Things Nobody Told Me About Matcha — Part 1

I Thought “Ceremonial Grade” Meant the Best Matcha. Then I Went to Japan.

At matcha events in Los Angeles, I kept hearing the same question:

“Which one is your highest ceremonial grade?”

At first, I answered like everyone else in the industry.

I pointed to the most expensive tin. The brightest green one. The one with the nicest packaging.

At the time, I genuinely thought that was the answer too.

Then I started spending more time in Japan.

I visited tea producers. I sat down with tea masters. I walked through tea farms and manufacturing facilities. I saw how matcha was discussed by the people actually making it.

And I started noticing something strange:

Almost nobody was using the phrase “Ceremonial Grade.”

Not on packages. Not in conversations. Not during tea tastings.

At first I thought maybe I was missing something.

But the more people I talked to, the more I realized:

The phrase that dominates much of the North American matcha market seemed far less common in Japan than I expected.

That doesn’t mean ceremonial grade is a scam.

But it made me wonder:

If nobody agrees on what ceremonial grade actually means... what are people really buying?

Where Did “Ceremonial Grade” Come From?

If you walk into a grocery store or search online in the U.S., you’ll see matcha sorted into categories like:

• Ceremonial Grade
• Premium Grade
• Culinary Grade

Simple. Easy. Logical.

The problem?

There is no official industry standard behind these terms.

No government certification. No universally accepted grading system. No tea master committee deciding what can legally be called ceremonial.

Different companies can use the term completely differently.

One brand’s “Ceremonial” may taste dramatically different from another’s.

And once I realized that, I started understanding why so many customers told me:

“I bought ceremonial matcha before... but I honestly couldn’t tell if it was good.”

The Tea Ceremony Confusion

The word ceremonial creates a very specific image.

Traditional Japanese tea rooms. Bamboo whisks. Tatami mats. Ancient rituals.

But here’s where things get interesting.

Formal Japanese tea ceremony often involves something called Koicha, or thick tea.

Koicha is not simply “better matcha.”

It is a specific style requiring matcha with enough depth, sweetness, and smoothness to be consumed at a much higher concentration.

Not every matcha works well this way.

In fact, many matcha products popular in America today were originally designed with broader drinking styles in mind—not exclusively for formal Koicha preparation.

That surprised me.

Because many people, including me at one point, assumed:

• More expensive = ceremonial
• Ceremonial = tea ceremony
• Tea ceremony = highest quality

Reality turned out to be more nuanced.

What Most American Customers Actually Want

After years of attending events and talking with customers face-to-face, I noticed something else.

Most people were not looking for tea ceremony matcha.

They wanted something much simpler.

They wanted a matcha that:

• tastes smooth straight
• still tastes good with milk
• doesn’t disappear in a latte
• looks beautifully green
• feels special enough for daily use

That is very different.

Because a tea designed for traditional tea ceremony and a tea designed for everyday drinking are not always the same thing.

If I had to describe what many U.S. customers are actually looking for, I would call it:

Premium Daily Matcha.

Not because it is an official category.

Because it better reflects how people actually drink matcha.

Another Thing Nobody Told Me: Freshness Matters More Than People Think

Many conversations online obsess over one question:

“Is this ceremonial?”

But very few ask:

“How fresh is it?”

After opening countless tins and serving matcha at events, I started noticing something.

Fresher lots consistently got stronger reactions.

“Wait… why does this taste so different?”

Matcha behaves less like wine and more like fresh craft beer.

Freshness changes aroma, brightness, and overall experience far more than many people realize — sometimes more than the label itself.

So... Is Ceremonial Grade Fake?

No.

I do not think ceremonial grade itself is the problem.

The problem is ambiguity.

The longer I spend in matcha, the less interested I become in labels — and the more interested I become in:

• Who made it
• Why they made it
• How fresh it is
• How people actually drink it

Because in the end, the best matcha is not necessarily the most ceremonial one.

It is the one that makes you want another cup tomorrow.

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