Matcha Karigane

[Oni]

I have recieved Matcha karigane pinnacle, it says on the package "We carefully roasted the veins and stems of matcha in order to bring out its special noble flavour", I will open it soon, but I have a lot of open bags of tea.

[chingwa]

Hmm, I just received the same gift package today. Not sure, when I'll be opening it either, but... soon... definitely!

Oh, and Hibiki-an's shipping is just insane. I placed an order in late Friday night, and it arrived 9o'clock monday morning. insanse. Thanks Hibiki-an

[bello]

I also got this wonderful surprise by mail. I just tried it and loved it! Matcha Karigane Pinnacle is really well roasted for my taste, it blends well with the traditional taste of green tea. One of the best!

[britt]

I am a regular customer of Hibiki-an, and just received a complimentary gift of tea from them in celebration of their fifth anniversary.

The tea is called "matcha karigane pinnacle". It is not a normal matcha, as it is mostly pieces of stems. It is absolutely delicious, perhaps the nicest green tea I have had.

Hibiki-an sent me a tiny quantity of this tea once before as a gift, maybe a year or two ago, and I thought I would buy some, but I never could find it on their web site. Likewise, I do not now see it on their web site. They infer that this is a highly unusual tea, not even well known in Japan.

Can anybody tell me if there is a good source out there for this wonderful type of tea, or if there is any other type of tea this resembles its flavor?

Bill

This one from Yuuki-cha (Organic Uji Gyokuro Karigane) does not have the matcha in it, but I ordered some to try and was surprised at how good it was. It's also cheaper than Hibiki-an's Gyokuro Karigane Premium ($16 per 100 grams versus $24 per 100 grams).

http://www.yuuki-cha.com/Organic+Gyokur ... uroKarigan

[Chip]

Britt, the Hibiki-an is not blended with matcha (the name is a bit misleading perhaps). It is karigane made from the leaves used for matcha ... I guess tencha is the base for it. It is quite different from gyokuro karigane as well, the stems and veins are much finer. It is a rather different tea.

I guess I have not earned this gift since I have not purchased much from them in the last 2 years?

[chingwa]

I had only placed one order with them this year(in the shincha season), and I got this gift in the mail again earlier this week. I have yet to open it, as I also just got a large shipment in from O-Cha... but... maybe I'll crack it open soon...

[britt]

Britt, the Hibiki-an is not blended with matcha (the name is a bit misleading perhaps). It is karigane made from the leaves used for matcha ... I guess tencha is the base for it. It is quite different from gyokuro karigane as well, the stems and veins are much finer. It is a rather different tea.

Thanks for clarifying. They add matcha to so many teas I assumed that's what this was.