Uji Matcha "Kiri no Mori"

Nursing my arms (3 viles of blood drawn and 2 flu shots last nite) today w/ a half bowl of this!:)

Finishing this off today, and it went out w/ a bang. Flavored it w/ http://steepster.com/teas/the-tea-farm/8736-green-champaca: 4g green champacha steeped in 180 degree water for 3 min, then decanted into my chawan, added 1 scoop matcha, and whisked w/ my chasen. Adding the matcha definitely improves the green champaca tea. The thicker mouth feel and more vegetal flavor definitely cut down on the floral aspect of the green tea.

Thick and cold… needed something to wake myself up before church. 3oz water/1 scoop.

Refreshing, thick, vegetal, sweet, smooth, crisp, clean… so good!

Haven’t had this one in a while (in part due to being sick) so I decided to ring in the new year w/ this before spending some time w/ my Best Friend and then getting some sleep. I’m actually logging this before I drink it because I’m getting in bed right after I’m done. 3oz water/1scoop matcha. Yummm! Happy New Year!

Yeah… I know… I’m probably gonna regret this, but I haven’t slept in 3 nites and mom decided to do all her Christmas shopping tonite and then we need to wrap presents so I won’t be in bed til late. I needed a matcha that was sweet and smooth so I went w/ this again. Not to mention the dull color matches my mood. YUM!

Psyching myself up for my 2nd pu erh experience after a really bad one. Half a bowl. 8oz water/1 scoop. Smooth, rich, creamy. Just plain good.:) I’m making this last quite a while Ricky, are you regreting giving it to me yet? LOL.;) Hopefully this’ll make me “worry no mori” about pu erh. Ok, sorry… REALLY bad joke! hehe

Definitely need brain power and patience today. I’m trying to figure out my Bible reading plan for Lent. Divide by chapters (which would make it easier to pick up where I leave off) or verses (which would make it more even)? I steeped a bag of RoT’s Get Relaxed! for 9min 20sec for the patience and added a scoop of matcha for extra brain power:)

Thick Jasmine matcha. Well… kinda sorta. I say, “kinda sorta” cuz I didn’t use a 1st infusion. Wanted to kill off my Adagio Jasmine #12 (an oolong) leaves from yesterday so I steeped the 5th infusion for 7 min, but in only 3oz water and used that to make my matcha. The result wasn’t all that much different. A little sweeter and smoother.

Back logging from this morning. Made thick.

Didn’t actually drink this today, added it to 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt. If you can get past how it looks, it’s actually REALLY good. But it’s a touch on the sweet side so I think it might be better w/ plain yogurt.

This went down so good last nite I decided to have it again. This time, 1 scoop matcha/3oz water/1TB (.5oz) white chocolate coffee creamer. The creamer made the matcha creamy, and a lil sweet, but also a little savory. I’ve always considered white chocolate to be both sweet and savory, probably because it’s actuallly cocoa butter. Makes me think matcha would pair WONDERFULLY w/ white drinking chocolate (is there even such a thing?) because I think the white chocolate would let the matcha come thru more than a dark or semi sweet. The creamer and water were also in a good ratio- the consistancy was creamy instead of diluted cream. I hate when that happens… probably why I’m so picky w/ my chais.

I’ve been enjoying my Kiri no Mori matcha for the last couple months iced, hot, and mixed together with powdered sencha (not bad!), but after receiving my first chawan as a birthday gift from my wonderful fiancée, I finally had an excuse to get a chasen and do things right. I rushed out and picked up a cheap 80-prong whisk to practice with, and I can finally say it’s worth every penny.

I’m just “OK” at mixing up my matcha, but my fiancée is amazing at getting a delicious, thick froth with the Kiri no Mori. I add two sifted scoops of matcha and about 2-4oz of water to my preheated chawan, and she uses her magic touch to feverishly whisk up a tasty froth. I’m a little paranoid of scratching up the bottom of my chawan (even though I soak my chasen beforehand), but she has no problem saying just above the bottom of the bowl to get the perfect foam. It’s similar to the brew I previously concocted with a milk frother/whisk, but MUCH creamier and more uniform — there’s just something special about sipping on seafoam!

So far, I’m incredibly pleased with the Kiri no Mori. Its taste and aroma are somewhat mild, but I love the way it retains its mellow sweetness in any preparation. It really is a wonderful beginner’s matcha.

