FAQ

Matcha is a green tea made by grinding specially grown tea leaves into a fine, vibrant green powder. It's traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies and is now enjoyed worldwide. Unlike other teas, matcha is whisked directly into water or milk, so you drink the whole leaf. That's what gives it a smooth texture, rich flavor, and more nutrients per cup.

Both come from the same plant, but they're grown and prepared differently. Matcha plants are shaded for several weeks before harvest, which boosts chlorophyll and L-theanine. This gives matcha its deep green color and rich, umami flavor. The leaves are then steamed, dried, and stone-ground into powder, so you consume the entire leaf.

Regular green tea is grown in full sun, steeped in hot water, and the leaves are discarded. Matcha delivers a fuller taste, more antioxidants, and steadier energy.

Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that's roasted over high heat, giving it a warm, toasty flavor with notes of caramel and cocoa. The roasting process lowers its caffeine content, making it a great choice for afternoons and evenings. Our Hojicha Classic can be prepared the same way as matcha, whisked into water or milk.

If you love drinking tea straight with hot water, choose our Ceremonial Matcha. It is crafted from the youngest, most tender spring leaves to yield maximum umami with virtually no bitterness.

If you make daily milk lattes or smoothies, choose our Everyday Matcha. It has a slightly bolder, full-bodied profile designed to shine cleanly through milk and sweeteners. If you want a cozy, low-caffeine drink for afternoons or evenings, choose our Hojicha Classic. Made from roasted green tea leaves, it offers a warm, nutty caramel taste that is gentle on sensitive stomachs.

Both come from shade-grown Japanese green tea leaves (Camellia sinensis), but they differ by harvest time and taste profile. Ceremonial Matcha comes strictly from the delicate first harvest in spring. It has a vivid jade-green color, a silky texture, and a smooth, sweet umami flavor intended to be whisked straight with hot water. Everyday Matcha utilizes a slightly later harvest, offering a brighter vegetal flavor with a touch more structure. It provides the ideal balance for mixing into daily lattes without getting lost under the flavor of milk.

Many of our customers switch from coffee for exactly this reason. Matcha gives you a calm, focused energy that lasts for hours, without the spike and crash. It's also gentler on the stomach. If you're easing off coffee, a matcha latte in the morning is a natural place to start.

Matcha is graded by harvest season, color, aroma, texture, and flavor. Each harvest reflects natural changes in the leaves through the growing season:

• First harvest (spring): Tender, shade-grown leaves with a vibrant green color and a smooth, mild flavor that's slightly sweet and rich in umami.
• Second harvest (early summer): A brighter, more vegetal flavor with a bit more astringency. Still green, though slightly less vivid.
• Third harvest (fall): A stronger, more robust flavor with earthier notes and a duller green tone. The texture is a little coarser due to leaf maturity.

We keep our prices fair by working directly with famliy run farms in Japan, essentially cutting out middlemen that would inflate tea prices. In a traditional supply chain, matcha passes through multiple hands before reaching the customer.

Each step adds an extra 20% to 50% markup, along with extended warehouse storage times that compromise freshness.

By partnering directly with Japanese tea farmers and managing our own importing, we eliminate those multi-tiered markups. You receive the utmost frash matcha straight from the harvest to your doorstep at a price that directly reflects the quality of the tea, not the distributors' fees.

Matcha or Hojicha tea

1. Sift 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (about 1 to 2 grams) of matcha into a bowl or cup.
2. Add 2 oz (60 ml) of hot water, around 175°F (80°C). Not boiling.
3. Whisk briskly with a bamboo whisk or milk frother until smooth and frothy.
4. Add more hot water to taste and enjoy right away, or pour over ice for a cold version.

Matcha or Hojicha latte

1. Sift 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (1 to 2 grams) of matcha into a bowl or cup.
2. Add 2 oz (60 ml) of hot water, about 175°F (80°C).
3. Whisk until smooth and frothy.
4. Add 6 to 8 oz (180 to 240 ml) of your favorite milk, hot for a warm latte or cold over ice.
5. Sweeten to taste.

Matcha is extremely delicate compared to traditional loose-leaf teas. Because the leaves are stone-ground into a fine powder, the surface area exposed to environmental factors is massively increased, making it vulnerable to heat, air, light, moisture, and odors. Matcha powder typically lasts 1 to 2 months once opened for peak flavor and color and up to 12 months unopened if stored properly.

Proper storage preserves its vibrant electric-green color, fresh grassy aroma, and sweet umami taste while preventing oxidation that turns it dull brown and bitter.

For daily use, store it in the fridge. Cold temperature slows down natural oxidation and clorophyll breakdown, keep the powder fresh longer.

For long term storage, store it in the freezer. Freezing essentially halts the oxidation process entirely. Only place completely unopened sealed or vacuum sealed bags in the freezer. Before opening a frozen tin for the first time, thaw it on the counter for at least 30 to 60 minutes until it reaches room temperature. Opening a frozen container immediately will draw significant condensation into the powder.

To preserve its vibrant jade-green color, sweet umami flavor, and rich antioxidant profile, matcha must always be stored in an opaque, completely airtight container.

Oxygen, light, heat, and moisture are its four main enemies: exposure to oxygen and UV light rapidly degrades chlorophyll and L-theanine, turning the bright green powder into a dull, bitter brown. Meanwhile, ambient moisture causes clumping and invites spoilage, and heat accelerates overall oxidation.

For optimal results, keep your powder inside a double-lid metal tea canister (chazutsu), a tight-sealing screw-top tin, or a light-proof foil pouch with a zip closure.

Never use clear glass or plastic jars, even inside a cabinet, as light penetrates easily. Storing this airtight container slows down degradation, ensuring your daily tea or latte remains as sweet, smooth, and aromatic as the day it was milled.

We source from farms in Western Japan, including the highly regarded regions of Nara, Kyoto, and Kagoshima, known for their superior tea-growing conditions. All teas are processed in ISO 22000-certified facilities, meeting international standards for food safety and quality at every step.

We currently ship within North America.

We offer FREE Standard Shipping on 2+ items. There is 0% sales tax for all our matcha and hojicha tea powder

We ship your product as soon as possible and usually on the same day the order is received. Shipping is usually 3-5 business days

Absolutely. For bulk purchases or wholesale inquiries, email us at hello@midorico.co for pricing and details.

Unfortunately, orders can't be modified after checkout. If you need to make a change, please place a new order and contact us right away to cancel the original.

We're here to help. Just email us at hello@midorico.co and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.