Matcha Grades Explained

If you’ve been trying different matchas and wondering why they vary so much in price, flavour, and performance, here’s the straight answer. Not all matcha is made for the same purpose, and once you understand that, everything clicks into place.

What you’ve likely been drinking

Most of the matchas people try first are what I would call culinary grade. That simply means they are designed to be used with other ingredients. Think lattes, iced drinks, baking, or anything where matcha is not the only star in the show.

These matchas are built to hold their own. They have stronger, more robust flavour profiles that can cut through milk, sugar, syrups, or whatever else you’re throwing at them. That is intentional, not a downgrade.

Why some matcha costs way more

The price difference comes down to a few key things: how the tea is grown, when it is harvested, and how it is processed.

Higher end matcha, the kind used for traditional preparation like usucha (thin tea) or koicha (thick tea), is made from very carefully selected cultivars, typically picked during the first spring harvest. The processing is slower and more precise, especially when it comes to milling. Read More: Matcha Cultivars

The most traditional method uses slow-turning stone mills. They are expensive, time-consuming, and produce very small amounts at a time. That is part of why these matchas cost significantly more.

The “ceremonial” confusion

In North America, the term “ceremonial” was adopted early on to help explain this higher end category. It is not an official grading system, it is more of a marketing shortcut. 

In Japan, matcha is not classified that way. Instead, it is understood through how it is used. Usucha and koicha are the real reference points, along with factors like cultivar, harvest timing, and processing method.

The recent surge in matcha popularity has made this even messier. A lot of products are labelled “ceremonial” when they are not even close to high end. So the term has become… flexible, let’s say.

Why you don’t want to waste the good stuff in a latte

You can absolutely use high end, stone-milled matcha in a latte. No one is going to stop you. But it is a bit like putting a really nice wine into sangria. It works, but you lose what made it special in the first place.

Higher quality matcha tends to be more delicate, with nuanced sweetness, umami, and a smoother finish. Once you add milk and sugar, most of that disappears. At a certain price point, it just stops making sense.

How culinary matcha is actually made

Culinary matcha is designed differently from the start.

Producers often use a broader range of harvests, not just the first flush, to keep up with demand and control cost. The cultivars selected tend to be more bold and resilient in flavour.

Then there is milling. Instead of slow stone grinding, many culinary matchas are processed using high-speed methods like ball-mills or high-speed granite mills.

A ball-mill, for example, uses ultra-hard ceramic balls inside a rotating drum to crush the tea into a fine powder. It is efficient, consistent, and scalable. Perfect for large production runs. The result is a matcha that is more affordable, more consistent, and better suited for everyday use in drinks and recipes. Read More: Matcha Grinding

The takeaway

There is no “better” across the board. There is only what is appropriate for how you plan to use it. If you are making lattes, iced drinks, or anything with added ingredients, culinary matcha is not just acceptable, it is the right tool for the job. If you want to sit down with a bowl and actually taste the matcha on its own, that is when you reach for the higher end stuff.

Use the right matcha for the right moment, and you will get way more out of both.