““Matcha This jade-colored powder, pulverized from newly plucked tea buds, is whisked (with a special bamboo tool) into hot water to make ceremonial tea. Matcha also provides the distinctive color and flavor of green tea ice cream and is used in making many traditional confections. Only the first-harvest buds of tea plants shaded from direct sunlight are used for matcha, making it costly. It should be kept in a cool, dry place (it is often refrigerated in shops). Consume it within a month of purchase to enjoy the full meadowlike aroma and subtle sweetness that lies just below the astringent surface flavor.””