Wow…. It’s been like…. a whole month since i last drank this… unless i am missing something.
had two bowls today.
first- 1 tsp matcha, 4oz 160* f water, and whisked for about 20-30 seconds. i had trouble getting the whisking motion down today. Kept telling my self “think violin, think violin, think VIOLIN 16th notes at 180, think violin 16th NOTES at 180…” so i over whisked this one. some how i had a few lumps in it and it was slightly unpleasantly bitter. not the usual faint bitterness, it was just matcha, umami, sweetness, and POW BiTtEr. after tastes was actually a little better than the tea it’s self.
second- got the whisk motion down, whisked about 10-15 seconds. the usual 1 tsp and 4oz water though i didn’t measure the temp but it felt warmer than the last bowl. much sweeter, back to the usual faint bitterness that isn’t really bitterness that also isn’t really there but it is there. this tea confuses me. It’s very sweet (when i get lumps they taste like tea and powdered sugar), a nice umami taste (that rivals my theanine and sugar chewables i have), and only a pleasant hint of bitterness (thats not really bitter…), and as far as i can tell no astringency! It has a rich almost “sweet tea” flavor with a brothy soup aspect. and then that wonderful wonderful velvet texture. ahhhhhhhhh. i wish i had been brave and tried this tea years ago. I thought i would hate it but it turns out i just love it! it’s been 20 minutes and it still have a faint aftertaste. I don’t want to eat anything. i just want this flavor to last a little longer.

tried to day with water straight out of the cooler (~165*f) and 1/2 teaspoon (4oz water). very yummy. Might try 1/2 teaspoon with water temp ~150 to see if that does better. I had more foam today, a light…. “bitterness” that wasn’t really bitterness (i think the water was too hot), and a lovely silk beverage despite the lumps I missed >.<.
Much richer taste than yesterday. I might try using a whole teaspoon one day when i find the perfect temperature.

yum.
two bowls. two teaspoons total. poor whisking :’( my arm is tired.
but good tea none-the less.

1 tsp super. ah. so good. i wonder how many servings i will get out of this 30 gram container. i think if i just keep track on here i can check and order the right amount to last me for a while.
my poor chasen has two broken tines. :’( poor thing. ah, well its still usable. when they all break and it looks like crap i will purchase a new one. maybe by then i will have a real chawan that wont wear down my whisk.
3/4 tsp in ~60ml. yuck. not enough liquid in my bowl to whisk this so it came out pretty bad and super lumpy. it would have been fine if i had a real chawan that was the right size. meh.

made this afternoon before work.
1 tsp. in 4oz water. ah, i could really taste the creamyness today. no lumps in the bottom of the bowl when i was done. :D i must be getting really good at this whisking thing. had a very pleasant and long after taste today (5-10 minutes). it’s been a half hour and i can still feel it in my mouth. rich. creamy. yum. perfect way to start my afternoon.
oh, and i used hot water straight out of the dispenser. i think whisking cools it down.

Had two bowls tonight.
1tsp each one at 142 *f and the other was hot water straight out of the dispenser.
First bowl was sweet, then I ate a piece of chocolate, and had a second hotter bowl that actually foamed!!! But was a little more bitter ( it may have been from the chocolate I ate just before). But it was still very very good. I usually can’t stand anything even remotely bitter but these matcha teas have such a nice balance that it usually makes up for it ( unlike English black tea) .

made a bowl today.
1 tsp as usual.
whisked it 3 maybe for times. just to take some matcha pictures. was cold by the time i drank it. very….. weird tasting. not pleasant. wont be doing that again.

Has a spoonful of honey. You are supposed to eat something sweet before matcha.
Used 4oz of hot water straight out of the hot side of my water cooler and 1 teaspoon matcha powder.
I need to log everytime I drink this so i know how many servings i am getting out of it.
I was very good. the aftertaste from the honey didn’t go especially well with the tea. a bit meh. but the tea tasted fantastic this way. I could feel the silkyness.
So… next time i will have something sweet but that is neutral flavored. It’s really good this way. Today I made it in a soup bowl and for the very first time I have a nice foam! wow was the flavor and texture different!!!!!!

Dried my Chawan, scooped more matcha (1/4 teaspoon), 140*f water, made sure i was only using 4 oz of water, whisked for 15-30 seconds, no foam showed up.
Flavor was richer but still a bit weak for my tastes, flavor was nice i would just like a bit more. Next time I will use 1/2 teaspoon I think. I really think a whole teaspoon is over kill though (might try it just to see).
I will continue to try different amounts of tea to water. and adjust my score accordingly.

on a weird note… I am really enjoying the after taste. It has left behind a very creamy mouth feel. hmmm.

This really is the last of this now! Still preferring it slightly to the organic Kaoru, but don’t think I have the parameters quite right for that one yet.

Nearly finished this one now, onto the Organic Kaoru next!

I actually had a third bowl of this after my lunch!

I have a PhD funding application to finish today so look’s like it will be a Matcha day!