention to the beauty and purity of everyday objects. By indicating the proper tools and gestures to use while brewing and serving the tea, as well as the arrangement and architecture of the teahouse, Rikyu encouraged practitioners to focus on the elements involved in tea: water, fire, and the green tea itself. After his death, his three grandsons developed their own schools: Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushanokojisenke. Each of these schools still exists in Japan sixteen generations later.

There are many books on Chado; for our purposes, you do not need to perform a tea ceremony to cultivate a palate for Matcha. All you need to brew it is a deep-sided bowl and a fine whisk. The Japanese traditionally use a bamboo whisk called a “chasen,” but a small metal whisk will do in a pinch. Warm the bowl with hot water, then carefully dry the bowl out to prevent the Matcha powder from clumping. Place 1 level teaspoon of Matcha powder in the bowl. Pour over 1 cup of water heated to 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk the tea in brisk angular motions for 30 seconds, repeatedly tracing out an M in the cup to form a thick, foamy broth. Take a sip; the broth will fill your mouth with sensation. As the initial impact begins to fade, you should be able to detect vegetal flavors of spinach along with the gently bitter bite of the caffeine.

OOLONGS

1. Wenshan BaoZhong

2. Ali Shan

3. Dong Ding

4. Ti Guan Yin

5. Osmanthus

6. Fenghuang ShuiXian

7. Bai Hao (Fanciest Formosa Oolong)

8. Da Hong Pao

9. Formosa Oolong

Asip from a light oolong can taste like a walk through a garden packed with lilacs, gardenias, and jasmine. A darker oolong can smell like a bakery right after it’s finished a round of peach pies. Oolongs are some of my favorite teas. From their own cultivar of Camellia sinensis and their singular methods of production, oolongs take on an astonishing array of flavors and aromas. Many oolongs are creamy, their liquor literally coating your mouth like fresh cream. Others are almost effervescent, practically fizzing like Champagne. Their variety of colors is lovely to behold, from the pale greenish yellow liquor of Ti Guan Yin to the dark orange brew of Fenghuang ShuiXian.