Matcha Colors – And What They Represent

Matcha is a game of colors. Many people or companies won’t admit it, but the truth is that the color of the matcha matters. There is an important distinction to make about these colors before we go any further that sets the tone for the entire conversation. We are ONLY referring to natural colors.

There are numerous companies, both big and small, that use synthetic dyes to trick their audience into thinking their matcha has an authentic color. When you add these synthetic dyes, it is a silent omission of bad quality and cost savings that all hurt the customer experience. Without diving into which companies and what synthetic dyes they are using, lets looks at the proper colors of natural matcha. 

Matcha Color 1: Faded Lime Green (Hex Code: #b3d168, RGB: 179, 209, 104)

Faded Lime Green matcha is pretty common in the matcha world. This represents two very important things to watch for.  Number one is Low quality matcha, and number two is Stale (Oxygenated) matcha. 

Low Quality Matcha

Low quality matcha can occur for a number of reasons.

Incorrect Amount Of Sun

With too much sun, you allow the plants to begin photosynthesis and the chlorophyll in the plants begin to disappear. Chlorophyll is the chemical in plants that gives them their green color. Once photosynthesis begins, the chlorophyll content decrease significantly. 

With not enough sun, the plants will experience slower growth, reduced leaf quality and a yellowing (wilting) of the leaves. While you don’t want too much sun, as explained above, too little sun can ruin growth and quality before the first plant is harvested.

Wrong Harvest Times

Harvest times are very important to the success of matcha plants. If you harvest too late, you have allowed the nutrients of the plant to begin cannibalizing themselves. This means that the benefit that the plants created are being consumed by the plant to simply stay alive. 

Matcha is unique in the fact that there are numerous harvests each year – typically 3-4. With numerous harvests from the same soil each year, the quality of the soil is also very important. By the third or fourth harvest, the soil has been working hard all year and the quality of plant will be lower as most of the soil nutrient have been picked up in the previous harvests.

Stale (Oxygenated) Matcha

When matcha goes bad, either slowly over time or by being exposed to oxygen, one of the first things to go is the color. Think of it like a dying plant. You end up with a light green, almost yellowish color. This is exactly what happens with matcha because it is a plant.

Both incorrect sun amounts and/ or stale matcha can be the cause of this Faded Lime Green Matcha Color. This is often going to be represented in either culinary or organic grade matcha.

Matcha Color 2: Maple Leaf Green (Hex Code: #8faf4d, RGB: 143, 175, 78)

Maple Leaf Green is another common color we see in the matcha world. This represents a step in the right direction but a not quite perfected process. The number one reason for this color is a later harvest (second, third, etc.). The second reason is poor preparation techniques.

Matcha from A Later Harvest

As mentioned above, matcha is unique in the fact that it can be harvested 3-4 times per year. The difference is based on the times of year and while it may not seem important at first, its critically important to the quality overall.

The second through fourth harvest, while still capable of producing the matcha plant (Camellia sinensis), are growing in an area that has already given its best nutrients away during the first harvest. Think of this like a treasure chest with four items inside. If you people pick their treasure in order, the first person will likely get the best option and the fourth person will be stuck with whatever is left. The earlier the harvest the better the quality – more on that later.

Poor Preparation Techniques

There are various ways to prepare matcha power – stone mill, steel balls, high speed blending, etc. The matcha that is this color will often use one of the latter two options because it tends to be more cost effect. There is nothing wrong with those two methods, but there are major difference that occur as a result.

Steel Ball Preparation

Steel ball preparation uses steel balls and bashes them together to pulverize the leaves into a powder. With each strike, the leave is subtly heated up, as steel banging into steel creates a thermodynamic heat transfer. The process is repeated over and over again until the leaves are powder enough to fit through a specific screen size. The heat that is created from the steel on steel contact is transferred into the leaves and has a small, albeit noticeable impact on matcha quality.

High Speed Blending

High speed blending is exactly what you think. You take the dried leaves and put them into a blender and let it rip. This is very similar to your typically kitchen blending process. When you use your blender, does it ever create a 100% equal blend for the entire item you put inside? of course not. Some particles will hit the blade more than others. While there isn’t anything wrong with this process, it does create uneven powder clumps that ultimately show up in the color differences.

