Okay, so I saw this “green tea powder crossword” thing trending and figured, why not give it a shot? I mean, I love matcha, and crosswords are kinda my guilty pleasure on lazy Sundays. So, here’s how it went down.

First, I googled “green tea powder crossword” to see what the deal was. I found some printable ones, some online interactive ones, and a bunch of articles about the health benefits of matcha… which, okay, cool, but I was here for the puzzle!

I decided to go with a printable one because I like the feel of actually writing things in. I found a pretty simple-looking one—didn’t want to get overwhelmed—and printed it out.

Next, I grabbed my favorite pen (gotta have the right tools, you know?) and brewed myself a cup of, you guessed it, matcha. Figured it would get me in the right headspace. I use Ippodo, all-purpose matcha Sayaka-no-mukashi.

Getting Down to Business

I started with the shorter clues, the ones that seemed obvious. Like, “a type of Japanese tea ceremony” (easy, “chado”). I filled those in, feeling pretty good about myself.

Then things got a little trickier. There were clues about different grades of matcha, the regions where it’s grown, and even some about the tools used in the tea ceremony. I had to do a little more googling for some of those. Don’t judge, even crossword pros need a little help sometimes!

I got stuck on a couple of clues for a bit. One was about a specific type of whisk… I kept wanting to put “chasen,” but it didn’t fit. Turns out, it was the longer, less common name for it! Another one was about a particular flavor note in some matcha varieties… “umami”? Nope. “Bitter”? Nope. I eventually figured it out, but it took some serious thought.

The Sweet Taste of Victory

After about an hour, a mostly empty cup of matcha, and a few moments of frustration, I finally filled in the last square! It was a surprisingly satisfying feeling. It wasn’t the hardest crossword I’ve ever done, but it was definitely fun and I learned some new things about matcha.

So, would I recommend the “green tea powder crossword”? Yeah, I would! It’s a fun little activity, especially if you’re already a matcha fan. And hey, you might even learn something new. Just make sure you have a good cup of tea to go with it!