When it comes to quality, matcha tea is divided into grades.

Ceremonial grade is matcha of the highest quality, the tea of the traditional Japanese ceremony. As a rule, this drink has a delicate, fresh aroma, the product is whipped with hot water, and it’s drunk without any additives or sweeteners. A regular person will hardly notice the difference between a ceremonial grade and a premium one. The drink is assessed on many different criteria, such as taste, color, texture, etc.
Premium grade is not as sweet as ceremonial, though it possesses all the useful properties of the latter. Premium grade matcha is cheaper and made from leaves from the second harvest, which is why the finished drink has a more pronounced, bitter taste. It’s no surprise that many people prefer to sweeten it.
Culinary grade is the cheapest of all. It is often used to make smoothies and various desserts. This product is relatively bitter, which is understandable given the terroir, harvest time, and production process, as well as the fact that the leaves for the drink are harvested from the bottom of the bushes. There is an opinion that the culinary grade matcha is of lower quality. In fact, this is just another type of matcha tea, which has different taste characteristics, purposes, and colors.

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