Matcha

I’ll confess: I’ve been drinking this as a latte.

Someone else (Ricky? Cofftea, perhaps?) was posting about matcha lattes, and since drinking a cup of just plain matcha doesn’t often appeal to me (sometimes it does, but only very selectively and only every now and then, as with almost all green tea) I thought I would give it a try. I haven’t the first idea what the temp or steep time are. My method is to mix water and milk (I use 2% for almost everything) at a 1:1 ratio in a pot on the stove, heat it until it’s hot but not so hot that it seems likely to bitter the powder, then I sift the matcha through the bottom of one of my mesh basket infusers to reduce it to fine powder and clear lumps, whisk it, and pour it into a cup into which I’ve already added a tiny bit of raw honey. The results are delicious. It’s a non-standard way to drink matcha, obviously (though my Japanese friend tells me that taking matcha with milk is pretty common in Japan, so I don’t feel like an utter heretic), so I’m going to avoid trying to review this matcha as compares to other matchas (especially as I’m hardly a connoisseur)…but I do like it. It seems tolerant of the method of preparation; I have yet to make a bitter cup. The caffeine content is fair, the color of the powder is rich and bright enough to promise that whatever their processing methods or sources are, they’re (more or less) legitimate, the aftertaste is sweet and grassy. No complaints.

I stopped into Teavana looking for a gift for a friend, she saw some cup there she really loved, but I couldn’t pick it out from the ones there today. Anyway, while I was shopping, I had them make me a matcha since I had to go straight to work. I was curious about their matcha. They did not tell me which matcha they used to make my tea, and I didn’t ask because they seemed like there was only one.
It tasted funny at first, had a real bitter taste to it, and it wasn’t a “normal” bitter taste. (Not that matcha has a bitter taste, I mean an abnormal bitterness, abnormal even for bitter.) Weird. But after that, it tasted fine, not great. That could be because I am rushing around and not wanting to go to work, and I don’t have time to sit down and really relax and enjoy this. Well, so it’s really thick, gets really clumpy toward the last third of the cup. I am able to add hot water to this at work and still get a thin-ish matcha. Not once more, but twice more. Then, while there is still some matcha left, I add a tea bag of Tazo’s Lotus and add more water. And let me tell you, Lotus matcha is FANTASTIC. Calming, tasty, sweet, aromatic, just plain good! My first “on the fly” tea blend and I am calling it a success!
The score is more for the Tazo Lotus then the matcha, but I think because there is more matcha than Lotus, I need to give it to Teavana.

The past few days have been a matcha bender. Purchasing a traditional bamboo matcha whisk changed my matcha experience from a mixed one to an absolutely positive one. Prior to the bamboo whisk, I’d been using a standard metal kitchen whisk, and not a very flexible one at that. For tea veterans, I’m sure you can appreciate why that was a poor choice on my part.

Matcha poorly made can be particularly bitter and heavy. That’s how I’d make it before, and I’d reserve it for a time of focusing before something of significance, like meeting someone new or prayer.

Drinking it now, my mind hangs on to my old ceremony of having some sort of reverence for the task at hand during and after drinking the markedly better made bowl of matcha. Drinking matcha and thinking about the direction of my life while I listen to the Moth podcast or find some music I think is appropriate for this kind of mind, like Radiohead’s Idioteque or a live version of Tool’s Pushit.

The tea itself is different from any other tea you’re likely to taste, being the whole tea leaf dried and ground and immersed with hot water. If you’re going to take the time to try this, I’d encourage you to get the whisk, get a decent bowl, and get the water temperature right the first time. This will greatly increase your experience.

Mixing this stuff with vanilla ice cream and splash of vanilla soy milk is also fantastic.

I was brave and got a cup of this while out running around with my mom. It’s not horrible. It’s got a decent green tea flavor to it but it’s a pretty dark and murky taste. But it more made me go, “Huh! This isn’t bad!” instead of “Wow! This is good!”

Not bad as a matcha being used to make a latté which is what I did. I lightly earthy and vegetal matcha. I made my latté with water, half & half, and 2% Milk. I will post pictures and directions to my latté if you are curious to know about how I prepared it or perhaps to recreate it yourself on my blog located here. http://iheartteas.teatra.de/2011/07/how-i-made-my-matcha-latte/

I brewed it for the first time using 1/2 tsp matcha and about 5 oz water. (My canister says to use 1/2 tsp and 4-6 oz water for thin, 1 tsp and 4-6 oz for thick. For some reason the directions on here differ – it calls for 2-3 more ounces of water!)

