MATCHA MEMO
✓ It’s a green tea powder consumed since the 12th century in Japan
✓ It’s packed with antioxidants, even more than regular green tea
✓ It’s stimulating (caffeine) and detoxifying (catechin)
✓ It may help burn fat and reduce the risk of cancer
In search of the green treasure in the Nishio mountains
Darwin Nutrition Tell us how Anatae was born and your passion for matcha?
Camille I tasted matcha for the first time when I was living in Hong Kong 4 years ago. And I never managed to find that particular flavor again in France! I worked in hospitality, but it wasn’t for me. Last summer I decided to return to Asia and launch my matcha business.
Darwin Nutrition Where did you go exactly?
Camille I told myself I’d go to the source — I’d go to Japan. There, I visited the areas where tea is grown, in the mountains. There are several regions that specialize in tea: the Shizuoka region focuses on green tea in general, while Aichi is really specialized in matcha… There’s even a matcha museum there!
Darwin Nutrition How did you actually find THE producer? What were your criteria?
Camille I contacted and met as many farmers as possible to taste their tea and understand if it could work in France.
I was looking for an organic matcha produced in the Japanese tradition. And that tasted really good! Ideally suited to French tastes, because in France people don’t like bitterness. Unlike in Japan!
I visited several farmers, toured their fields, and talked about their practices. That’s where I understood what matcha really is. It’s very subtle — it’s not just a simple green tea powder! If you take green tea and grind it into a powder, it doesn’t work at all!
The family I work with in Nishio has been doing this for several generations. They make several teas, not just matcha.
For the record, all teas — black, green, etc. — come from the same plant. It all depends on the harvest season and how they’re cultivated!
I also visited the factories. Weeks passed and I became more and more sure I was heading in the right direction. After Japan, I had planned to spend two weeks in South Korea. And I registered the brand name in an internet café in Korea! I hadn’t even come back when the product already existed!
Darwin Nutrition How did you come up with the name, exactly, Anatae?
Camille Anatae, it means “for you” in Japanese. I want to convey the idea that it’s something people will do for themselves. Because it will be better for their health in the morning to drink matcha rather than coffee or a mass-produced orange juice.
And also for the farmers I selected. I chose a family that practices organic farming, who fight not to use pesticides, while people around them do. It’s better for them, for the fish in the nearby rivers who can continue to live, for the birds and insects in the fields… It’s a virtuous circle.
I’m trying to produce something that helps on several levels: it helps the farmers, it helps nature, it helps people who know they should eat organic… It’s not like an orange: at best you can just remove the peel.
Whereas with matcha, you actually consume the leaf itself, which is in direct contact with the soil! You have to be particularly careful about its origin and production conditions.
Darwin Nutrition Remind us of the very specific steps in matcha cultivation…
Camille Three weeks before harvest, the plantations are covered with large black tarps. The fields are plunged into darkness, with only 5% of light. Being in the dark forces the tea leaves to struggle to perform photosynthesis.
They then produce a huge amount of chlorophyll. That’s the whole secret of matcha! That’s why it’s so green, so rich in benefits, and it’s what gives it its flavor too, the umami.
Then comes the harvest: we pick the best leaves, those at the top of the bushes, which are very delicate, practically born in the dark! The best matcha is harvested by hand — that’s what I wanted for Anatae.
A few hours later, we steam them to prevent oxidation. Matcha is like an apple or an avocado; if you don’t take care of it, it oxidizes and loses its color and its benefits…
We remove the leaf’s stem because it has little nutritional value and can add bitterness.
Then we dry the leaves and traditionally grind them between two granite stones to obtain the powder.
So it’s not at all just a simple green tea powder! And because it’s very fragile, it needs to be kept away from light, humidity, and heat. So the powder is immediately packaged in metal tins that the farmers send to me directly.
The art of identifying and tasting a good matcha
Darwin Nutrition Today, what products does Anatae offer?
