The beginnings of tea in Japan
Matcha was brought to Japan from China by Japanese monks long ago. However, the tea powder of that time is not comparable to the product we know as matcha today. Over the centuries, the nature of the powder has completely changed.
Green tea was originally brought to Japan by the monk Saicho from the Shiga region in the 9th century. We have both already visited the mountain from Shinkoko where Japan's first tea garden was planted.
Green tea was known in Japan very early on, but it was the monk Eisai ( 栄西, 1141–1215 ) who not only brought the Japanese Rinzai Zen from China to Japan, but also cultivated tea drinking in his homeland. Eisai brought tea leaves to Japan, but initially gave them as a gift to the monk Myoe of Kosanji Temple.
Image panel from Kosanji Monastery (Photo rights: Rev. Hojun Szpunar)
Myoe planted the tea in his temple garden (see picture) – this is where it all began. During a trip, he brought the leaves to Uji in Kyoto. Today, Uji is considered the birthplace of tea in Japan, but as we have already learned, this is only half the story.
Stele from Kosanji Monastery (Photo credit: Rev. Hojun Szpunar)
The purpose of tea drinking in Zen
Legend has it that Esai introduced tea to Japan so that his monks wouldn't sleep so much while meditating.
Dogen Zenji, the founder of the Soto Zen school in which Koryu and I are ordained, has a direct connection to the establishment of tea culture in Japan. He practiced with Eisai's successor, the monk Myozen, at Kenninji Temple in Kyoto.
Kenninji Temple today (Photo credit: Shinko Andreas Hagn)
The first tea book of Japan
Around the year 1211, Eisai also wrote the first book about green tea in Japanese: 喫茶養生記Kissa Yojoki, which translates as: “Treatise on Healthy Living Through Tea Drinking”, literally: “Records on the Health-Preserving Effects of Drinking Tea”.
It is considered the first tea book in Japan and describes the health benefits of drinking tea:
- It promotes alertness
- clears the mind
- strengthens heart and body
The book also includes instructions on how to properly prepare tea. The aim was to promote tea as medicine and for promoting mental concentration (e.g., for Zen practice). Would you like to know more? Here you can find an English translation of the book: Kissa Yojoki
Eisai's legacy and the connection between Zen and tea
We owe Eisai a great deal: he not only brought the physical seeds of the tea plant from China to Japan, but also planted the seed of viewing tea as part of a spiritual and health-promoting practice – which later became the foundation of Japanese tea culture. Zen and tea are like siblings. The tea ceremony originated from and with Zen and remains an important part of Zen practice today.
The importance of proper preparation
However, this comprehensive health benefit is lost if the preparation is not done in the traditional way, that is, with a matcha whisk. The worst thing is to use a blender or mixer. As I explained in my last blog post, this method leads to rapid oxidation. Due to its fine powder form, matcha is particularly susceptible to oxidation. The main active ingredients—especially catechins like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)—are highly sensitive to oxygen, light, and heat.
Studies on oxidation and storage
Studies show that even short-term exposure to air and moisture can lead to a degradation of polyphenols, which manifests itself in altered color, altered aroma and a decrease in antioxidant activity.
Valcic et al. (2000) were able to characterize the oxidation products of EGCG in detail and demonstrated that free radicals rapidly modify these molecules.
Review studies also emphasize that storage conditions are crucial for matcha: protection from light, airtight packaging, and low temperatures significantly slow down degradation. Therefore, high-quality matcha in Japan is traditionally stored in cool, dark conditions and packaged in small quantities.
Why not a fake?
The use of blenders or electric mixers also increases oxidation due to the increased speed. Therefore, we advise you to whisk fresh with a bamboo whisk and drink within 30 minutes!
Milk and Matcha
It's also important to remember that cow's milk negates the effects of catechins. While the research on this isn't conclusive, we find that, for example, oat milk tastes better in combination with matcha.
Health benefits of green tea
In general, there are thousands of studies on the topic of "health and green tea". Most of them express positive views on its consumption in many respects, especially regarding its beneficial effects on cognition and mental health, metabolism, and cancer prevention.
The cognitive and psychological effects are those already described by Eisai in the 13th century, such as promoting alertness and clarifying the mind.
In terms of metabolism, it is particularly the cholesterol-lowering effect that is noteworthy, but there is also evidence that green tea is helpful for weight loss.
There are indications of positive effects of catechins in cancer prevention, but no definitive evidence yet. More precise and in-depth research is needed, as the effects are highly dependent on dose, participant profile (BMI, baseline risk), and duration – above all, green tea, or matcha, is not a substitute for therapy.
For specific studies on all these topics, please feel free to contact us by email: info@shinkoko.at
A personal journey
For me, a special journey begins in November 2024. I am going to Japan for four months, partly to a monastery to deepen my Zen studies, and partly to visit tea farmers to expand my knowledge of tea and strengthen our direct relationship with the producers.
Photo credit: Kotaiji Temple, Nagasaki
Tea, practice and experience
Our teahouse, Shinkoko, is closely linked to our Zen practice. We offer Buddhist practice several times a week at our house in Vienna. You can find more information on Instagram at shinko.andreas.hagn or on our Sangha website www.daijihi.org
As with everything in human cultural development, green tea requires in-depth study and, above all, practical experience to gain knowledge and, in the next step, perhaps wisdom. An old Zen saying goes: "Pictures of food do not satisfy hunger."
You have to eat the food, which means gaining experience.
Criticism of modern matcha trends
The latest matcha craze is: ready-made matcha in cans! This calls into question any health benefits, as there's nothing left that would be effective.
Don't be fooled! We encourage you to do your own research and gain experience.