History: where matcha really comes from
Jingshan temple (径山寺) was founded in 742 in the hills north of Hangzhou, China. Under the Song dynasty (960-1279) the temple developed what documents of the period call dian cha (點茶): whisking powdered tea with hot water in a bowl. The dark temmoku ceramics, today a symbol of Japanese chanoyu, were fired at the Jian kilns nearby.
In 1187 the Japanese Buddhist monk Myōan Eisai came to Jingshan to study Chan Buddhism. He spent four years at the temple watching the monks’ tea ceremonies. In 1191, back in Japan, he brought Camellia sinensis seeds and the knowledge of dian cha with him. His text Kissa Yōjōki (1214) records what he learned at Jingshan.
Without Jingshan temple there would be no Japanese matcha, no chanoyu, no Sen no Rikyū, no global matcha industry. It is ground zero for the whole tradition.
Jingshan today: from origin to revival
From the sixteenth to the twentieth century Jingshan mostly produced loose green tea, while the dian cha tradition was lost in China and flourished in Japan. Over the past two decades global interest in matcha has driven a revival there.
Growers around the temple have taken up matcha using Japanese methods: 20 to 25 days of shading, steaming the tencha, stone milling. The result has different characteristics from the Japanese one but an identity of its own: grassier notes, a green slightly yellower than Uji, umami present but of a different character.
Jingshan and the area around Hangzhou now account for a good share of Chinese quality matcha production. Brands such as Matcha Zen (teamatchazen.com) work with growers from this region who hold EU organic certification.
The sensory profile of Jingshan matcha
- Colour: bright jade green, a little warmer than pure Uji. Consistent with the Camellia sinensis varieties that dominate in the region.
- Aroma: fresh vegetal notes, grassier than Uji. Less floral than Yame Saemidori, closer to the Okumidori profile.
- Umami: present and pleasant. It does not reach the depth of a first-harvest Uji Gokou, but it is clearly ahead of culinary or unshaded matcha.
- Foam: excellent when the milling is right. The particle size from the best Jingshan producers is comparable to the Japanese.
- Astringency: low in a well-shaded first harvest. Unshaded Jingshan matcha, or matcha from a late harvest, can be markedly bitter.
Why Jingshan matters for the European market
The Japanese production crisis of 2025 (Kyoto harvest down 19%, first flush prices up 265%) has put China back on the map for quality ceremonial matcha. European sellers who want to offer ceremonial grade at an accessible price without falling back on second-harvest Kagoshima or opaque blends have in Jingshan an option with history, traceability and verifiable quality.
Jingshan matcha does not replace a first-harvest Uji for anyone chasing maximum complexity. It does very usefully replace much of the «Japanese, origin unverified» matcha sold in Europe at ceremonial prices.