Matcha for beginners

[IPT]

You don't really "need" one. I went for years without one and when I finally found a wooden one, I thought it would do something. It didn't really. As long as you set your whisk on its end, it'll maintain its shape. If there's a chance it'll fall on its side, the whisk keeper would be useful to keep the shape of it.

[David R.]

Follow this link and you will find a great video on how to prepare matcha.

This is a cool blog by a japenese guy who is taking chado lessons and shares a some of what he learns.

[odarwin]

thanks for the link, i have been following that blog already for a few weeks now

[Chasm]

I'm pretty much a matcha newb -- I only have extensive experience with one medium grade usucha.

But I've found that while I prefer to drink it cooler and more diluted than is typical (the lower temp takes most of the bitterness out, which I'm pretty sensitive to), I get the best results when I prepare it using ratios along the lines Chip is talking about and at fairly high temp. It whisks up much better this way. A smooth froth really does something to the texture and whole experience. After I get the whisked result I want, I add cooler water to get the temperature that will give me the flavor profile I want.

[Chasm]

As for the chasen stand, I use one, but it's not critical. What is critical is that the chasen be well-rinsed with hot water after use and allowed to dry without being knocked about. The grow mold easily if you don't treat them right.

My solution is that my stand sits in a brass bowl, which sits out exposed to the air. I can pick the bowl up easily to move it with no danger of the chasen being knocked about. With this treatment, I get really long life out of cheap Chinese chasen.

[Stentor]

Yes, the blog that David linked is great!

I'd like to add that letting the (wet/moist) chasen dry near heat (e.g. radiator) can lead to cracks in the bamboo.
I did this once and after a couple of minutes, I heard a really loud snap. When I looked what happened, I saw that there was a crack along the line of the chasen's body/handle. It happened quite quickly and easily. So yeah, that wasn't a great idea on my part.
Letting it dry exposed to air at room temperature should be enough to prevent mold and cracking.

[Drax]

I've only bought matcha on a couple of occasions, but I've always enjoyed it.

This year, I wanted to share the joy of matcha with co-workers.

Can anybody recommend a solid matcha? I'm guessing probably a koicha would be good to share first....?

[Chasm]

O-Cha's Kaoru Organic Matcha was my first matcha and has been my go-to matcha ever since. At the time, Chip had recently posted here that for quality for the given price, this one can hardly be beat. I love the stuff. It's a decent moderate price for matcha and a solid performer, with more of the flavors than cheaper versions.

[naivemonarch]

Sometime in the near future, maybe 1 or 2 weeks I would like to purchase my first matcha pack. Up to now I only taste some samplers but I do not know whether I liked it. So there are my tips, can you give me advice? I know that every of these matcha´s will be maybe bad, but I want to purchase pack of my first and price-reasonable matcha...

http://www.yuuki-cha.com/organic-uji-matcha-konjo
http://www.yuuki-cha.com/organic-yame-matcha
http://store.ryu-mei.com/products/Sprin ... owder.html
http://store.ryu-mei.com/products/Regul ... ade-6.html

And also I am thinking about Maiko´s Uji no Sato or Uji Midori. And I am interested also in matcha by Marukyu Koyamaen (http://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/engli ... ds_01.html)

So which of these could be the best price-reasonable starter matcha?

[Chip]

naivemonarch, you might want to consider this one as well ...

O-Cha's Kaoru Organic Matcha was my first matcha and has been my go-to matcha ever since. At the time, Chip had recently posted here that for quality for the given price, this one can hardly be beat. I love the stuff. It's a decent moderate price for matcha and a solid performer, with more of the flavors than cheaper versions.

Otherwise, from your list, I would recommend the Maiko. I have not had the Ryu in several years at least. Never had any from Marukyu Koyamaen, but seems to have a following.