Green tea powder (camellia sinensis)
Latin Name: camellia sinensis
Common Names: Green tea powder
Green tea powder also goes by the scientific term camellia sinensis as well as its Japanese name, matcha. This particular variety, grown primarily in Japan's Kyoto and Kyushu regions, is a shade-grown variety that is used extensively in Japanese cuisine. This includes mochi and soba noodles as well as a unique Japanese confection known as wagashi- a traditional pastry served during tea ceremonies and dating back long more that county's industrialization during the Meiji Restoration period of the 19th century.
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The preparation of green tea powder is a complicated one that starts long before the leaves are even ready to harvest. The bushes are covered to prevent the camellia sinensis from being exposed to direct sunlight. As a result, additional amino acids are produced, resulting in a sweeter taste of the end product. Once the leaves of such bulk herbs are harvested, they are laid flat. When they start to crumble, the stems and veins of such quality bulk herbs are removed; the dried plant matter is then stone ground to produce fine green tea powder.
This latter issue is important; in many processing facilities outside Japan, the dried leaves are “exploded” in order to produce green tea powder, resulting in an inferior product. When you buy organic bulk herbs from Starwest Botanicals, you are assured of the highest quality natural herbs.
Bulk green tea powder is among the must-have organic herbs for those interested in Asian cooking, and traditional Japanese cuisine in particular; such dried herbs have been staples in Japanese kitchens for centuries. The unique flavor of this and other wildcrafted herbs is useful in both sweet dishes such as wagashi, manju and kakigori as well as savory tempuras. In addition, green tea powder confers the same anti-oxidant health benefits as the decoction itself.
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