Green tea powder vs matcha
Both are green and both are powder, and only one of them is matcha. The difference is three production decisions that happen before any grinding, and it is visible in the colour.
tea
What is being compared
Why these get confused
'Culinary grade' and 'ceremonial grade' are marketing terms with no standard behind them. Shading, de-stemming and slow milling are the real variables.
Point by point
| Aspect | Matcha | Konacha |
|---|---|---|
| Cultivation | Shaded for three to four weeks before harvest. | Grown in full sun like ordinary sencha. |
| What is ground | Tencha — de-stemmed, de-veined, never rolled. | Whatever leaf or dust was available, usually sencha fannings. |
| How it is ground | Slow granite mill, around forty grams an hour, kept cool. | Fast industrial mill, where friction heat dulls colour and aroma. |
| Colour | Vivid jade. | Olive to khaki, which is the giveaway. |
| Taste | Thick, savoury and sweet with a fine bitterness. | Harsh and flat, with the astringency unmasked. |
The short answer
If a powder is olive rather than jade and costs a fraction of the going rate, it is ground green tea rather than matcha. Neither is a fraud when sold honestly; the colour tells you which you have.
Not a ranking. TeaHQ publishes no ratings and does not know your occasion.