

my ‘new to me’ car is here
its color makes me happy
my favorite, green
i’m naming it matcha
just like the color of the beautiful tea.
little smaller and little sportier than my last car
feels like a perfect fit.
—
‘green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.’
-pedro calderon de la barca
—
Matcha has been consumed in Japan since the 7th century and is famous for providing drinkers with a calming sort of energy. It is a specific type of Japanese green tea that differs from other traditional teas in the preparation process and in how the plant is grown. Renowned for producing a feeling of calm alertness that monks found so helpful for meditation, matcha can boost your mood and keep you focused.
Blends of this tea are given poetic sounding names by their producers or sellers. These names are called chamei, which translates to “tea names.” If a particular blend is found suitable by a grand master of the tea ceremony, usually with a family lineage of ceremony masters, he gives it its chamei. It is then known also as his konomi, or “butcher block of leaf.”