I whisked it as best I could with a regular metal kitchen whisk in a wide mug that is more like a soup bowl. The water was under boiling ( I didn’t check the exact temp.) This was my first taste of amtcha – not ideal conditions I know. The taste was vegetal but not bitter, the color reminded me of spinach water though! I promptly added a cube of sugar and a splash of milk, which was nice. I just wanted comfort yesterday, not the “exotic”-ness of traditional matcha.

I will try matcha again the proper way once I get a chasen. Also I want to research the right tea to water ratio. There was sediment left in the bottom but I"m not sure if that’s due to too much tea or to not enough whisking.

This was a decent Matcha powder. It is typical Matcha, no better or worse than any others I have tried. I made it with hot water. I know this sounds familiar, but this time I made it with hot water in a large glass bowl and made it froth up with a bamboo whisk. Yay!

I needed the extra caffeine, so I made a matcha latte with a dash of cinnamon and a little honey. Yum!

Confessions of a matcha newb: I purchased a tin of this with the intention of making green tea ice cream, which I never got around to doing. So there it sat in my cupboard for, um, several years. Now, armed with my new Steepster knowledge, I’m making a matcha latte every morning and feeling quite proud of myself! Nothing fancy — just sifting half a teaspoon of matcha into my 16 oz. mug, blending it with a bit of 1% milk and Torani sugar-free syrup, and then adding another cup of heated milk frothed with a Bonjour Caffe Froth Turbo. Having as yet nothing to compare this matcha to, possibly all I can say of any value would be that, even sitting unopened in a cupboard for several years, the color was still bright and the smell fresh and strong. (Now that I’ve opened it, I’m keeping it in the freezer.) I’ll definitely use this up.

I’m still acquiring the taste for matcha, and so today I made some cold with soymilk and no added sweetener (but the soymilk is “original” and sweetened slightly). Pretty darn awesome! I love the even, concentrated energy I get from this drink. I’ll transition gradually to drinking it with only water, but I’m in no hurry. I mixed the powder and the milk the day before to give it time to dissolve the little globules of matcha, which worked pretty well. Once it’s fully dissolved, it doesn’t settle out—a big plus! It’s been hot, so I’m drinking this cold, which is quite refreshing. I’ll add more notes as I try it with less soymilk as a buffer.

love to drink this traditionally prepared in a matcha bowl, but my favorite way is to make matcha lemonade with it!! yum :)

A very good tea. I enjoyed this one very much. It possess many of the characteristics I look for in matchas and yet lacks in other ways, but not many. It has an earthy, grassy taste but not balanced with the fresh spinach or the sweetness matchas are known to possess; also, it lacks the umami full mouth feel which I rather prize. This is a quality tea with freshness, a vibrant color, foam that whisks up in a short amount of time and the palate of a quality tea. I highly recommend this tea.

I think this can be really good or relatively bad depending on how you make it. If you make it thin I think the flavor is good and sweet.
If it’s made to their recipe I think it becomes a little bitter for me.
I’ve been brewing it at 140 and that takes off most of the bitterness and instead of 1/2 tea spoon I’ve been using about a quarter.
full review will be up on www.mad-tea.com when I’m done with experimenting.

made a matcha latte, delicious

It’s an experience. Brew it in a small deep bowl or Matcha cup if you have one add the water then whisk with a bamboo whisk until frothy. Do not use over 160 degree water it makes for a bitter drink. You can also add this to shakes and ice cream or make it into a latte.

Thoughts on this store aside, Teavana sells some nice, quality matcha green tea. This tea, done in traditional 1-2tsp:6-8oz water ratio came out slightly astringent (good for matcha), wonderfully vegetal (as you have guessed, good as well), and ever so slightly sweet. Not as sweet as some matchas I’ve tasted if this is what you are after. Of course, make sure you NEVER have anything sweet before drinking your matcha. This (sometimes) highly expensive and (sometimes, but more rarely) high-quality green tea is drunk communally, and served with either savory treats or after drinking, sweet treats. This is a great example of the tencha green tea leaf harvested after spending its life under the shade and processed either by hand or mechanical means. I would definitely buy my green tea from Teavana again (especially in the larger 3.5 oz. size).

Trying for first time, matcha. Happened to be in Phoenix so went to Teavana. Don’t have anything to compare to. Used traditional whisk, and their matcha glass bowl. First time used too much I believe. Followed their instructions. Second mix use one chashaku serving. Bought it for its health reasons.

I use this when I make shakes and ice cream more often than not.

Not bad…..but I’ve had better!

I wasn’t sure where to put the “steep time”, since this tea isn’t steeped. Love Matcha for that late evening “kick” when I’m writing…so healthy too! I mix it up “thick style” – like a bold “fresh” flavor.