Daigyo

Last but certainly not least of this past week’s morning matcha… as an iced latte!

This is also a very nutty tasting matcha, but in such a different way from the Kettl or emeri matchas I had this week. They’re all from Yame, but this one is especially sweet and bright tasting in its top notes, with a borderline cherry blossom-like note that weaves and bobs so nicely with the other predominant tasting notes of pistachio and marzipan. Really, really pistachio forward though. Even in this latte form, that tasting note cut through the creaminess of the milk.

I think I underappreciated this matcha when I first tried it, but now that we’re getting to know each other better I have found a deep appreciation for it.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWPemNAiSfT/?img_index=1 (Seventh Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k7WQIfKPII

I’ve had this matcha a couple times now, but I’ve kind of struggled to really clock exactly what the tasting notes I was experiencing were. Well, I think this little cup of usucha certainly made a strong impression with its distinct, slightly flora and fruity, and very pleasant naturally sweet notes of pistachio and almonds. Nutty in a way entirely different than the more toasty/savory Yame Matcha I’ve favoured as of late, but damn good. The pistachio note in particular was so striking that I’m still thinking of it several days later.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVHiMNvEm1P/?img_index=1 (Fourth Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTv7PoD-cxE

From this week’s morning matcha round up!

I’ve been on a Studio Ghibli rewatch since the new year, and these fruit drops I was gifted over the holidays really make me think of Grave of The Fireflies (iykyk). It’s probably the best movie that I’ll only ever watch once. Since that movie probably isn’t making it into the marathon, I had to make a bit of a special moment out of this matcha and sweets pairing.

The matcha was just whisked up as usucha, but sipped outdoors. It was a warmer morning all things considered, but still definitely winter so the warmth of the matcha was something to be thankful for given how crisp and cool it was. More soft and fresh, though the gentle umami was nicely balanced by the tropical fruit notes from sucking on one of the hard candies while sipping. It seemed to bring out some floral characteristics, as well.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTTleNfEvTe/?img_index=1 (First Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDuGtWUM-h8

Made this one up as a “matcha espresso” which is, essentially, just an incredibly strongly whisked up shot of matcha. Not as thick as koicha, but definitely thicker than your typical usucha. I sweetened this with just a touch of a whiskey barrel aged maple syrup, which I think did make a small difference in the taste profile. Overall this was insanely thick and velvety with a lot of creaminess in taste and texture and so much microfoam. Excited to get to know this matcha a bit better over repeated tastings!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTBoG-pEgXC/?img_index=1 (Fourth Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFA2m84j5jU

Iced Latte!

Made this as an afternoon treat earlier in the week and really enjoyed the smooth, more cozy and roasted flavour of the brown rice. Definitely creamy, with a distinct toasty nuttiness. I liked it even more than the last time I’d tried it out, and it was already pretty dang well received on my end even then. Perfect for genmaicha or soba cha lovers.

Iced Latte!

When I was in Vancouver earlier this year I tried really hard to find the Genmaicha Powder from Paragon Tea, but every location I went to was sold out and it just didn’t make financial sense to order online and shell out the shipping money for one tea. So, I was STOKED when I saw yesterday that Daigyo actually carries some as well.

When I got home I immediately made this into an iced latte. I used the gross vanilla protein milk I’m trying to use up, and even with the nagging sweetness of that milk this was still really delicious. Smooth with such a distinct and cozy brown rice note and just a hint of umami from the green tea powder. Definitely everything I was hoping that a Genmaicha Powder might taste like, and if that’s with this gross milk then I can only imagine how much I’m going to enjoy it with regular milk or when I’m back to my usual brand of protein milk!

I was grocery shopping at T&T yesterday and decided to stop at the Daigyo location within the grocery store to both pick up some matcha for home and actually, for the first time ever, order one of their drinks. Kinda crazy that I’ve been drinking their Sanyo matcha for a few months now and never ordered something to drink off the menu…

The nuttiness of a black sesame drink sounded perfect for what I was craving, and it really did hit the spot. There’s a generous amount of matcha used in the drink (no skimping!) so it’s really rich and umami forward on top of having that thick, velvety and creamy mouthfeel. I always want more black sesame whenever I order a black sesame drink from, well, anywhere. This was a solid enough amount. What through me off though was that there was like a crumbly sesame cookie blended in to the drink too? Like the texture you might expect from a drink with crushed oreo in it, though it didn’t taste chocolate-y at all to me. I know some people love textured drinks, but in this case I think I’d have preferred to skip it…

This was my favourite matcha of the week! It was quite soft and delicate in texture, but with a richer sweet and floral nuttiness to it. It really, really reminded me quite heavily of marzipan with that weird sakura/cherry blossom note to the undertones that sometimes happens with almond flavoured things. Delicate finish, and ultimately just nice and fresh feeling.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DVrJM78ibnj/?img_index=1 (Third Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAOwdIpK-Dg

Last up of this past week’s Yame matcha binge was Sanyo!

I just had this hot as usucha with my normal water to matcha ratio. Mostly because I’m still kind of trying to wrap my head around this matcha offering. It’s not super in line with a lot of the tasting notes in the Yame matcha I’ve been really into lately, but it’s not unpleasant. I’ve just had different experiences with it over the last few months so it’s hard to pin down/describe. Mostly more soft and fresh, with a mix of vegetal, floral, and woodsy tasting notes. Fine – but I can already tell it’s not a matcha I’ll feel compelled to reorder once the tin is gone.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTBoG-pEgXC/?img_index=1 (Seventh Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2aGcSvB4SA

Sipped on this as usucha yesterday morning out of a gorgeous new cup that I picked up from a local maker’s market that’s happening this week for the holidays! Definitely love the velvety, smooth mouthfeel of this matcha though I find the tasting notes a touch harder to put into words. More on the vegetal side, but not exactly crisp or creamy? There’s some floral elements, and a tender touch of nuttiness. It’s nice, but definitely not the profile in matcha I’ve found myself gravitating towards as much recently.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSNUTCKje-r/?img_index=1 (First Pic)

The colour of this one is stunning though, and in this bowl it feels like it’s practically glowing green.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jim0bWl71EU

Whisked this one up again while I was in SK since it was the only straight matcha I’d brought with me. I still liked it the second time around, but really all I can remember about it was how creamy and soft feeling the mouthfeel was. The flavour didn’t stick at all in my head. Of course, I wish I could remember the tasting notes but I think a sublime mouthfeel is maybe just as important when it comes to makes and I recall enjoying this a lot for that reason.

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOg-WXJkmjZ/?img_index=1 (First Pic)

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucvP8WbNGfM

Gave this matcha a first try a few mornings ago. Though I had a bit of a harder time getting a good glossy microfoam, I thought the overall mouthfeel was quite rich and creamy with a stronger umami profile and a bit of a lightly cocoa and pine-like finish. Definitely interesting, and while not as immediately enamoring as some of the other matchas I got in this order from The Roaster’s Pack, I do think it will be a nice daily sort of matcha and good for matcha lattes as well.