The matcha that we find that is Maple Leaf Green Matcha Color is often considered premium or culinary grade. That means it can be great for food use, while also being decent for drinks. It would likely take some sort of sweetener to make this matcha palatable to the average consumer. If no sweetener is used, it will likely carry a slightly bitter taste. You. may also see this color in a blend product. When a product is blended it must contain just 5%(!!) of what they are claiming the blend is to be considered a blend. That means a Ceremonial bland can be 5% ceremonial and 95% premium. This does nothing but trick the end consumer into thinking they are getting mare than they truly are.

Matcha Color 3: Vibrant Royal Green (Hex Code: #6d8e32, RGB: 109,142,50)

This is the most closely aligned color for matcha powder that you want. This represents the Correct Amount Of Sun, First Harvest and the Stone Milled Production that make for a delicious cup of ceremonial grade matcha – naturally. Ceremonial grade is considered to be the highest quality consumer grade matcha available.

Correct Amount of Sun

Matcha is a very sensitive plant. It requires near perfection to properly create high quality. The highest quality matcha comes from plants that were grown in a field and then covered with shade (often hatched tarps) for 28 days prior to harvest. This allows the cuttings or seedlings the sun they need for initial development and then 28 days of regulated sun that continues growth, but prevents full onset photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is captured in the plants and carried through the harvest, creating this vibrant green that matcha drinkers look for.

First Harvest

First harvest is the harvest used to produce ceremonial grade matcha. After a winter of letting the field “rest”, paired with the usually frost and thaw combination occurring during that time over the field, the first harvest is always the most nutrient rich batch of matcha produced. This harvest usually occurs from late April to early May.

Stone Milled Production

Stone milled matcha is produced by using two large stones and milling them (grinding them together) with the dry leaves in between. By stone milling the leaves, they offer consistent quality and a very finely powdered matcha that allows you to experience the full breadth of the intended. 

The matcha that carries this color is ceremonial grade, high quality matcha. This is NOT “organic matcha or culinary grade.” Also, this is NOT a blend of the product. This is the authentic, Vibrant Royal green Matcha color that most coffee shops strive for but fall short of. The true color may look a bit more vibrant in real life, due to the natural sun light and how it shines, but this color tells the truth about matcha quality from the beginning.

Matcha Color 4: Daytime Forest Green (Hex Code: #466518, RGB: 70,101,24)

Daytime Forest Green Matcha is likely the result of matcha that could have been good, but saw either a production error, storage problem or water problem. This matcha could fall into either the culinary category or the ceremonial grade category, but likely depends on the reasons for the color change. 

Production Error

When producing matcha, the entire leave is used to create the powder then consumed. If the teams that go out to harvest move too fast, they will occasionally leave stems, or small roots that impact the overall color. When the plants are dried and moved inside, without a good Quality Assurance team, whatever was picked, is going to be turned into powder. As a result the additional parts of the plants can cause a change in color. This is a direct signal over lower quality matcha through production errors.

Storage Problem

When storing your matcha, make sure it is in an air tight container. Many matcha containers will come airtight, but once they are opened will not seal properly again. If you do not move the matcha into an airtight contained, its not uncommon for the matcha to start to darken, even brown in a way that makes the entire batch appear darker. 

Bad Water Temperature

This introduces a new element we haven’t talked about yet in the matcha process – water. Water is very important int the overall process because it causes the reaction that activates the matcha and accentuates the flavor profile. Ideally, the water used should be between 160 and 180 degrees when making a cup of matcha. If the water is too cold the tannins within the matcha won’t full activate (similar to all teas). If the water is too hot, you will burn the tannins, creating a dark, burnt color that makes for a bad tasting matcha.

Daytime Forest Green Matcha is preventable if the cause is either storage issues or bad water temperature. A poor production can’t be salvaged and is often combated with numerous artificial sweeteners. Its uncommon for these production mistakes to occur with a ceremonial grade manufacturer. They know the quality matters and make investments into quality assurance. Be aware of the color and if it appears too dark, chances are it was either stored improperly or prepared incorrectly.

