Matcha Japanese Green Tea [New Version]

I have cooked with matcha, I have had matcha lattes prepared for me and I have even had loose leaf tea that was mixed with matcha, but today, for the first time, I made actual wisked matcha!!!
I bought this 50% off a while ago, but only just got it since it was delivered in the US and had to find its way to me. Finally, today, I decided to open my little kit and give it a first try.

I happily measured out my matcha and near boiling water and put them in the glass bowl that was included. I loved how green the matcha becomes in the water. It turns emrald green and after long attempts to properly froth it, I ended up with a tiny bit of pastel green bubbles on the surface of an emerald green liqour. I loved the smell. It reminded me of sencha with a bouncy personality to it. It was increadibly relaxing to prepare and at the same time exciting and fun.

The taste was amazing. Sweet, smooth and creamy with a hint of vegetable and vitamine bitterness that played in just right. My Dad and brother ended up stealing my first cup of it while my boyfriend stared at the liquid as if it were going to jump up out of the bowl and bite him. No luck convincing him to try it… Oh well… That means more for me! I made a second cup (both had about 1 tsp to 8oz of water) for me to enjoy. I loved it. I decided to sweeten the last few sips to see what happened, but I definitely liked it better plain. The natural sweetness of the tea was more than enough to make it delicious. 

Sadly (or maybe thankfully?) I don’t get any effects from caffeine, and I was sorta hoping that I would feel the caffeine in the matcha. I didn’t… Just a happy glow from having great tea and a smile from a quick afternoon nap after a bit of a good book next to my boyfriend and bulldogs. 

Tea makes happy afternoons even shinier! : )  

Today I HAD to try matcha in a water bottle. I’ve only drank matcha a couple of times before so I feel odd giving this a numerical rating, since I don’t think I have enough experience to know whether a matcha is good quality.
It was so easy to make in the water bottle that I was a bit shocked. I put about 1/2tsp in a 12oz bottle and shook it up, and behold, matcha! I then proceeded to sip on it through the next class and feel happily awake.
If my wallet can withstand it, I definitely want to get some of RedLeafTeas flavored matchas in the future.

I’m the President of the St. Louis Harp Society, which sounds way more important & prestigious than it really is. It just means I get to schedule events (our annual tea party, recitals, etc). My Vice President is a lovely Harpist from Japan, the most gracious woman I’ve ever known. I had my first cup of Matcha in her home, when she was the treasurer & I was a mere peon (before I worked my way up the ladder to greatness). There we were, a small group of teachers & officers, planning the year. She served us tea & those fun little rice/seaweed crackers, ceremonially, I might add. I was enraptured, & the tea was the greenest of all green! Smooth, foamy, creamy. I was in love! (with the tea, silly!)

My first Matcha purchase came from Teavana, & I bought the stupid little whisk (looks like a miniature egg beater, only made of bamboo, falls apart regularly) that came with a couple bamboo spoons in a cute bamboo stand. My Matcha was always lumpy, never as smooth & foamy as hers. I was too cheap to buy the real whisk, I mean, would it really make a difference?

Several years ago I became Madame President, & held my first Tea Party at my house. I had some Matcha ready for her to whisk for us. When she saw that egg beater-like thing, she smiled, bowed, and graciously declined. She also sweetly made sure that I knew how important it was to keep my Matcha in the freezer, so that it will stay fresh. I’d like to mention that Matcha is the only tea she drinks,& she orders hers straight from a preferred source in Japan by the case.

What was I thinking? I always knew my Matcha was never as awesome as hers, & there were always lumps at the bottom of the cup.
I bought the real Matcha whisk shortly afterwards, & have never looked back. I’m having my 2nd cup, & it’s rich in greenness, with a head of foam like a tap-drawn beer. I’ve only tried 3 Matchas so far: The wonderful brew at my Japanese colleague’s house (when I told her over sushi that I bought the right whisk, she nodded & smiled demurely in approval), Republic of Tea’s (which was a green tan color when I opened it, bitter & obviously stale. Guess they didn’t keep it in the freezer), & this lovely jade green brew from Teavana. Drinking this matcha is like sipping a cup of heaven, a wonderful spring tonic, any time of year. I whisk it in a blue glass bowl, breathing in images of asparagus in spring, while I recite a Haiku:
“Green essence of Jade
Steaming water in blue glass,
Sweet smooth sip of silk.”

I picked up a matcha set that Teavana had on 50% discount and it included a can of their Imperial Grade Matcha. I’ve had adulterated matcha in drinks and I drink a lot of matcha-iri genmaicha, but this was my first try of the straight stuff.

I used the bamboo whisk and bowl provided in the kit. The powder mixed very well but I couldn’t build much froth. I’m guessing that’s a skill built over time. The flavor was strong, grassy, clean and somewhat creamy. The powder suspended very well so there wasn’t any grit to ruin the flavor.

