Where to draw the line at quality/price with Matcha

[yacob841]

I recently went to Japan and went to a tea shop called Gion Tsujiri and bought this tea: http://www.kyoto-wel.com/item/IS81095N01027.html
It was 4,320 Yen for 20g of matcha tea (online says 40g but in person it was 20g, maybe different size online), 432 Yen per serving of matcha, and it was AMAZING! I also bought this matcha from the same place: http://www.kyoto-wel.com/item/IS81095N01002.html
It was cheaper, 216 Yen per serving (online says 40g but in person it was 20g, maybe different size online), I figured I wouldn't be able to tell but I definitely could and it was not nearly as good. Then when I got back to America I decided to look and see if I can get any good quality over here. I happened to go into Tevana and found a Matcha tea that costs roughly 5,600 yen but for 80g, so 140 Yen per serving, they insisted that it is the highest quality and reviews are really good but I still highly doubt it. So this leads me to have a couple questions.

A: Is there any possibility that the Teavan Matcha tea is actually good quality and somehow really cheap.
B: If not does anyone know of a place where I can get the quality of the first link but for cheaper? Or the same price but better quality?
C: The guy at Gion Tsujiri insisted that the first link was among the best quality in the world, but of course he would say that since he wishes to sell it. So if anyone has tried that along with others how does it compare?

Thank you for your time and I hope to hear back from you shortly!

[chingwa]

A: Is there any possibility that the Teavan Matcha tea is actually good quality and somehow really cheap.

No. Not even a chance in hell.

B: If not does anyone know of a place where I can get the quality of the first link but for cheaper? Or the same price but better quality?

Online is your only option. There are plenty of recommended online vendors straight from Japan mentioned around this site, but o-cha.com, thes-du-japon.com, ippodo-tea.com, hibiki-an.com (their upper-end stuff) are all good quality.

C: The guy at Gion Tsujiri insisted that the first link was among the best quality in the world, but of course he would say that since he wishes to sell it. So if anyone has tried that along with others how does it compare?

I've never tried it but it seems like a nice traditional shop, and I'm sure their tea would be comparable. However your're not likely to find better tea anywhere (even in Japan) than they vendors listed above. (OK, well, maybe you can, but we're talking super high-end in that case).

Matcha is produced in a number of regions n Japan but Matcha from Uji/Kyoto is generally thought of as superior.

[Tead Off]

To the OP, keep in mind that the most expensive matcha is meant for koicha, thick matcha, used in tea ceremony. Usucha, thin matcha, is what most people are drinking casually and comes in different grades. The highest grade usucha is usually marketed as suitable for Koicha as well, but I'm sure that you will get a good argument against this from specialists. The price of the 'high' grade usucha, usually falls in the middle range of the full line up of a particular seller.

In your example, I have no experience with this vendor so cannot give you a specific review of it. But, as a suggestion, Marukyu Koyamaen, is very high up on the list of matcha producers because of their association with the Urasenke school and provide them with their ceremonial matcha.

It is helpful to sample various matcha to get a sense of what you like. I'm not sure I subscribe to the 'Uji is best', pov. Uji is very close to the heart of Japanese people, but it is not the only game in town. Yame, Ise, and other tea growing areas also produce some winners. Try them, keep notes, and let us know what you discover.

[Drax]

Freshness is a huge part of matcha.

For me, 80g would be way too much to consume in a reasonable window. As it is, I have trouble consuming the typical 40g packages in a decent time frame (but then again, I am usually not drinking it every day).

Meanwhile, ditto all the other suggestions here

[NateHevens]

Teavana insists that all of their teas are the "highest quality you can get anywhere". So... you know...

I've had some really amazing matcha myself. I've no idea from where as I was at a friend's house when I tried it. IIRC, he said he got it in Japan (he visits occasionally as he has cousins who live there).

It's an interesting question, though, and I'll be digging back into Matcha after I binge on oolongs.

[JBaymore]

There is some truth to the old adage, "You get what you pay for" in matcha as in many other things. But there is also a definite element that relates to "personal tastes"... and in this case, a literal use of the "taste" concept.

Find a price point range you can live with and then "taste around" different suppliers and "brands". Find what works for you.

Teavana is a 'mass market' company .... not specialist company. if you are serious about a particular type of tea..... they are not the place to go. Much as they position themselves as for "serious tea drinkers"... they really are targeted for the "serious" amongst the general masses who aren't that serious.

best,

.....................john

[yacob841]

Sorry everyone, I assumed I would get an email when someone replied that is why I haven't been commenting. I did hear really good things about O-cha on this site and was thinking of purchasing. The nice thing about those is that they ship to the US. The store I bought from doesn't so I either use a bulk shipping service or I send to my friend in Japan and he mails it to me. That is why I am guessing a lot of people haven't tried it unless they've been to Japan and happened to run across it.

My goal is to drink it every day so freshness shouldn't be an issue but as I believed and from what you guys are saying, there is no way I am going to buy from Teavana. It is very interesting because I looked at my containers from Japan and they say 20g and I paid 4,300. But online they say 40g, so with 20g I am paying roughly $3.50 a cup while 40g I am paying $1.75. $1.75 isn't too bad for a cup of tea so I might stick with that high quality range.

I will definitely put your guys suggestions into action and explore a couple brands before choosing my top brand. I am also guessing personal taste is a huge part but if the brand I end up liking the most is Gion Tsujiri, I will let you guys know so you can try it out as well!

[Pig Hog]

I think I might still be the only person that bought tea from them so far, but I was impressed with Matabay's matcha and will definitely buy more in future.

I've just opened their karigane houjicha, and that is very good quality too.

I'm currently waiting on my matcha from maiko to arrive...

[Tead Off]

I think I might still be the only person that bought tea from them so far, but I was impressed with Matabay's matcha and will definitely buy more in future.

I've just opened their karigane houjicha, and that is very good quality too.

I'm currently waiting on my matcha from maiko to arrive...

I posted my comments about Matabay somewhere. I bought their Usucha Premium. It was okay but didn't stand out from the crowd, so to speak, especially after they tout it as quality beyond the other vendors. Which one did you buy? I wouldn't buy from them again. I felt the same about their Gyokuro Super Premium. They sent my order to the wrong address even after I wrote them to make sure they send it to Thailand. I sent 6 emails and never got a reply from them. Nice, huh?

[Pig Hog]

I bought their usucha super premium and thought it was good. To be fair, I don't know that it was any better than other matcha of a similar grade and price but I guess that it was better than the expectations I had. Shame to here about the poor service though - I can see why that would put you off.

I'd still like to try some of their koicha but having now been introduced to tea from maiko, I'm not sure who to give my money to next!