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Thanks, SimpliciTEA — that was an interesting read. I’d love to see (real) matcha lattes catch on here in the U.S.

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Interesting article, thanks for sharing SimpliciTea. I’m curious, what is considered a real matcha latte and what is considered a fake? I’m guessing that a real has actual matcha in it while a fake one does not. If that is the case…what is in the fake ones?

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Missy said

Yes it was an interesting article. It’s good to see growth in the industry. The more growth the more choices I’ll have. I’m waiting for a matcha latte now!

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I am glad you all liked the article.

I didn’t know Davids Tea was in the US. I was glad to read that, as I see them as direct competitors to Teavana; and from what I have read about how Teavana started, I think I’d rather see Davids Tea outsell them (Although Davids Tea prices don’t seem to be any better).

I was glad to here how green tea seems to be more and more popular, too, here in the US.

I have no knowledge of or experience with matcha lattes and what makes some ‘fake’. Good question. I would like to try one some time, a ‘real’ one that is. : )

I was amazed to read in, Tea: History Terroirs Varieties, how many good things have been shown to be in a cup of matcha (evidently, they have tons of antioxidants, as well as lots of caffeine). I have yet to try matcha (or a matcha latte), but it’s on my radar now.

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SimpliciTea, thank you for sharing this. It’s very interesting and hits some very good points! I think I definitely experience people’s growing interest in green teas, and overall high quality tea. I think American market is possibly the fastest growing fine tea market in the world.

About the real matcha latte, I guess it depends on the definition of “matcha”. Strictly speaking, matcha is defined by its processing procedure and particle size. But in Asian countries out of Japan, many people would call green tea powder “matcha”, while the green tea powder may not suit the standards of real matcha. When blended into a latte, the difference between real matcha and fine green tea powder is barely detectable, but when made a lone, the difference is big.

My first steepster tasting note was on a green tea powder:
http://steepster.com/teas/tradition/9198-green-tea-powder-250g-pack

It’s very good for latte and can be found in some Asian grocery. I also made some popsicles with it in summer:
http://gingkobay.blogspot.com/2009/07/green-tea-pop-ice-and-green-tea-latte.html

However, if the latte is made with real matcha, it would be quite expensive. This green tea powder costs $7 for a big bag of 250g (actually I shared it with a few girlfriends and we still couldn’t manage to finish the whole bag in a year). Real matcha could easily cost $20 or more for a small can of 20g. So I think it’s a good idea to use green tea powder for latte and save the more expensive matcha for more formal drinking.

I can’t find the exact article now. But a year or so ago, I read from MattCha’s blog (mattchasblog.blogspot.com) about a small vendor in Victoria, BC (Canada) specializing in matcha spread matcha culture throughout the town, and generated a trend of several tea/cafe bars serving matcha, which is usually quite rare anywhere in the world. I think that’s really amazing and this also demonstrates that people are very willing to accept new tea beverage once it’s well presented.

It’s good to know something like ‘green tea powder’ exists. I am very price conscious, so an affordable product can make the difference between me trying it or not (I usually only try things that are sustainable; it sucks when I try something, and love it, but can’t afford it!).

Those popsicles sound like such a creative idea! I guess they could be a good way to introduce children to a healthy product that is also fun. Thanks, Gingko, for the great ideas! : )

ADDITION: here’s a link to the 250 gram green tea powder http://www.amazon.com/Tradition-Green-Powder-Matcha-Japan/dp/B001T5GHUM
That price ($11.90) is very affordable!

Thank you Gingko for clearing that up. When I saw “real matcha” I thought fake matcha was some sort of fake tea, like high fructose corn syrup is fake sugar. I’m glad to know that it’s simply just a different ground green tea and not some sort of Frankenstein creation. I’m curious Gingko, did you ever finish that big bag? Also, those popsicles look delicious by the way!

I usually use my matcha (from Teavana) for lattes because I find it’s a bit bitter. I find it’s expensive (the Teavana matcha) to use as a latte but I don’t really enjoy it by itself. I’ve been on the look out for a cheaper matcha for lattes, thank you SimpliciTEA for that.

I’m also on the lookout for a nice non-bitter brew for making it alone and after having read through older posts and topics I saw Domatcha is one of the best for drinking alone, I have yet to try it though since money is a concern.

Back to the main topic. I am really glad that tea is picking up here in the US, especially green tea. I find that black tea is really popular and flavored green teas are but not regular unflavored green teas let alone higher quality ones. This makes me happy, because I hope that there will be more of a market now that it’s gaining in popularity, because green tea (especially Chinese greens) are my favorite!

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I found another interesting article (dated 3/23/2012) by the owner of Seven Cups, so I simply added it to the topic above http://www.sevencups.com/2012/03/tea-trends-in-2012/

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