I’m sure I’ll discover better matcha over time but this was really quite good for an introduction.

So it took a few tries for me to actually make it right but I have finally, after a year of try, been able to make a near perfect cup of Matcha tea. Now that it has been made correctly, I love it. There is a very light taste in the mouth of vegetables freshly washed and the bubbles on top add a nice texture. I actually really like using this as a face mask when my face breaks out every so often, for some reason it just seems to really clear out my face.

I just got a big box from Teavana today, and the matcha gift set was part of it. Also, it turns out I ordered a lot of tea. More than I realized. Oops.

This would be my very first matcha. It is pretty good! Very green, very grassy, but not vegetal, like some green teas are. My only problem with blending it was that it turns out the bowl that comes with the set is 16 oz. I poured….16 ounces of water. Oops. So blending it was a bit messy, with all the tea sloshing over. Lesson learned, never to be repeated!

I rewhisked it after it was about halfway done. It is much darker now, and still not all the way blended. So the blending process was sort of a bust on this one. Does one have to be patient with the whisking? I may not be patient enough, and stop whisking before it is ready.

Hmm, anyway, I have a lot left, and it isn’t bad. I hope the reputed caffeine buzz kicks in soon, since I could use some energy.

I give up. I give in. I am drinking matcha now.

My wallet weeps.

Not rating this for now, because my previous experience with matcha straight was something that tasted like grass drenched in dog urine, so I’m not sure I can handle this straight. But it’s nice added to other teas, and it makes an amazing vanilla green tea latte. Actually, we were so low on milk this morning that I made a latte with this and cream instead, and that was stunning.

I passed on picking up a whisk for this, and that was such a mistake. Basically nothing I tried at home works as well as a proper whisk, so I will have to get one after all. Even though I got no foam out of this before I added the cream, that didn’t seem to hurt the tea any.

It’s clumpy, so make sure you sift it first. I was looking for something to sift it through that I wasn’t too concerned about getting stained bright green, and realized my old tea ball from Teaopia would work. I basically haven’t used the thing in, oh, two years! So I grabbed it and twisted on the middle catch until the two halves came apart, and then re-purposed one half as a strainer to sift the powder through with the back of a spoon. It’s a bit small, but it worked!

I picked this one up from the Teavana Heavenly sale. I have to admit that I’m super glad I did not pay full price for this. I am pretty new to the matcha experience. Mostly I have grown fond of overly sweet concoctions given to me by Starbucks. I’ve been wanting to buy a set similar to this for a long time so I was quite excited when it went on sale.
But this stuff has two things I don’t care for very much. It’s very astringent and somewhat bitter. It leaves a flavor on the back of my palate that I, in no way, enjoy. I would much rather have grassy nuances than full on punch in the face of whatever seems to be my issue with this tea. There is some nice elements, such as the initial creamy flavor. But it is easily over-run by the back end of this. Perhaps this is just a personal issue. I’ll have to keep trying to make this one.
edit I have to admit that I do love the set though. The whisk and the chawan are really lovely. I have also re purposed the box it came in! lolol I give the presentation an A+.

My girlfriend is sympathetic, texting me throughout the day. By the end of my work day I’m a bit grumpy, even irritable. My back still hurt, the boots I had worn had started to dig into one of my heels, now dead tired, and the six shots of espresso I had taken throughout the day to try to keep myself propped up had just added a strange bend to my reality which seemed to make things a bit further away than they really were.

She’s trying to be supportive, but she does it with “I’m sorry your back hurts,”, “I’m sorry you’re tired,” and I know she’s trying to be sympathetic, but “I’m sorry” comes off as an apology to me and it’s a mild irritation, and in present mindset, it’s a major irritation. I have to keep myself from re-addressing this because it’s appearing as a bigger issue than it actually is. I’m driving home and she texts me and there it is again, “I’m sorry this” “I’m sorry that” and I want to text back “You talk like your apologizing that you exist with how much you say that!”

She’s trying to help, but it bugs me, and I try to disengage from any communication with her that isn’t necessary, which probably doesn’t help her out emotionally, but I know myself and with such a internal stress, I feel like it’s only a matter of time until I let it out on her, if I keep up- that is.

I’m planning on marrying her, so I disengage and she doesn’t seem to notice, or at least doesn’t complain. I sleep, and the morning- my back still hurts, my heel is now sore from the boot, but I’m conscious and feel well rested. She sends me a picture of herself while I’m in line at the BMV waiting to get new plates and wondering why I’m the only person in line at the BMV that doesn’t look like they just got done working as an extra as a Morlock in a low-budget, made-for-TV adaptation of H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine. I want to be good to her, and sometimes that’s by doing nothing.

