Matcha is finely ground powder（粉） of specially grown and processed green tea. It's special in two aspects of farming and processing: The green tea plants for matcha are shade grown for about 3 weeks before harvest（収穫）, and the stems（葉柄） and veins are removed in processing.
The traditional Japanese tea ceremony（儀式） centers on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha. In modern（現代の） times, matcha has also come to be used to flavour and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream and a variety of wagashi