Ippodo

Great asamushi style sencha. A bit more vegetal than most asamushi’s, and very clean, light…no bitterness or astringency.

I’m fairly new to matcha having tried Red Leaf Tea mid grade and Do Matcha’s 1st harvest and this beats them both handily.
I’m extremely impressed. Sweet, smooth with very fresh umami taste.

Maybe it’s been a while since I’ve had houjicha, but the aroma that came from the teacups was excellent, and mostly, a lot stronger than I expected. Usually I have to put my nose in the teapot to take in a nice aroma— here, it felt like the whole kitchen had been filled (at least momentarily) with a delicious roasted aroma.

And this houjicha is perhaps the best example I’ve had of a tea that has been successfully roasted to the point of caramelization. The first cup or two I drank hot, but used the majority of the kettle I brewed to make a big pitcher iced. It is delicious either way, but I almost think I prefer it hot, since the aroma is even better. Either way, this is definitely some of the best I’ve had.

As for Ippodo as a whole, this was my first order, and everything about them is really impressive. The way they wrap the teas, the info. packets they provide about brewing, about the company and products… they are all excellently and professionally made. You can tell they put a lot of care and thought to every detail.

The other of my two favorite matcha’s, along with Ito En’s Koto no Tsuki.

Perfect umami taste, and fair price at 1,500 yen. Fast shipping from Japan.

Highly recommended….
http://shop.ippodo-tea.co.jp/kyoto/shopf/goods/index.html?ggcd=132024&cid=matcha

(Of course for beginners, you really need to use a bamboo whisk… a Chawan (tea bowl) is desirable, but you can get away with using a pyrex or ceramic bowl, but without the bamboo whisk, the matcha really is not going to dissolve properly and won’t taste right)

The name tatsu-mukashi is a play on words. Tatsu (辰) is the fifth earthly branch and corresponds to the dragon in the Chinese zodiac, the sign for the upcoming new year; mukashi (昔) is the formulaic word for matcha of a grade high enough for koicha preparation.

Tatsu-mukashi really shines in the koicha-style preparation. The advertised characteristics – gorgeous aroma, rich, full-bodied umami, and bright pale green – come across brilliantly. This brews an extremely aromatic bowl of thick tea. The aroma is strongly that of fresh tea, with faintly grassy notes, and an interesting, mildly herbal aftertaste.

Although it is said that all matcha can be prepared as usucha, I found that the thickness of the scent of tatsu-mukashi is somewhat overpowering when prepared as usucha. Furthermore this tea consists of larger than normal particles, so that the tea settles more quickly than usual after whisking.

Makes a nearly perfect bowl of usucha – wonderfully fragrant blend of sweetness and umami. As koicha, the taste is slightly one-dimensional toward the sweetness.

No notes yet.

This is one I had already in the fall, and I found it very good. While waiting for the new season, I’ve been emptying my sencha stash, so as I ordered some special spring matcha (Nodoka) from Ippodo, I took also this delighting organic sencha.

Quite strong flavour, solid typical sencha type taste. I like the balance between grassiness, sweetness and umami. This one is very good when made relatively strong, without turning bitter.

Un thé de qualité et très abordable. Parfais pour ceux qui veulent s’initier à la saveur umani et au thé japonais

Its aroma has most of the good things about a Sencha’s aroma. While its taste is powerful,. hinting at Umami flavors, but very plesant.