Powdered tea

Not to be confused with Instant tea or Konacha.

A mound of Japanese powdered green tea (funmatsucha)

Powdered tea is tea made or prepared from processed tea leaves that have been reduced to powder. It includes teas manufactured and sold as powders, such as matcha and powdered green tea made from sencha or other green teas, as well as historical preparations in which compressed tea was ground shortly before drinking.

In Tang-dynasty China, compressed cake tea was ground and boiled in water. During the Song dynasty, finely ground tea was mixed with hot water in a bowl using the method known as dian cha. Historical Chinese powdered teas have also been examined in relation to the manufacturing origins of Japanese matcha, while compressed tea ground before preparation has been distinguished from tea manufactured in powdered form.

In the modern Japanese tea industry, funmatsucha (粉末茶, lit. "powdered tea") has a narrower meaning. The labeling standards of the Japan Tea Central Association define it as tea reduced to powder using a mill or similar equipment and classify it separately from matcha, konacha, and instant tea.