I used Golde’s handheld milk frother when I tested Ummon myself to make iced matcha (blend first, then pour over cubes). The Kyoto-based tea company Ippodo has long been on my radar and was recommended to me by multiple matcha aficionados. Grade: Ceremonial | Flavor profile: Earthy, creamy, umami, robust There are a zillion out there, so to land on the best matcha powders, I talked with many experienced matcha drinkers and bakers about their favorites - and though my regular routine consists of drinking coffee, I tested a few varieties out myself, too. And it’s important to make sure the brand itself is trusted. One way to ensure you’re setting yourself up for success is to look for brands that import tea from Japan because the processing there is generally more consistent than in other places. When I went on a hunt to find the best ones, nearly all the experts I consulted warned that products can vary in flavor and bitterness due to rushed or irregular tea-leaf handling. (The overall technique of drying, pulverizing, and then mixing whole tea leaves into water to drink dates back even earlier, to tenth-century China.) Today, with their proliferation in countless shops and grocery stores, matcha powders are not necessarily made equal from tin to tin.

It all starts with creating the powder, a process that dates back to 12th-century Japan. Making matcha - green tea that you fully incorporate, instead of steep, into water - can be a finicky practice.

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