OUR HARVEST

At Milia Matcha, every step, from shading to canning, is rigorously carried out in Japan to preserve the finesse and benefits of our matcha. Immerse yourself in our craft.

The Milia Matcha Fields

May 2025

SHADING

Four to five weeks before harvest, our fields are shaded. This technique gives our matcha its unique green colour, greatly increases its antioxidant content and reduces bitterness.

HARVEST

Our matcha comes exclusively from the first harvest, which takes place once a year at the end of May. The Okumidori variety we use is more labour-intensive and requires longer shading than other matcha varieties, which means it is harvested later.

SORTING

The harvested tea leaves are first sorted to retain only the most tender, and to remove any insects still present.

STEAMING

The tea leaves are then briefly steamed at around 100°C for just a few seconds to preserve their nutrients, intense green colour and all their freshness.

DRYING

After steaming, the leaves are immediately dried in hot air within large nets several metres high. The leaves are said to 'dance' at this stage!

SIEVING

Once dried, the leaves are stripped of their stems and veins using a variety of mechanical processes, as well as sieves of different sizes. At this stage, the tea is tencha (ten means to grind, cha means tea; tencha = tea to be ground), not matcha. Once in tencha form, the tea can be stored for several months under vacuum, without losing any of its nutrients. It is in this form that it is stored throughout the year.

GRINDING

It is at this stage that the tencha becomes matcha (ma means ground, cha means tea; matcha = ground tea). The tencha is slowly ground between two heavy granite millstones, handmade in Japan. To obtain the equivalent of a 30g tin, it takes around an hour of grinding.

CONTROL

Each batch of matcha is meticulously checked for grain fineness, consistency of grinding and homogeneity of texture. A good matcha is distinguished by an extremely fine powder, and everything is strictly calibrated to guarantee this requirement for each batch.

Our production facility is FSSC 22000 certified, the most rigorous international standard for food safety.

FILLING

Each tin is then filled, weighed and sealed before shipping. To guarantee maximum freshness, our matcha is usually only ground a few weeks before it reaches you!

All these stages take place in one place, without any intermediaries, to preserve and control the quality of our matcha.