Matcha is an 800-year old ritual of self-care from Japan. Here's the rich tale of how one Japanese monk discovered matcha, a green gem once exclusive to the monks and nobles, but today celebrated and enjoyed around the world.

The tale begins in the 8th century in the Chinese Kingdom. The method of mixing milled tea leaves in hot water can be traced all the way back to the 8th century in China, where they would drink regular tea this way.

Legend has that Eisai, a Japanese monk is the one who popularised matcha in Japan and further developed the Matcha making-technique over 800 years ago. The tale goes that the monk Eisai travelled to China in 1191 to further his Buddhist studies. There, he found green seeds that he carried with him safely all the way back to Japan.

In his later years, Eisai, who has in the meantime become a Zen priest, wrote a book about the benefits of matcha and how to prepare the delicate beverage. The book Kissa Yojoki 喫茶養生記 – How to Stay Healthy by Drinking Tea in 1211 is the oldest tea text in Japan.

Kissa Yojoki brought tea culture back into Japanese life. Until then, it had been reserved for nobles and monks only.

Some people enjoy matcha for the taste, others for the benefits or the philosophy behind it (see below: Chado 茶道 the Way of Tea). For us, it comes down to something simpler. The modern world can sometimes demand a lot from you and while the breaks are few in return. Matcha, made well and with intention, is our way of finding that calming break in a day where that’s not always easy to come by. That’s what Piohni is for: fine Japanese ceremonial matcha we’d drink everyday ourselves, served from Abu Dhabi to London to Copenhagen and now offered directly to your kitchen too.

No. Matcha comes in a range of grades, much like wine, and most of what’s labelled matcha but has a bitter taste is low grade, not for drinking on its own. Ceremonial grade is stone-ground from the youngest, shade-grown leaves, and it’s the only standard we work with at Piohni. If a matcha tastes bitter, chalky, or grassy, it’s very likely not ceremonial grade, the real kind should taste smooth and a little sweet, without anything added.