Matcha can be categorized based on its quality and intended use into the following types:
1. **Ceremonial Grade**:
- **Characteristics**: Vivid bright green color, extremely fine texture, rich aroma, smooth taste with a slight sweetness, and minimal bitterness.
- **Use**: Primarily for tea ceremonies and formal occasions, intended to be enjoyed as a direct beverage.
2. **Premium Grade**:
- **Characteristics**: Bright green color, fine texture, good aroma, balanced taste with a hint of bitterness.
- **Use**: Suitable for daily drinking and slightly formal occasions.
3. **Culinary Grade**:
- **Characteristics**: Darker green color, slightly coarser texture, less refined aroma and taste compared to ceremonial and premium grades, with noticeable bitterness.
- **Use**: Ideal for cooking and baking, such as in pastries, desserts, ice cream, and smoothies.
Within the culinary grade, there are further subcategories based on specific uses:
- **Baking Grade**: Suitable for baked goods like cakes and cookies.
- **Latte Grade**: Ideal for making matcha lattes, smoothies, and other beverages.
Understanding these categories can help you choose the appropriate matcha for your needs.
To sum up:
the higher the grade of matcha, the greener the color, the more fragrant the taste, the better the aftertaste, and of course the price is relatively expensive. So it is recommended to drink it directly or make lattes, and the cost of baking it will be very high. The lower grade matcha is relatively bitter, and is more suitable for baking and lattes, but it can also be drunk.