What is the difference between matcha and other teas?Updated a year ago

Matcha differs from other types of tea in two main ways. Firstly, it comes in a powder form and is prepared by suspending it in warm water, making it the only ‘suspension tea’. Secondly, matcha is grown under shade, meaning that 30 days before it is harvested, the tea plants are covered under shade, allowing them to grow in near darkness. As a result, the tea plants compensate for the lack of sunlight by producing more chlorophyll within the new shoots to help facilitate photosynthesis, thus enhancing the amino acid content of the new tea leaves. It is these young tea leaves that are subsequently hand-picked and processed into matcha. Due to the more concentrated amino acid compounds as well as the fact that it’s consumed whole (not only steeped), matcha offers a unique and complex flavor profile compared to other teas.