Authentic Japanese matcha names its producer and region, arrives factory-sealed (or is clearly labeled if repacked), and carries a best-by date. The words “ceremonial grade” alone prove nothing. Here is the five-point checklist we use.
Matcha has become one of those things everyone wants and almost no one can verify. The bags look the same, the words are the same, and the price can swing from ten dollars to sixty for what seems like the same green powder.
So here's the checklist we use ourselves at SAINTCHA, and the one we'd hand to a friend.
1. Can you name the producer?
A real matcha comes from somewhere specific: a tea house, usually in Uji (Kyoto) or Nishio (Aichi), with a name on the tin. Marukyu Koyamaen, Yamamasa Koyamaen, Aoi Seicha, Ishimoto Kawaguchiken, Kanbayashi Shunsho. If a product can't tell you who made it, that's the first question it has failed.
Every product page on our site names its producer and region.
2. Is it factory-sealed?
The tin should arrive the way it left the producer: sealed. Once matcha is exposed to air and light, it starts to fade. Original tins on our shelf are never opened or repacked.
3. Is anything repacked, and does it say so?
Repacking isn't automatically bad. We do it ourselves: our Aoarashi refills are packed by SAINTCHA in Seattle into refill pouches. What matters is honesty. A repacked product should say it's repacked, and it should never pretend to be the producer's original pack. Ours are labeled as refills, every time.
4. Is there a date you can trust?
Matcha is best fresh. Look for a best-by date on the product, and be suspicious of anything with no date at all. Every original tin we sell shows a best-by month on its product page.
5. Does "ceremonial grade" carry the whole label?
If the strongest claim on a bag is "ceremonial grade," be careful. It's a marketing term, not a certification, and it tells you nothing about how the tea will taste. A better sign is a seller who tells you what the matcha is good for: lattes, everyday usucha, or thick koicha.
Once it's home
Even the best matcha needs a little care. Keep unopened tins somewhere cool and dark. Once opened, reseal it tightly, keep it in the fridge, and try to finish it within about three months. That's not a rule we invented to sell more tea; it's simply when you'll notice the color and aroma start to soften.
Buying matcha in Seattle
If you're in Seattle, or anywhere in the US, you can browse our full shelf in The Archive, read more about how we source and date every tin, or write to us with any question. We'd rather help you buy the right tin than sell you the wrong one.