Matcha Color 4: Dusk Deepened Green (Hex Code: #1d3409, RGB: 29,52,9)

Dusk Deepened Green Matcha is equally bad, but the other side of the spectrum from Faded Lime Green Matcha. This matcha likely can’t be saved from the dark color as the issues that caused it are likely final and will result in a less than ideal matcha experience. Its not uncommon to run into this matcha color, but is usually sold at a lower price point because it is generally considered poor quality. The cause of this color could be a Bad Harvest, Poor Production or an Old Leaf Age.

Bad Harvest

Its been mentioned a number of times throughout this article that there are 3-4 harvest per year for matcha. The first one is generally known to create the highest quality. The third and fourth ones are often considered the “final harvest” or “clean up harvest”. This directly implies that these production companies know that the matcha produced during this time, while still technically matcha, is not the best they have to offer. By the fourth harvest, the nutrients are almost nonexistent and the plants just doing everything is can to survive. Powder that into a matcha and the quality is immediately recognizable.

Poor Production

Poor production can lead to darker colors. This is often a result of stems and roots being left in and becoming part of the overall manufacturing. Roots tend to cart a dark color and stems are often hard and deep green. These “additives” bring no additional value beyond deepening the color. When teams move fast and there is no quality checks, the additives add up. The result is a very dark green powder that can only be masked with an insane amount of artificial flavoring. Additionally, leaves that are properly shade grown can carry a dark color into the production process. When you start with bad leaves, your guarantees a bad batch.

Old Leaf Age

In the matcha world, the younger the leaf, the better the quality. The leaves that are left for an extended period of time will develop further. When left further it pushes them either closer or through photosynthesis. It will also create a “tougher” leaf. This leaf conceals the flavors deeper, making the taste more bitter and harder to pull out. When you add water to an older leaf, its more likely to darken in the process.

The matcha that is Dusk Deepened Green Matcha Color is likely premium or culinary matcha.Unfortunately, it was likely created poorly or as a ceremonial blend. Remember, the use of the ceremonial blend is because it only takes 5% of the product to be their best quality to use the world ceremonial. That means they can charge you more money for claiming its ceremonial and be right based on a technicality. If you can, avoid blends at all cost.

Key Takeaways

1. Matcha powder should be a Vibrant Royal Matcha Green Color when dry. 
2. Matcha powder should ALWAYS be stored in an airtight container.
3. The younger the leaf the better the quality.
4. Shade-growing is required for quality matcha, while many big name companies don’t shade grown their matcha to cut costs – to your detriment.
5. Matcha comes in various size, production styles and storage types. Find the one that works for you. If you want taste or health, ceremonial is a must. If you want cheap, culinary is the lowest you’d likely ever want to go.
6. Avoid “blends” at all cost.
7. Matcha quality can mostly be immediately determined based simply on color.
8. Many companies use artificial coloring to cover up bad matcha. Its a deceptive practice and means color alone can’t provide all the answers.
9. The water used to active matcha tannins should be between 160ºF and 180ºF (71ºC-82ºF).
10. RW Golden has 100% Ceremonial Grade Matcha that is medically tested for quality and purity assurance.

To see the matcha colors of quality ceremonial grade matcha powder in person, order yours today through the RWGolden shop.

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Matcha Colors: FAQs

Why does matcha color vary from bright green to dull yellow or brown?

Leaf quality, shading, harvest and processing, and freshness all matter. Young, well-shaded leaves and proper steaming/stone-milling yield vivid green; older leaves or oxidation lead to yellow/brown tones.

What does a vibrant, neon-green matcha usually indicate?

Typically high-grade, shade-grown leaves with more chlorophyll and amino acids—resulting in sweeter aroma, fuller body, and less bitterness.

Does color affect taste and grade?

Often yes. Greener matcha is generally smoother and sweeter (ceremonial/high barista), while yellowish/brown powders tend to be more bitter and astringent (lower or culinary grades).

Can additives make matcha look greener?

Some blends use colorants or other green powders. Authentic matcha should list only stone-milled green tea leaves. Check labels and choose brands that rely on leaf quality, not dyes.

How do I store matcha to keep its bright color?

Keep it airtight and away from light, heat, and humidity. Use a dry scoop, reseal quickly, and refrigerate after opening to slow oxidation and fading.