http://www.itoen.com/gift-sets/matcha-l ... matcha-set
This is the gift set I purchased. It was on sale for 20 percent off, and it seems to have been priced for a little less in store than online $60 instead of $68). We have one of the three US matcha love shops in my area, and I have been really curious about trying matcha. Disclaimer: I'm still new to all of this.
The chawan: I love these kinds of ceramics. I'm not sure if it was mass produced.
My impressions of the usucha:
Wow! I'm really impressed, this was a wonderful first try, even with less-than-perfect froth. There's almost a sweetness to it. Creamy, some umami with a slight vegetal aftertaste. I used water that cooled from 175F, so (until I get a tea thermometer), I'm guessing it was at 165-170F. I don't know if the matcha love brand is repackaged matcha from ito en's other matcha offerings, or if it is new (not that repackaging is a bad thing in this case, more just a marketing approach).
The chasen's label says: 八十本立
Roughly translated: 80 tines
http://www.amazon.com/TOKYO-MATCHA-SELE ... 00IVHYOQU/
It's this exact one, for reference (same label). matcha love marks it up to $40 in stores. Ito en does not sell it individually online. I don't know if it's considered medium quality, overpriced, or high quality. I invite experienced matcha lovers to comment.
Getting the set on sale was a no brainer, to me. The nicer chasen, the chawan, and the chashaku together seemed like a nice place to start, and they all seem (to me) to be decent quality. Plus, in store, I got to pick out a lovely furoshiki to box it all up.
Now, to make another bowl of matcha.