Americans are obsessed with matcha tea - but we're drinking it all wrong

Matcha is blowing up. 

According to Google Trends, the search term "matcha" started to spike in January 2014 and hit an all-time high this May. Everyone's trying out the antioxidant-filled tea that's been a staple in Japan for centuries. 

But, thanks to chains like Starbucks and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a lot of American matcha drinkers have no clue what real matcha actually tastes like.  

You see, matcha has a unique balance of vegetal (think seaweed or edamame), bitter, and malty flavors. To appeal to the American palate - which hasn't acquired a taste for matcha's bitter, seaweed-y side - many cafés use sugar-laced matcha powder and steamed milk to make the trendy matcha latte, in addition to other treacly concoctions. 

And not only are we masking its flavors and jacking it with sugar, we're also drinking matcha differently than it's traditionally enjoyed in the East, as I learned one recent afternoon over a bowl (not cup) of the algae-colored tea with Kathy YL Chan, my matcha teacher. 

She taught me the basics and then referred me to several tea spots where I could continue my matcha exploration.