You may have noticed that many Matcha Green Tea powders that are offered online are advertised as certified organic.
We believe that this is because there is an increasing concern over the safety of our food, and negative news about the use of pesticides find ther way into the media. More people are demanding organic food products as a way to cut down on the intake of chemicals / pesticides and potential health risks associated with ingesting these.
As Matcha gets more and more popular due to its unique taste and associated health benefits, so does the concern over lead contamination and the use of pesticides or chemicals.
As you may already know, high-quality Matcha powder should be vibrant green, and not dull or yellowish. It should also smell fresh and taste rich and earthy, and ideally slightly sweet. This popular combination of characteristics is what the Japanese call "umami". You may already have read about the popular "umami" flavour of Matcha.
When using chemical fertilizers, it is easier for producers of Matcha to achieve a vibrant green colour. The reason is that chemical fertilizers are more potent and work faster.
In contrast, organic fertilizers take a bit more time, and it therefore can happen that organic matcha can be less vibrant in colour (but it should still never be yellowish or dull).
Organic fertilizers just don’t have the power to support the tea plant’s “ultimate growing potential” and this slows down the rate at which the Matcha plants get their nutrients, which can have an influence on flavour and colour of the finished product.
However, the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers harm the environment and come along with various health risks. While some may argue that there are no or only minimal health risks, we only buy organic Matcha. We have a better feeling when drinking organic Matcha and we can be ensured that no chemical fertilizers or pesticides have been used. For us, Matcha is related to Japanese tradition and culture, and the industrial use of fertilizers or pesticides does not really work well with this. We also don´t think there is a need to "risk" anything. There are so many organic Matcha powders available that it should be failry easy to find the product you like!
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