Ceremonial matcha is made from the youngest tea leaves, stone-ground, intended to be drunk on its own with hot water. It is sweeter, smoother, and more expensive — usually $30 to $80 for 30 grams. Culinary matcha is made from older leaves and intended for baking, smoothies, or lattes where other flavors mask any bitterness. It costs $15 to $30 for the same weight. Use ceremonial when matcha is the point. Use culinary when matcha is one ingredient. Full guide.

Three to four weeks if stored in an airtight tin in the refrigerator. After that, the bright green color starts to dull and the flavor goes flat. We sell our ceremonial matcha in 30-gram tins specifically because that is roughly the amount one person uses in a month — so you finish a tin before it loses its peak.

If you drink matcha plain, yes. Yame, Uji, and Nishio each have distinct flavor profiles — Yame is umami-forward, Uji is grassy, Nishio is sweeter. If you make lattes or iced drinks where milk and sugar dominate, single-origin is wasted money. Our Nami Yame matcha is the one we drink ourselves.

For texture, bamboo wins. The 80 to 120 prongs of a chasen create finer foam (crema) than any electric blade can. For speed, electric wins — six seconds versus thirty. For matcha lattes where you blend milk and matcha simultaneously, electric is more practical. For ceremonial-grade matcha in a wide bowl, bamboo every time. We tested both side-by-side.

Three steps. Rinse in warm water immediately after use — do not use soap, it ruins the bamboo. Shake gently to release water from between the prongs. Rest tip-up on a chasen holder so the prongs can air-dry without flattening. Replace your chasen every six to twelve months of daily use; the prongs eventually break.

Yes. Matcha clumps in the tin during transport and storage. Pushing clumped matcha through a fine wire sieve before whisking is the difference between a smooth drink and one with little bitter pellets. A small sieve costs $8 and saves every bowl. Our Matcha Tea Set includes one.

175°F (80°C). Boiling water (212°F) makes ceremonial matcha bitter — it scalds the delicate amino acids. If you do not have a temperature-controlled kettle, boil water and let it sit for two minutes. The amount: one tablespoon of water per gram of matcha for the initial paste, then top up to your desired drink size.

Roughly 1 gram, or half a teaspoon, per 4-6 oz cup for traditional preparation (usucha — thin matcha). 2 grams for koicha (thick matcha) preparation. For matcha lattes, 1.5 grams works well with 8 oz milk.

One of three things. First: water too hot. Try 175°F. Second: matcha grade too low for plain drinking — culinary grade is bitter on its own. Try ceremonial grade. Third: matcha is old or has been in a warm cabinet. Refrigerate after opening.

Our matcha is sourced from Japan (Yame and Nishio prefectures). Our bamboo whisks are hand-made in Japan and Taiwan. Our diatomaceous stone mats are made in China to our specification. Our titanium cutting board is made in China. We assemble, test, and pack every order in Newport Beach, California.

Currently we ship to the United States and Canada (Canada launched May 2026 — matcha sets only). International expansion is on our 2026 roadmap. Email lisa@strabella.org if you are outside US/Canada and we will tell you when we expand to your region.

Reply to your order confirmation email with a photo of the damage. We ship a replacement at no cost within 24 hours and we eat the cost. We do not require you to return the damaged item. If a tin arrived crushed, that is on us.