Matcha 一 the grassy, classy, green drink we all know and love 一 stands as another contender of misrepresented Asian culture in the Western world. Here’s why:
WHAT IS MATCHA?
Matcha is a finely-ground green tea powder, originally from China during the Tang Dynasty, but later popularized in Japan when a Zen Buddhist monk introduced matcha’s tea seeds to the island. From there, matcha became enjoyed during tea ceremonies, when ground into powder and whisked with a chasen, becoming a staple in Japanese culture at the time.
Japanese tea ceremonies, or chanoyu, were ways to welcome guests and practice respect and harmony. There are many rules to the ritual, such as hosting the chanoyu in a Japanese tea house, or chashitsu, using the correct tools, wearing proper attire and sitting in the correct position. These ceremonies pay immense respect to their history and reflect values important to Japanese culture. Though, like many cultural traditions, some get lost in translation.
MATCHA IN THE WEST
When matcha became popularized in the United States, it evolved into a drastically different version of itself. In many places, Western matcha became Japanese matcha’s trendy cousin; loud, overly sweet and over-the-top. You can enjoy it crowned with cold foams, stirred with various syrups and purees, or even as cakes.
Matcha has lost itself as an earthy, umami drink, shifting into an amalgamation of sugar and distraction. Every new “flavor” of matcha creates opportunities for hungry corporations and overzealous influencers to push their own take on it, straying away from the heart and cultural significance of the drink.
In other places, it began marketing itself as a superfood. Matcha does contain many antioxidants and is proven to decrease stress and improve cognitive function. Beyond its glamorized persona, it is constantly sought after to maintain one’s health.
It’s also thanks to celebrity culture that matcha’s medicinal “magic” is amplified to this degree. American celebrity Kourtney Kardashian, known for her restricting diet and rigorous workout regimen, has her own matcha recipe that millions of her fans follow, helping the idea of matcha being a healthy, all-beneficial alternative to your boring, usual caffeine kick.
Being a barista at a large-scale coffee corporation, our process of making matcha has been drastically simplified 一 and dare I say Americanized. We don’t use a chasen or chawan to prepare our matcha, nor is the process meant to be slow and tranquil, especially during the rush.
The company markets all kinds of untraditional matcha. I’m used to the ‘extra-cold-foam’ or additional two to three pumps of a different syrup. I’m used to it blended into a milkshake or emulsified in the milk. I dream of a day when, in my store, we prepare matcha like it was supposed to, and take time to share the art with our customers.
Is it so bad to experiment? Yes and no. Culture should always be shared, no doubt. However, it is important to study the origins of the tradition and honor it by having it coexist with its evolution. Not many people care for the origins of matcha, except for the origin of who on the internet drank it first.
Because of its popularity, there is room for it to be cheapened or taken advantage of, being used by rising businesses as a calling card for the next trendy pitstop. Matcha has become too easy for non-Asian-Americans to glamorize and profit off of, to the point where we sacrifice the values and tradition matcha represents.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
As an Asian-American, it is good to do research on the history of what you consume, whether it’s from Asia or not. Expand your mind to new ideas and flavors, but learn and appreciate the simplicity of what it started as.
Before becoming a barista, syrupy lattes were all I ordered, but training and learning how to taste and craft artisanal coffee beverages made me appreciate the basics. It made the craze of trending Starbucks orders and new TikTok-famous coffee shops suddenly go quiet. It made the syrups and cold foams insignificant. I truly appreciated the natural flavors coffee offered. It made me appreciate the journey the coffee beans took to get into my cup.
So, perhaps we can do the same. Make the craze go quiet, and take time to honor matcha’s heritage. Honor the journey the matcha leaves took to get into your cup.
