Matcha Tea

Made from leaves that have not been oxidized.


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Jun 8th, '05, 11:53
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Matcha Tea

by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 11:53

I would like to know more about this tea and where to purchase it. I have heard some really great things about it and that you can get it in different blends. I would like information on preparing it and purchasing it.
Thank You,
Carol47

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by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 11:53

Carol,

Matcha is a green tea powder used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Due to its fine nature, this variety has an extremely short shelf live - only about 30 days. Before making a purchase, please inquire as to its age. And please consider purchasing this tea directly from Japan to ensure freshness.

Michael

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by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 11:53

Everything Michael said about matcha was completely correct. I hope he doesn't mind me adding in my own comment, though. I've take Japanese tea ceremony lessons and drink matcha fairly regularly. There are two varieties of matcha, usucha (thin tea) and koicha (thick tea). If you are new to matcha, I would suggest usucha; in chanoyu, the first ceremony you learn is the usucha ceremony. As Michael said, it is indeed best to purchase matcha directly from Japan. I would suggest http://www.teatoys.com/kmatcha.html or http://www.japanesegreenteaonline.com/. The latter is where I would recommend for those new to matcha, as you can also get a whisk and tea bowl to make and drink your matcha. There are a few places in the United States where you can take chanoyu lessons: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, and other scattered locations. Hope that helps.

Adam

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by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 11:53

does matcha tea have a lot of caffine.
I want to switch to green tea ...
is it better for you than drinking coffee?
I want less caffine...wich green tea is best I was told organic matcha was a good one.

Karen

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by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 11:54

Karen,

You may find caffeine contents for all tea types at http://www.adagio.com/info/caffeine.html. Green tea has approximately 20mg of caffeine, about a quarter of the amount found in coffee.

Michael

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by teachat » Jun 8th, '05, 11:54

By trial and error, I've found putting a serving of matcha powder into a large, round-bottomed tea cup, splashing just a bit of hot water onto the powder, then wisking with the bamboo wisk to eliminate any clumping of the powder, then fill the cup with hot water makes a GREAT cup of emerald green tea.

Rich

Nov 15th, '05, 22:56

shelf life

by Draxxion » Nov 15th, '05, 22:56

Matcha tea has a significantly longer shelf life than 30 days if u properly store it in a dry environment like a freezer, which perfectly fine to do.

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by Stefen » Dec 6th, '05, 15:26

The shelf life depends significantly on the quality of the product as well. As with any other teas there are grades. The finer grades do have a shorter "shelf" life. Now the date that is printed on the bottom is usually a "freshness" date not a expiration date. If it is stored in a normal refrigirator it can last a few months. Hopefully you are drinking it enough not to last that long...

Also wanted to add on the point of "thick" matcha as oppossed to "thin" matcha. There are 2 different methods in preparing matcha and it differs on the kind that you are using. However, you can use all of the matcha's to make usucha. The thick method can only be prepared with a kusucha matcha. I use kusucha matcha to make thin tea and it makes a very creamy froth. Malty and less tart.

Cheers

Apr 5th, '07, 03:11
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by sygyzy » Apr 5th, '07, 03:11

Hi,

First post here. Sorry to resurrect this thread, but is the shelf life of matcha really 30 days? I have some that I bought but never used (because I didn't have the tools), many months ago. How can I tell if it's bad? I'd hate to throw it out.

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by xine » Apr 6th, '07, 15:23

The shelf life of Matcha is really short- about a month. You can usually tell it's past it's prime, by the color (it'll have darken- good matcha has a nice perky green color) and the taste- once prepared, it will be bitter, and slightly ashy to the taste.

Apr 6th, '07, 18:34
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by sygyzy » Apr 6th, '07, 18:34

I figured as much while waiting for a reply so now it's in my trash :(

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