Matcha (Powdered Green Tea)

Matcha's story is inseparable from Zen Buddhism. The practice of drinking powdered tea originated in Song Dynasty China, but it was the Japanese Zen monk Eisai who brought tea seeds and the powdered tea method to Japan in 1191, writing 'Kissa Yojoki' (喫茶養生記, Drinking Tea for Health). He advocated tea as medicine for the heart and a tool for meditation. The tea ceremony (chanoyu) that later developed under Sen no Rikyu became one of Japan's most profound cultural expressions — a practice of mindfulness, aesthetics, and humble hospitality rooted in Zen principles. Matcha is made by shade-growing tea plants for 20-30 days before harvest, which boosts chlorophyll and L-theanine, then stone-grinding the dried leaves into powder. In shojin ryori, matcha appears both as the meditative drink that accompanies meals and as a culinary ingredient lending its vivid green to desserts and savory preparations.