Chado, the Japanese tea ceremony

The way of tea designates the mutually heart warming of the host and the guest spending time together over a bowl of matcha tea. The host strive for serving an unforgettable and fulfilling bowl of macha, and the guest gives back thankfulness. Both perceive that the time shared can never be repeated because it's a ‘once in a lifetime’ occasion.

Zen Buddhism strongly influenced the spreading and development of the Japanese tea ceremony. Chadō is counted as one of the three classical Japanese arts of refinement, along with kōdō for incense appreciation, and kadō for flower arrangement.

The tea ceremony can be an informal tea gathering (chakai  - tea gathering) or a true formal event(chaji - tea event). A chakai includes confections, thin tea, and sometimes a light meal. A chaji is a much more formal gathering, usually including a full-course kaiseki meal followed by confections, thick tea, and thin tea. A chaji may last up to four hours.

In the 15th century matcha started to be seen as a more spiritual pursuit, going hand in hand with the quest for simplicity. Simplicity was preached by the monk Murata Junko, founder of the Japanese tea ceremony as we know it today. It was one of his students, Rikyu, who defined the four principles of the Japanese tea ceremony:

Harmony
Respect
Purity
Tranquillity

    

Since then the consumption of powdered green tea has been the basis of a pure lifestyle, Chado or "Sado". The Chado is what is today called the green tea ceremony and is inspired by the rituals of Zen Buddhism. The tea ceremony is a true art of living in Japan and matcha green tea is still at the heart of this ceremony today.