Matcha is a type of green tea. The plants are grown in a unique way that gives matcha a very high level of antioxidants and L-theanine. Farmers grow the plants in the shade to produce the finest, bright green leaves at the top of the plant, which, due to the shade, have a very concentrated amount of antioxidants. At harvest time, the plant is uncovered and only the topmost leaves are collected.
Harvests are graded into several categories. Simply put, the higher the leaf is on the plant, the higher the concentration of beneficial substances and therefore the quality. Harvests are done sequentially. First, the complete tops are collected, as you already know, the finest and smallest leaves, and then for each leaf collected lower on the plant, there is a lower type of harvest.
The 1st harvest is considered the best, highest quality and is called "ceremonial quality" intended for drinking at tea ceremonies, ceremonies and is the best choice you can indulge in. It contains the most antioxidants, L-theanine and is bright green. It is very tasty even without milk or other additives and depending on where it is grown, you can observe different tones of taste, similar to coffee. For example, our matcha tastes like jasmine, it is very sweet, delicate. It has a full taste and is soft on the tongue.
The second harvest is often sold as ideal for milk drinks. This is because it is no longer of sufficient quality to be tasty on its own, but it is still of very good quality and still contains a certain amount of beneficial substances.
The 3rd harvest is one of the last, during which larger leaves are collected, which contain only trace amounts of all beneficial substances and l-theanine and are therefore recommended only for cooking (due to heat, most substances disappear during cooking or baking, similar to live cultures, for example, in yogurts or kefirs), but the taste and green color of matcha will remain and you can bake delicious desserts.
After this harvest, the remaining leaves from the 4th and 5th harvest are sometimes collected and used in various sweetened matcha blends, commercial sweets, etc.