TeaChat

joelbct wrote:A follow-up, my review of Ippodo's Horai no-mukashi:
This is an excellent Matcha, I'm amazed that it costs only 1000 yen (~$10US) for 20 grams! The Horai tastes much like the Wakamatsu, which costs 50% more. And I am pretty discerning, I would not waste my money on a mediocre Matcha.

Anyways, this is great news, I think I have found my new everyday Matcha. I love when I find a great tea for a fair price... I really think this Horai Matcha tastes better than some Matcha's from other sources which cost 4 times as much. It is completely bright green and foamy as well, I will post pictures when I have the time.

Joelbct - what do you think of this compared to itoen red lable?

inspectoring wrote:

joelbct wrote:A follow-up, my review of Ippodo's Horai no-mukashi:

Joelbct - what do you think of this compared to itoen red lable?

Ito En's red-labeled Koto is the better of the two, but I think it's a tie between Ippodo's Wakamatsu and Ito En's Koto for my favorites so far...

After finishing the cannister of Horai, I realized I will just stick with the Waka as far as what I get from Ippodo. The shipping is $15 anyway so might as well get the good stuff...

joelbct wrote:

inspectoring wrote:

joelbct wrote:A follow-up, my review of Ippodo's Horai no-mukashi:

Joelbct - what do you think of this compared to itoen red lable?

Ito En's red-labeled Koto is the better of the two, but I think it's a tie between Ippodo's Wakamatsu and Ito En's Koto for my favorites so far...

After finishing the cannister of Horai, I realized I will just stick with the Waka as far as what I get from Ippodo. The shipping is $15 anyway so might as well get the good stuff...

Thanks Joelbct. I just checked out the ippodo product page and ordered me some wakamatsu. Just curious - do you follow their serving recommendations- 2 gm for usucha and 4 gm for koicha ? I usually use 3 matcha teaspoons (Ito en Koto) to make thick - and mix it with 2 oz of water - and I alomst feel a kick in the head with that much tea.

For koicha, I usually use about 5g (sometimes more) and add enough water to get the desired consistency.

WoW - 5 gms! That's it - I have resisted getting a scale - but now I am going for it. To bedbathbeyond it is.


On a side note, how long do you take to finish it? One of the less addressed issues is that when the tea is made in the matcha bowl, it goes cold with in a very short period of time. And this greatly affects the taste. Recently, after making the thick matcha - I started pouring it in a espresso cup. This way the tea is warm a little longer.

I tend to make my koicha quite thick, so it doesn't take long (alas) to finish it.
If you preheat the chawan (you might choose a chawan that retains well heat), the tea should stay hot long enough to fully enjoy it.

Ok...so I just came back from the store and purchased a scale. WOW - 5 gms is a LOT of tea - almost about 1 to 1/2 regular american teaspoon !!!!

I can't find my camera - I am gonna have to take a picture and post it here....I can't believe it!

Come to think of it - does anyone remember the caffeine content in terms of percentage? I think I came across the link here.

So essentially - by your method - from a 20 gm dens tea matcha - I can expect about 4 or at the most 5 koichas?

inspectoring wrote:Just curious - do you follow their serving recommendations- 2 gm for usucha and 4 gm for koicha ? I usually use 3 matcha teaspoons (Ito en Koto) to make thick - and mix it with 2 oz of water - and I alomst feel a kick in the head with that much tea.

I too use 2-3 somewhat heaping Chashaku scoops-full. A 20-gram tin would last me more like 8 or 10 sessions, personally. I usually don't drink it as Koicha myself. But my recommendation is experiment! Try less water, more water, less tea, more tea, etc, cooler water, warmer water, etc, until you find what you like.

And good question about drinking-time/temperature. I like to drink some when it is warm, and some when it has cooled down a bit, to enjoy the different flavors.

inspectoring wrote:
Come to think of it - does anyone remember the caffeine content in terms of percentage? I think I came across the link here.

So essentially - by your method - from a 20 gm dens tea matcha - I can expect about 4 or at the most 5 koichas?

Yes 4-5 koichas for 20gr but you have to experiment to find out what you like best.

According to Hibiki an 3.2g caffeine for 100 g matcha.
A little more according to Ippodo (3.5g) but it stays in the same range.

WOW -....so thats roughly 160 mg of caffeine per serving...not that much compared to coffee.

However, I used to drink about 4 -5 espressos a day and still occasionally drink 2-3 per day. I have to say, even with 2 -3gm of the matcha - I am buzzed. I feel like I have had 10 cups of coffee. So I think that 3.2 gm may be an underestimate??

inspectoring wrote: I have to say, even with 2 -3gm of the matcha - I am buzzed. I feel like I have had 10 cups of coffee. So I think that 3.2 gm may be an underestimate??

Even when I was a big time coffee addict -- drinking up to 2 liters of strong, Latin style and espresso a day -- on those rare occasions when I had a tea I got buzzed from the tea. For me it was a completely different feeling. Tea has large amounts of Theanine, a stress reducer, as well as caffeine and the two (plus who knows what else) work together to produce quite a different effect.

• From Wikipedia:
  "Theanine has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress, may produce feelings
  of relaxation and improves cognition and mood when taken in combination with caffeine"

Salsero wrote: Even when I was a big time coffee addict --

Speaking of which, I just had coffee this evening.... I get the urge a couple times a month, and usually have some decent beans on hand. But thank goodness Tea, not Coffee, is my regular staple...

espresso or regular brew?

ok. So today or tommorow I will pay a visit to itoen in person and pick up 2 koicha cans.
1. Matcha-Banreki No Mukashi
2.Matcha-Koto no Tsuki

I have tried koto before and was impressed with it but as I just re-read this post I realize that there are things I could have done differently.

I truly don't think it will be difficult to finish these two cans. I mean a 20gm can - if made right - can be over with in a week. Now if only I could find a bank around the store in the area that will be willing to donate some money to the noble cause of investigating different matcha teas..

inspectoring wrote:ok. So today or tommorow I will pay a visit to itoen in person and pick up 2 koicha cans.
1. Matcha-Banreki No Mukashi
2.Matcha-Koto no Tsuki

They are both quite good. I'm finishing up a tin of Koto at the moment. Again, I have to order from that Marukyu Koyamaen or however you spell it, for my next matcha shipment...