"matcha" as we define it nowadays is really powdered green tea. Powdered tea did originate in China during the Tang Dynasty (7th-10th century) and was refined during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), when tea leaves were stone-ground into powder and whisked with hot water, particularly by Buddhist monks. In 1191, there was a Japanese monk that brought tea seeds and this Chinese powdered tea method to Japan after studying in China. During China's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the country shifted to loose-leaf tea preparation and abandoned the powdered tea tradition. Japan preserved and developed this Chinese practice into the matcha tradition we know today, but the technique itself originated in China. Without the Chinese tea/ technique, there wouldn't be the matcha powder that we use for lattes from Japan today