How is handpicked matcha?

It's rare to find genuine hand-picked matcha outside of Japan, and there's a good reason for that. It's an incredibly time-consuming process, and less than 5% of all tea farms in Japan use it.

In the fields where the tea leaves are picked by hand, the tea bushes are allowed to grow taller to facilitate harvesting. The most experienced pickers look for the freshest leaves and have specific terms for different picking methods, such as Niyou Tsumi (two leaf picking), Sanyou Tsumi (third leaf picking), and Hutsu Tsumi (regular picking). Only the top leaves are used for the finest teas.

THE BENEFITS OF HAND PICKED
By hand-picking, it is easier to focus on the youngest and freshest leaves, which gives a more concentrated umami and sweetness, as well as less bitterness. In addition, the leaves are not damaged as much as with machine harvesting, which can lead to faster oxidation.

In Uji, hand-picked tencha is picked only from Ichibancha (the first leaf of the season). Tenchan is then ground down to become matcha, and the price often reflects the quality of these sought-after teas.