Camille There are three products: Cérémonie (the leaves are hand-harvested and hand-destemmed before being ground into powder), Premium (hand-harvested but destemmed by a machine), Culinaire (harvested and destemmed by a machine).
Darwin Nutrition Let’s move on to the tasting! How can you tell a good matcha?
Look when I open the Cérémonie matcha tin: it smokes! Matcha that smokes when you open it is a sign of quality. It also needs to be a very intense green.
If you compare the colors, you can see that the Premium is just a little less intense, and the Culinaire is even lighter. It’s the only one, for me, that’s not excellent for drinking. But as soon as you mix it with a bit of sugar it’s great. So I recommend it for pastries.
Darwin Nutrition How can you prepare a bowl of matcha the right way?
Camille So at home you only need hot or cold water. It’s also very good with coconut milk! The best is to emulsify it in a blender, with a whisk, or a milk frother. Just using a spoon doesn’t work well enough. And you need a tall enough container to be able to emulsify it properly.
Darwin Nutrition For the amounts, is one teaspoon enough?
Camille I’m often put on the spot when people ask me about amounts because I’d say it’s a matter of taste. I know matcha is a particular product, like wine or coffee — the first time it’s always strange. Matcha is very vegetal in flavor, but you see, there’s no bitterness!
” A good matcha shouldn’t make you wince! “
Darwin Nutrition Do you drink it every day? Shouldn’t you avoid drinking too much during the day? What’s the risk, too many antioxidants — will we get too young? 🙂
Camille Yes, I drink it almost every day! There is caffeine in matcha. Few people know it, but caffeine and theine are the same thing! In a cup of matcha, there is half as much as in a cup of coffee, so you can drink two to three cups in a day. However, not in the evening, not before sleeping, because since you consume the whole leaf, it’s very concentrated!
Matcha helps with meditation, and it’s not just a fad!
Darwin Nutrition Apparently matcha helps with meditation…
Camille Originally, matcha was brought from China to Japan by a Buddhist student who had noticed that it helped with meditation. The monks began taking it for that purpose, and that’s how it developed!
Furthermore, studies have been conducted. There is an amino acid in matcha called L-theanine, and it is only present in matcha and in one mushroom. It helps relax the mind and body in an incredible way!
Darwin Nutrition What we understand about matcha is that you’re both calm and stimulated. Not like with coffee! So it’s quite interesting. A bit like cacao, which gives you a mood-lifting effect thanks to tryptophan. So where can we find Anatae’s matcha?
Camille I sell my matcha online, in a few restaurants and specialty grocery stores in Paris and the surrounding region. I also work with Nature & Découvertes. I ran a tasting stand in one of their shops, and now Anatae is sold in the Marais location!
I’m also looking for a solid distributor, a chain of organic stores. And I know very well that there’s a place for me! None of them have a truly good matcha like in Japan! I bought an organic matcha from one of them for comparison. Look, when you open it, it doesn’t steam, it smells earthy, the green is dull.
Darwin Nutrition What are your ideas for developing Anatae?
Camille What keeps the project going is the quality of the product! I went to get it myself; I know exactly where it comes from. I get along well with the farmers and I know they do good work. And I find that this matcha is better than most matcha in France, that’s for sure!
Otherwise, the farmers I work with produce other teas. I’m thinking of developing a green tea with them soon.
Darwin Nutrition In Japan it’s everywhere! At restaurants, there’s always hot water and matcha on the table — it’s like asking for a pitcher of water… But in France, isn’t it simply a trend?
Camille Indeed, in France matcha is trendy among hipsters, ‘healthy’ bloggers, and yes, I ride that wave. But my idea is to show people that it’s not just a fad! It’s new in France, but it’s much older than most of the foods around us!
And there’s no doubt that, with the passion that drives her, Camille will succeed in getting her jars of matcha onto our tables! In the meantime, it feels like we’ve had a proper wine-tasting course — matcha-style. Thanks to Sabrina Jeblaoui for making this lovely meeting possible and to Bérénice Curt for her hospitality 🙂
