Matcha

[DukeSoccer]

What is the best matcha to order online? I want to get some but there are many different types and the price really does vary a lot... What would you suggest?

[Victoria]

For me my current favorite is from Den's. Their Matcha Miyabi is great and although a bit pricey, they beat an even pricier one I was using before. I'm really happy with this one.

[Samovar]

I use Kama Matcha from Matcha Source. Very smooth, no bitterness.

http://www.matchasource.com/KAMA-MATCHA ... akam30.htm

Samovar

[Oni]

Miyako no shiro HG from horaido is the only koicha matcha for 25$, I tried it twice, it is a real good koicha, it`s quality is well byound it`s price, simply unbeatable when it comes to price vs quality.

[Sydney]

o-cha, yuuki-cha, and ippodo all have decent starter matcha offerings and relatively inexpensive sets of matcha gear required to make the stuff "right" as well.

Do you have or intend to buy a bowl and whisk? (There's more gear than just that, but I consider those two items all but mandatory.)

If you don't have the gear but plan to buy it, I'd say get the matcha and gear together. From o-cha, I'd suggest kiri no mori, and from yuuki-cha, I'd suggest yame.

[puerhking]

I cannot recommend Den's Kaze matcha.....bitter and bland. You might check your local asian grocery. Mine has Maeda-en Shiki Matcha though I have not tried it yet.

[guzzlr]

I cannot recommend Den's Kaze matcha.....bitter and bland. You might check your local asian grocery. Mine has Maeda-en Shiki Matcha though I have not tried it yet.

Maeda-en's Shiki Matcha isn't really good for koi-cha preparations (too bitter), but it's great in lattes and smoothies. It's their food-grade after all.
They have a sub-brand called Green Tea Terrace, and their matcha collections, other than the Choice Matcha, are pretty good.

[rjiwrth]

So....I just tried several attempts at whisking up some Ummon-no-mukashi Ultra-Premium Quality matcha from Ippodo. It turned out beautiful each time; no lumps, lovely aroma, beautiful foam without big bubbles. I was disappointed about the lack of sweetness, though. I did a side-by-side taste test between the Ummon-no-mukashi and some random matcha I purchased at a KC tea shop. Although the aroma, texture and color of the Ummon was superior, the cheaper brand was so much sweeter. I was really hoping for that sweetness the reviewers raved about in the Ummon-no-mukashi and at $40 bucks I am disappointed. Any thoughts?

[puerhking]

So....I just tried several attempts at whisking up some Ummon-no-mukashi Ultra-Premium Quality matcha from Ippodo. It turned out beautiful each time; no lumps, lovely aroma, beautiful foam without big bubbles. I was disappointed about the lack of sweetness, though. I did a side-by-side taste test between the Ummon-no-mukashi and some random matcha I purchased at a KC tea shop. Although the aroma, texture and color of the Ummon was superior, the cheaper brand was so much sweeter. I was really hoping for that sweetness the reviewers raved about in the Ummon-no-mukashi and at $40 bucks I am disappointed. Any thoughts?

Out of curiosity what KC tea shop did you use?

[Geekgirl]

Try your water at about 5-7 degrees hotter with the Ummon, see if that brings out the sweetness. Also, (counter-intuitively,) try decreasing the amount of tea powder very slightly.

[rjiwrth]

So....I just tried several attempts at whisking up some Ummon-no-mukashi Ultra-Premium Quality matcha from Ippodo. It turned out beautiful each time; no lumps, lovely aroma, beautiful foam without big bubbles. I was disappointed about the lack of sweetness, though. I did a side-by-side taste test between the Ummon-no-mukashi and some random matcha I purchased at a KC tea shop. Although the aroma, texture and color of the Ummon was superior, the cheaper brand was so much sweeter. I was really hoping for that sweetness the reviewers raved about in the Ummon-no-mukashi and at $40 bucks I am disappointed. Any thoughts?

Out of curiosity what KC tea shop did you use?

Puerhking: I purchased the matcha at Tea Drops tea shop ...it's in the Westport area of KCMO.

[rjiwrth]

Try your water at about 5-7 degrees hotter with the Ummon, see if that brings out the sweetness. Also, (counter-intuitively,) try decreasing the amount of tea powder very slightly.

Thanks for the suggestion...I will give that a try today. I tried using a lesser amount of powder, but not with hotter water. So, I'll give it a whirl!

[iannon]

Anyone tried the Den's Matcha Miyabi? I am completely out and im trying to decide between getting this one quicker if its worth it, or waiting a bit longer and getting some Wakamatsu-no-mukashi from ippodo along with some of their new shincha.

edit* silly me didnt see victorias post til now..never mind heh unless someone has had the both of them and can compare?

[rjiwrth]

Well, tried various water temps and amounts with the Ummon from Ippodo today and I just can't get it. Again, the cheaper version from my local shop was so much sweeter today when I gave it another several tries and I just can't imagine what I'm doing wrong. I love the fact that there's no fishiness to the Ummon and the flavor is fantastic...it's just missing the complexity I'm looking for.

I think I will order some matcha from Den's and give that a try against the Ummon. If I'm looking for the sweetness, would anyone have rec's? I was really looking for the best matcha I could find...guess I will keep up the search! On a more positive note, got my order of genmai cha from SA and WOWWWWIE! Chip, I didn't get a chance to try it because of the match over-load today (must have had 10 cups of the stuff). But, the aroma...holy cowies! I can't wait to try it.

[rjiwrth]

For me my current favorite is from Den's. Their Matcha Miyabi is great and although a bit pricey, they beat an even pricier one I was using before. I'm really happy with this one.

Victoria, which matcha were you using before? Maybe I will give the Miyabi a try against Ippodo's Ummon-no-mukashi.