In Search of Matcha online

I have to agree… DoMatcha has the best Matcha. There are many excellent Matcha teas out there though. Den’s has good Matcha too.

I haven’t gotten the “best” factor yet- but it’s absolutely a must try. I’ve also tried all of Den’s’ matchas and they are just as good. For the sake of not repeating, search “matcha” and you will find lots of good discussion threads.

Sounds like you like non-traditional matcha (sweetened/flavored?) — maybe look into www.52teas.com – they have flavored matcha (Cofftea can tell you all about them).

Teavana’s matcha was my intro to matcha, and I liked it alright, but then I won a tin of Domatcha’s and I prefer theirs (ceremonial grade) to Teavana’s. It tastes smoother, fresher, sweeter, and the color is brighter.

Side note- looking forward to trying Teavana’s. There’s a store going in the mall 20 min from my house in July. For the first time, I may be hooked on the mall:)

I’ve been trying to contact DoMatcha to see if we can carry their products, but they haven’t responded back :( I’ll try calling them tomorrow.

edit: I called DoMatcha today, and it’s against their policy to sell to retailers who don’t have a brick and mortar store. Btw, the employee (her name is Debbie) who picked up the phone was quite rude to me. Anyway, sorry Cofftea. I tried. :(

You’d be my best friend if you could beat UT&T’s matcha’s price;) …Or Red Leaf’s.

Rudeness is not cool and I will think twice before buying from them again. But then again, I really have no need to anymore since I found a much cheaper alternative.

Have you tried Urbana’s?

No but after herin you laud it for weks it’s high on the buy list right now. =) But I have to finishing moving and work my way through shincha and baicha first. Sigh

I really need to place an order with Red Leaf Tea. They have my curiosity peaked.

I personally do not sweeten my Matcha. But if you’re one who likes a sweeter Matcha, I’d recommend using Agave Nectar to sweeten it. Because Matcha is prepared at a lower temperature, you’ll want something that dissolves quickly and Agave Nectar fills the bill. I’d recommend a light agave nectar because the flavor is a bit softer and will be less likely to interfere with the Matcha notes.

The only way I sweeten it is if I add it to lemon or limeade (but even then I often just add the citrus juice and skip the sweetener) or when I have my favorite winter non-coffee drink: Matcha Peppermint Hot Chocolate. Sometimes I make it tuxedo by adding white chocolate and even add vanilla.

Am I doing something wrong? I tried matcha recently and it came out tasting very bitter. I tried preparing it twice in case I hadn’t mixed properly, but the 2nd time – definitely well-mixed, frothy, and sort of grassy / bitter. Is it an acquired taste?

It is an acquired taste, but I would not call it bitter. Did you sift it? that makes a big difference too. Chances are you just prepared it too strong in comparison to the amount of water that you used. Some people like it thicker than others.

Thanks for the tips!

Checked my notes – I let my water cool until it was about 180. Is that too hot?

I think so. Try it at a slightly lower temperature. I generally pull my kettle for Matcha just as steam is developing and tiny bubbles are starting to appear at the base but not yet “rapidly developing” (if you’ve ever watched a kettle in its stages as it gets to the boil, you’ll know what I’m talking about there).

I then pour a small amount into the bowl and whisk to form a paste and break up any potential clumps, and then add more water to get the desired consistency. This may seem like an unimportant detail to mention, but, as I’m doing the primary whisk, the water is cooling ever so slightly.

I don’t know if these tips will help you. But this is how I make my Matcha and I always enjoy it.

While I would not put DoMatcha on a pedestal, I would not call it the chopped liver of matchas as you make it out to be.

Do you represent Ippodo?