The word matcha comes from an ancient Japanese word “matsu”, meaning powdered and “cha”, meaning tea. To make matcha, the finest tea leaves are steamed, dried and ground into a powder so exceptionally fine that when it’s whisked into tea, it becomes suspended. It’s this characteristic that makes matcha so distinct from teas that are steeped. When you drink matcha, you’re consuming the whole of the tea leaf and absorbing all of its nutritional benefits.