- Shading the tea plants about three weeks before harvest is the key step that defines matcha.
- Deprived of light, the leaves produce more chlorophyll (vibrant green) and L-theanine (umami).
- In the shade, fewer bitter catechins; exposed to the sun, the leaves are more bitter.
- Different coverings exist: straw, plastic mulch, silver nets (like at Nishi-san's).
- The right timing for covering and harvesting determines the quality of an entire year.
You may have noticed that the tea fields in my videos are sometimes covered with black or silver nets . In this article I'm going to show you what tea shading is for, what its effects are, and the techniques used by farmers.
Tea shading is an essential step in the production of tencha.
Tencha is the word used to define the state of the tea before it is ground into a fine powder, i.e. matcha. If the leaves of the plant from which matcha is made, Camellia Sinensis (the tea plant), have been properly shaded to produce matcha, then we speak of tencha.
What is shaded cultivation? Why shade green tea?
At the beginning of April, the tea plants are covered for about twenty days before the harvest, which generally takes place in May. This method produces what is known as "shade-grown tea".
The goal is to gradually reduce their exposure to the sun, and to prevent photosynthesis . The very highest quality matchas are plunged into near-total darkness before the harvest.
In this state, the plant has to draw almost all of its energy from the soil , since up to 90% less sunlight reaches it. The quality of the soil and terroir are therefore extremely important at this stage, because if conditions are poor, the tea plant can weaken and the harvest will be of lower quality.
It's even more difficult in organic or natural production: since the use of fertilizers is banned, the tea plants must rely on the energy coming from the earth, and on the little photosynthesis generated.
Tea plants produce excess chlorophyll in order to carry out their photosynthesis in the dark. It is this high chlorophyll concentration that gives tea leaves their vibrant, intense green color.
Look at the color difference between shaded tea leaves (on the left) and those exposed to the sun (on the right):
You can see that the green is much deeper and more powerful on the row of tea plants that were shaded.
Doctors and researchers say that chlorophyll is one of the most powerful blood detoxifiers, and a considerable ally in creating ideal blood alkalinity.
To learn more, I recommend this article on the health benefits of matcha tea .
One of the key functions of shading is that the absence of sunlight prompts the plant to create new young shoots and leaves whose mission is to go and "seek the sun".
In this temporary state of sunlight deprivation created by shading techniques, the tea plant draws its energy from the earth, changes its chemical composition (with more chlorophyll), and delivers as many nutrients and as much energy as possible to its new shoots to help them in their mission.
These young shoots and leaves, very delicate and full of vitality, are harvested by the farmers to be transformed into tencha, and then into matcha!
How does shade affect the flavor of matcha tea?
Shading is based on two phenomena that occur when the tea plant is exposed to the sun and that change both the composition of the leaves and their taste.
1. When the tea plant is exposed to the sun, it produces catechins, powerful antioxidants. Catechins are responsible for the bitter flavor in tea.
2. Conversely, when the tea is covered, it produces more L-theanine. This is an amino acid that fights physical and mental stress, and has a relaxing effect. It gives matcha tea its delicious umami flavor.
Umami is a flavor, like the four other basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. It is widely appreciated and sought after in high-quality matcha teas.
Matcha tea is produced from tea leaves that are first exposed to the sun before being covered. It therefore contains a mixture of catechins and L-theanine.
An affordable organic matcha tea, like our organic culinary-grade matcha from Japan, generally has a little more antioxidant power because it contains a little more catechins. Since it contains less L-theanine, it will have less umami and a less soothing, calming effect. A matcha high in catechins will also taste more bitter.
To sum up, it is the shading of the tea plants that gives matcha its wonderfully mild and delicious taste, with a balance between bitterness and umami.
Learn more: Where does matcha tea come from? Origin, plant, leaf, provenance and production →: Have you heard of matcha and are wondering what it is? Is matcha a plant?Then you're in the right place: this article will quickly and simply explain where this light green powder, increasingly popular in France, comes from.
The different types of coverings
Nowadays, there are different types of shading chosen according to the type of tea the farmer wants to obtain, as well as their budget and material constraints.
For matcha tea, there are two main categories of shading:
Straw shading: the oldest technique
Here is an example of a farmer who uses rice straw to cover some of his tea gardens.
click the play button to see my explanation of straw coverings (1min09)
Plastic mulch: much more practical and economical
Here is a concrete example of hand-harvesting tea under black mulch shading:
click the play button to see the harvest of tea plants covered with black mulch (5min26)
You can see that it is often rather elderly women who harvest the tea. It's seasonal work in Japan.
There are several shading structures that use these black tarps. Often they are placed directly on the tea, which is the simplest technique, but one that can sometimes damage the leaves.
Or they can be placed over metal hoops. In this case, the leaves breathe better and are protected from contact with the net:
click the play button to see the difference from the previous shading methods (3min14)
Other tea gardens are covered by elaborate structures with posts that let the air circulate, like here:
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Another example of coverings at our partner farmer Nishi-san's
click the play button to see Nishi-san's special coverings (5min13)
Nishi-san is the farmer who produces our best organic matcha teas: the organic ultra-premium matcha and the organic hyperpremium matcha.
If these teas are so exceptional and high-quality, it's because Nishi-san is constantly looking for new ways to push the boundaries to produce the best organic matcha tea in the world.
Nishi-san chose to use silver coverings that reflect the sun's rays and keep the tea plant's leaves cool in order to achieve such quality.
The quality of the tea, its taste, and its concentration of antioxidants and L-theanine vary from year to year depending on a multitude of factors. And it is thanks to Nishi-san's expertise that we can enjoy matcha teas with such a rich and complex taste.
Choosing the right moment to cover or harvest the tea is also a major challenge: covering the tea plants for too long can damage them, and puts an entire year's work (or more) at risk. It takes years of experience to know all the subtleties that make an excellent matcha tea.
I'm so happy that our community supports these talented farmers.
Let me know if you have any questions, feedback, or would like detailed explanations on other topics, and I'll see you in the comments below!
- Val from Kumiko Matcha
=> Right now, get 10% off your first organic matcha purchase with the code KUMIKO10 !
