The powdered green tea known as MATCHA made its New York Times Crossword debut in the Thursday, Dec. 13 puzzle by John Westwig, and not a minute too soon; it has taken the beverage world by storm as an ingredient in smoothies and baked goods, as a coffee replacement and even in face masks. But the ground tea leaves have another, important use: MATCHA is the backbone of the Japanese tea ceremony. During the ceremony, the powder is ritually whisked into a frothy drink using a bamboo whisk called a chasen.

Source: New York Times December 17, 2018 15:22 UTC