At home, I drink a bowl full of Teavana’s overpriced, but good matcha. My girlfriend had given me a matcha whisk for Christmas. I think she didn’t really know what it was for or what it was used for, but it was on my Amazon wishlist and carried a low price tag. I made matcha for her the last time she was visiting and she seemed to like it. I used her whisk and thought about her.

This is the first matcha I have ever tried. My boyfriend got me a clear matcha bowl and a whisk set for my birthday. I was so excited.
First few attempts were a fail because I didn’t make it correctly.. But now.. Woah! I love the frothy light green. I love the taste of this green tea. Very vegetal and a bit of sweetness. It has a very creamy finish. I always feel so special when I drink this. I found that this pairs very well with a relaxed morning and some Ingrid Michaelson!

I’m still trying to find out different way to prepare this tea. I don’t have a very good whisk so it sometimes become a little sandy. I like the taste but if I drink to much it can become a little overwhelming. I would love this tea if I could only prepare it right. I always want to try other way of preparing matcha tea in general, so if you have any suggestions please tell me.

The only matcha I’ve ever tried, and it’s wonderful! The lovely, velvety texture and strong flavour aside, it never fails to lift my spirits and give me a boost of energy

This was my first Matcha experience, so I thought I’d stick with the basics. However, I did do my research and decided to purchase Teavana’s bamboo whisk to ensure proper blending. I would say that this has been an overall positive experience. I like it a little thicker than the Barista at Teavana made it for me, but it does have a very crisp and fresh flavor. I love the health benefits and heard that although it’s high in caffeine it doesn’t provide a jolt like coffee does, but rather gives a sustained energy over the course of 5-8 hours. I can’t wait to start experimenting with matcha lattes and smoothies, and to try the Pure Matcha you all have said such nice things about!

EDIT: I just made my first Matcha Latte, and I think I’m in love. I used the recipe on matchasource.com, and it is quite a treat!

I find this matcha surprisingly hard to mix…even using a Magic Bullet or blender. I found myself having to constantly remix or shake my drinks.

The flavor was pretty good but I was not blown away because compared to other matcha powders I’ve tried, Teavana’s is too expensive for the quality/taste.

Try mixing this with some unsweetened rice milk instead of water for a more robust flavor. I’m planning on mixing the matcha with some ice cream soon to make my own green tea ice cream.

I drink matcha on rare occasions and never by itself, I mostly use it to mix in small amounts with sencha when I want something different or (in even rarer occasions) make a matcha latte.

Definitely not a bad matcha. It is a little harder to mix that other versions I’ve had but not too bad. I do think, however, that Tevanna’s is fairly overpriced.

When i first started drinking this i was not a huge fan. But now I have this every morning. This is always my first tea and then i follow it with something else.

My original problem with it was that i was not making it correctly. I always had clumps of powder. I tried a couple of different tools and ended up using an small egg beater. I also only poured in a little water at a time and then mixed it, then more water and so on. I think it is a little pricey, but at the same time it does last a long time.

Solid traditional matcha.

I tried this matcha as I was almost out and the order of my regular brand hadn’t yet arrived.
They list the grade as “Imperial” so I was rather skeptical of the quality, as most descriptions go for “ceremonial” grade for regular drinking quality and either “premium” or “culinary” for better or lesser grades respectively.

The matcha has a slightly sharper scent than the ceremonial grade I have used previously, but still a nice vibrant green powder. Seems a little clumpier in the tin also.

I used 2 bamboo scoops of matcha to 3 oz water; prepared by sifting the matcha first, then mixing in a small bit of water to dissolve and finally adding the remaining water and whisking. This matcha did not sift as easily, perhaps it is not as finely ground. It made a very good froth.

Taste- better than I had expected; vegetal and smooth, but a slight detectable astringency and slightly chalky mouth feel when compared to ceremonial and premium grades. It’s not bad at all, could be better but probably not for the price. I will most likely splurge on another brand’s ceremonial matcha for the future, but this makes a decent cup on a budget, and that helps because I’m drinking a lot of it!

I’m surprised at how clumpy this is! Nabbed it from Teavana to see if their matcha is worth hollering about… guess I’ll have to grab some higher end matchas to compare, but this’ll do for now. ;)

Typically, I’ve been adding sweetened condensed milk (for a sweet matcha milk), and it comes out very creamy and pleasant. By itself, it seems not very bitter if the right amounts are used, and the color is cloudy green… not very dark. So far, I’ve been enjoying it hot instead of my coffee, but it lends itself well to cold (milk tea) as well.

You have to whisk it well or else the powder starts to rise up again. Make sure to not use a lot because the tea will become very dark. Good to drink when you’re in the mood for something different.