Shiki Matcha Powder

I have sadly avoided matcha since my 1st experience with it was not so good but the desire to try it again has always been in the back of my mind. So, I picked this up during my last visit to the wonderful International Food Market (where the 1st no name matcha came from) and finally got around to preparing a bowl.

I am to lazy to go find what the real names of all the matcha pieces are, but I have the scoop spoon, the whisk and a bowl so of course I used them. The water was 180 degrees,1.5 scoops of the matcha powder was added and then I whisked till I could stand the suspense no longer.

This stuff was SO much better than the crap I had the 1st time. My bowl was sweet and slightly grassy, not too strong but obviously green tasting. I liked it and hope to start trying different types of matcha. Of course that means spending more money. Can the invisible tea gods please give us all an unlimited supply of tea funds?

There have been a couple different types/brands of matcha in the past that I’ve tried that have been much darker in color (maybe due to not being made from Gyokuro but instead Sencha, or maybe they were burnt due to not being processed properly?), not the vibrant green color of typical matcha. As for this matcha, it is not bad for being a fairly cheap average quality matcha that you can find at an international food market.

Whenever I make typical usucha (thin tea), I use half a teaspoon of this matcha and about 1/4 of a cup of water at about 175 degrees. Then whisk it until all the clumps of tea are broken up and dissolved. It makes for a nice light, slightly bitter shot of energy.

Since this isn’t high quality matcha, I typically use it to make Matcha Lattes (which is actually what I started my morning off with today). I usually use about 1-2 teaspoons of matcha, 1-2 cups of milk (soy milk is a nice substitute), and a tiny bit of sugar, sweetener, or honey. I stir everything together just to get it mixed a little, then stick it in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes on high (making sure to watch that the milk doesn’t start to bubble or froth over). I then use a hand blender (or latte frother if you have one) to mix everything together thoroughly. A great and healthy way to start off your day and only a fraction of the cost of something from Starbucks!