Should I Be Refrigerating My Matcha?
Hi, I bought some matcha from Ippodo a few weeks ago and have kept it in a kitchen cabinet...I was just reading about matcha at 2 different sites and they say to refrigerate it... Is this true? About how long will my matcha last? How do I know if its old? Thanks
I've found it to be perfect throughout the timespan of a month, then slowly degrade after that. I usually give up on it after two months.
Cold storage is for before you open the bag, once open, it should be kept outside the fridge at room temperature.
When the Ippodo matcha gets old, it loses some of it's buttery-creamy smoothness and develops something of an unpleasant roasty/woodsy taste.
Cold storage is for before you open the bag, once open, it should be kept outside the fridge at room temperature.
When the Ippodo matcha gets old, it loses some of it's buttery-creamy smoothness and develops something of an unpleasant roasty/woodsy taste.
Feb 21st, '08, 14:31
Posts: 1559
Joined: Jan 28th, '07, 02:24
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Contact:
Space Samurai
How do you know if its old:
Let's take a look at these two unsifted matcha, a and b.
a
b
Ignore the difference in color, because variations in lighting can largely account for the difference. Look at the texture. Matcha a looks coarse, hard, lots and lots of clumps, where as matcha b has a lighter, fluffier look.
I'm still new to matcha, but it seems to me that there is a big difference. Mathca a did not have a vibrant or fesh taste that I usually get with matcha. In my opinion, tea is "fresh" as long as it tastes good.
Should you refrigerate. I don't think so. I might refregirate an unopened can, and if I did, I would leave it out of the fridge for several hours till it reached room temperature before opening it.
Matcha often comes in either 20, 30, or 40 grams. I've seen 100, but unless you use a lot, I wouldn't buy that much at one time. A serving of usucha, thin tea, is about 2 grams, so you only get 10-20 bowls of matcha from one container, less if you're making koicha, thick tea. You should be able to finish a tin of matcha long before it gets too old, so in my opinion, the risks of storing an opened container of matcha in the fridge far out-weigh any potential benefits.
Let's take a look at these two unsifted matcha, a and b.
a
b
Ignore the difference in color, because variations in lighting can largely account for the difference. Look at the texture. Matcha a looks coarse, hard, lots and lots of clumps, where as matcha b has a lighter, fluffier look.
I'm still new to matcha, but it seems to me that there is a big difference. Mathca a did not have a vibrant or fesh taste that I usually get with matcha. In my opinion, tea is "fresh" as long as it tastes good.
Should you refrigerate. I don't think so. I might refregirate an unopened can, and if I did, I would leave it out of the fridge for several hours till it reached room temperature before opening it.
Matcha often comes in either 20, 30, or 40 grams. I've seen 100, but unless you use a lot, I wouldn't buy that much at one time. A serving of usucha, thin tea, is about 2 grams, so you only get 10-20 bowls of matcha from one container, less if you're making koicha, thick tea. You should be able to finish a tin of matcha long before it gets too old, so in my opinion, the risks of storing an opened container of matcha in the fridge far out-weigh any potential benefits.
Feb 22nd, '08, 01:18
Posts: 1559
Joined: Jan 28th, '07, 02:24
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Contact:
Space Samurai
