In the tea ceremony, ground matcha green tea leaves used. The color is green because the tea leaves are not roasted or fermented. There are stone grinders that turn the fresh matcha tea leaves into powdered tea. The most famous tea is grown in Uji, the southern part of Kyoto. During the Edo period, 30 armed horsemen used to escort the first batch of seasonal tea leaves sent to the Shogun in Tokyo from Kyoto.
The growth of matcha leaves usually slows down in April and the leaves are hand-picked in May. Then they are steamed, dried, and stone-ground.