Flavored Matcha

Vegetal: Grassy, steamed green notes
One of the most prominent tasting notes in high quality matcha is a grassy, vegetal flavor. Matcha is made from green tea leaves that are harvested, steamed, and stone-ground into a fine powder. The steaming process, common to Japanese green teas, results in stronger vegetal notes than Chinese green teas, which are pan-fired and tend to be nuttier and milder as a result.
Because it's made from whole ground tea leaves, matcha is often described as having an even stronger and more concentrated "green tea" flavor.

Umami: Savory, oceanic notes
Another indicator of high quality matcha is a pronounced umami flavor. Umami is a rich, savory flavor also found in foods like bone broth and miso soup. When present in matcha, this umami flavor is also sometimes described as oceanic, similar to seaweed.
The shading process that matcha tea plants undergo contributes to their umami flavor. These plants are shaded for up to three weeks prior to harvest, which increases the chlorophyll levels in the plants and produces a rich, savory flavor. It also increases the levels of caffeine and l-theanine. Kabusecha and Gyokuro are two other prominent examples of shade-grown Japanese loose leaf green tea.

Sweet: A subtle natural sweetness
Matcha has a subtle, lingering sweetness. While pure matcha won't be as sweet as, say, a matcha latte, it has a light natural sweetness that helps to balance out the other strong flavor notes present in this unique tea. In the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, matcha is often served alongside small sweets, which help to accentuate the sweetness naturally present in the tea.

Bitter: Sharp notes with an astringent bite
Matcha has a slight earthy bitterness. While low quality or improperly prepared matcha can be unpleasantly bitter, the best matcha has subtle bitter notes that combine with and complement the other flavors in the tea. Matcha also has a pleasantly astringent bite.

Smooth: Buttery and rich notes
Smoothness is another characteristic of good ceremonial grade matcha. Matcha is often described as smooth, rich, and almost buttery, with a full body and lingering aftertaste. If you're preparing matcha using a traditional method, using a matcha sifter and whisking your matcha using a matcha whisk can help to ensure that your matcha is smooth, rich, and frothy rather than thin and clumped together.