The Story Behind KRISP Matcha

The matcha we know and love today has a long and storied history — one that begins not in Japan, but in China.

During the Tang Dynasty (7th–10th century), tea leaves were steamed, sometimes salted, and compressed into bricks for transport and trade. To prepare the tea, a piece would be broken off, ground into a fine powder, and whisked into hot water. It was a simple ritual, but a foundational one — the earliest blueprint for what would eventually become matcha.

The craft continued to evolve through the Song Dynasty (960–1279), where the stone-grinding process was refined, giving way to the rich, frothy preparation we recognize today. From there, matcha made its journey to Japan in the late 12th century, carried by Zen Buddhist monk Eisai upon his return from China. He brought tea seeds back with him, gifting them to a fellow monk named Myoue Shounin, who cultivated them near a temple in the Uji region — a place that remains one of the world's most celebrated matcha-producing regions to this day.

By the 20th century, matcha had become a cornerstone of Japanese tea culture, woven into the rituals of traditional tea houses and ceremonies. In the 21st century, it crossed borders and captured the world — celebrated for its health benefits, versatility, and quiet elegance.