Matcha Samplers
We listed a sample size of Matcha: 15 servings at the wholesale price. This offer of high-grade Matcha is less expensive than many cooking variety listings, and it’s individually sealed specially for TRAVEL and OFFICE USE.
Has anyone purchased from this dude? I really want to try matcha, and this seems like a good deal.
Tony, it’s the real deal. Have no fear. But I do warn you, you must treat the Matcha well, and not just dump it in boiling water. It is basically a green tea powder, so about 70c will do it right.
Cheers
The Dude
Umm, well this isn’t Matcha! This is a powered tea or Konacha.
Matcha must come from tea plants that have been shade grown (and I’ve never heard of a true Matcha coming from outside Japan).
You must keep reading in Wikipedia to learn that Taiwan was occupied by the Japanese for several decades, that they adopted many Japanese practices, including Sencha.
I can’t see how you mistook our listing for Konacha. Konacha is dust and cuttings left over from making high-grade Matcha. It looks nothing like our listing.
SFTGFOP, what are you basing that assertion on? Soley that it is grown/produced outside of Japan? Is this like: "Oh it’s not champagne – it was grown/bottled outside of Champagne, France. You have to call it “sparkling wine.”?
not really, but yes I do believe that where something is grown plays a big role. Terroir is a big deal in tea (just like in wine/coffee/chocolates even), and so I would seriously doubt that the Taiwanese farmers would be able to create a “ceremonial grade”, let alone a proper “matcha”.
To use your Champagne analogy. This would be like a bottle of Cava with a “grand cru” label posted on it. It may bubble and fizz, but it doesn’t taste anything like a Champagne.
(**I haven’t tried these teas, and so I am casting judgement when I should probably hold my tongue. I just absolutely can’t stand it when people masquerade cheap products as good ones.)
((For the record, I do like Cava, its just I believe that Cava is a completely separate product from Champagne, and to call it the same is an insult to both))
If you want another example of this in tea, Dragonwell is a prime suspect. 99/100 dragonwells sold outside of China are probably not actually from the lake (or even really that close to the lake). Westerners won’t pay anywhere near the price that wealthy Chinese will pay for the tea (at a recent auction, some dragonwell sold for more than its weight in gold).
That being said, Dragonwell is also a style of tea production, and certainly does have a unique taste. So you run into a grey zone of what do you call a ‘Dragonwell style’ tea that is not grown at the actual lake!
((My issue with this Matcha from Taiwan, is 1.) Is it shade grown 2.) how are they processing it 3.) why on earth do they think they can call it ceremonial grade!)
Thank you for your clarification. I wish I was a matcha expert so I could do a better job of reviewing the tea when I get it. I may take it to get it “appraised” at this awesome tea shop I live by :)
I don’t like to buy teas online as I always like to see what I am buying first, its a live and learn experience, but part of the reason of why Steepster is great. You can see what other people have thought of the product.
In an unrelated noted, after talking about Cava I totally bought a bottle last night. :)
Are all the photos included on the product’s page actual photos of this batch of matcha, or are they just generic photos of matcha?
Tony, they are the actual photos, about 1000 pixels in resolution. I have higher resolution photos, in case Etsy needs to arbitrate ownership at some point.
Hum. Konacha is sort of a PF grade tea, imo. The matcha debate is interesting. I would be interested in learning more about how this Taiwanese tea is made, and I’d definitely be interested in trying it. I do think there is some merit to the ‘appellation’ argument that SFGTFOP is making. I’m also a little hesitant about the ceremonial grade description. I understand that in English it’s convenient shorthand for “very very good”, and it could well be a very very good tea, but in my opinion a ‘ceremonial grade’ tea should be one I would be comfortable using during a tea ceremony, and from the description of this tea, I wouldn’t be comfortable with that. Perhaps this my personal qualm though, since as a non-Japanese person I try to be very cautious and respectful in my approach to Cha-no-yu.
Anna, this is ceremonial-grade just because of the quality level: particle size being small enough to dissolve completely in water; no stems in the grind; and non-oxidized, or in other words, not yellow.
Though I do agree, that it’s not intended to be actually used for a tea ceremony. The packaging is different, and makes this Matcha more convinient for taking to the office, for example, and for retaining its antioxidant properties.
IMO it’s the quality, and not the packaging, that sets the grade of the product.
You also asked about how it’s grown, and I can tell you that it is certified as grown without pesticide, and this tea factory also exports to Japan, albeit in more conventional packaging (tins & bags).
So I got my matcha in the mail last week, but I have yet to try it. I’ve never made matcha before, and I don’t have the nifty little matcha wisk, so I don’t know how I should prepare it. Any tips?
If you have one, put it through a wire mesh strainer to make sure it’s nice and loose. 180F or lower water, and pour to the side of the powder while stirring to avoid lumps, then whisk vigorously with a pair of chopsticks until the tea is well suspended and a rather frothy on top. Nitpickity me has never tried this with a fork, fearing metallic tastes, but it would probably work too.
If you don’t have a thermometer, boil the water all the way, take the lid off, and let sit about minute, or until the steam settles down some and starts rising more gently. That’s about 180F. I usually pour milk of that temperature directly on to the Matcha, and whisk in the cup.
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