After enjoying O-Cha's Manten so much I thought I'd try the best tea from another tea shop, Maikotea. Their best matcha is Kotobuki, which means blessing according to the Maikotea catalog but which I translate as "long life". The character for Kotobuki 寿 is most often seen as part of the word sushi 寿司 of all things, just used phonetically there I believe. Kotobuki is usually 4050 yen for 40g but I got it on sale for 3000 yen; with the current conversion rate that's usually about $40 USD but I got it for $30 USD while Manten is $60 USD.
Anyways, I got the Kotobuki yesterday, sifted it last night and waited until this morning for a comparison. I decided to try the Kotobuki first as anything I try after Manten usually seems poor so I thought I'd give Kotobuki a bit of a head start. I prepared both using the same bowl, my Kugyo kuroraku chawan; same whisk, my Kubo chuaraho; same everything except for the tea. I prepared both as thick tea: four scoops of tea to one ladle of water from the kettle after heating and drying the bowl, etc.
The Kotobuki is nice and mild, definitely a tea suitable for koicha. The colour is intensely green and the aroma is very nice. The aftertaste is pleasant and not cloying or bitter. It is a nice koicha, very easy to make. It isn't Manten however.
Having Manten afterward proved once again that so far this tea has no equal. It is mild yet more flavorful and more aromatic at the same time even though it has been open in my chaire for at least a month while the Kotobuki was freshly unsealed. Kotobuki at half the price is better value as a thick tea but it is not better tea. When I serve koicha I want the best koicha and it will be Manten until I can find something else.
Thank you for the review, usually with japanese tea when something costs more it is better too, and manten is not the most expencieve matcha, tenju from koyamaen is more expencieve, 8400 yen. This is why I like the japanese market, it is transparent and merchants are honest. I still need to try both those teas.
Thanks for the nice review. I started with Manten as my first matcha and I am now feeling as you do, that nothing can really compare. I am out, and although I have another new brand sitting here, I have hesitated opening it.
- Victoria -
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
Tenju eh? Have to try it at some point. Thanks for the tip!
Manten as your first matcha?! Wow, that's good and bad I suppose. It is too expensive for me to have on a daily basis but it makes other cheaper matchas seem inferior for the most part so in some ways it is kind of bad knowing how good it is! I have found some nice daily usuchas however like Okimasa Matsuda's Matcha Zen which I can buy locally from him.
The Kotobuki is good, don't get me wrong, it just isn't as good as Manten. Manten isn't really twice as good so for your dollar Kotobuki is a better deal. I will compare it to Matcha Zen next (tomorrow most likely).
Manten as your first matcha?! Wow, that's good and bad I suppose. It is too expensive for me to have on a daily basis but it makes other cheaper matchas seem inferior for the most part so in some ways it is kind of bad knowing how good it is! I have found some nice daily usuchas however like Okimasa Matsuda's Matcha Zen which I can buy locally from him.
The Kotobuki is good, don't get me wrong, it just isn't as good as Manten. Manten isn't really twice as good so for your dollar Kotobuki is a better deal. I will compare it to Matcha Zen next (tomorrow most likely).
Last edited by hpulley on Mar 6th, '09, 14:21, edited 1 time in total.
Yeah, I know it was crazy, but I love it. And yeah, too expensive for daily. I am wondering about this one:
http://www.yuuki-cha.com/Organic+Matcha ... enkei+Hana
http://www.yuuki-cha.com/Organic+Matcha ... enkei+Hana
The Tenkei 天恵 "Gift from God" line of organic matchas! Well, with a name like that they'd better be good! LOLVictoria wrote:Yeah, I know it was crazy, but I love it. And yeah, too expensive for daily. I am wondering about this one:
http://www.yuuki-cha.com/Organic+Matcha ... enkei+Hana
Tenkeihana 天恵花 "Gift from God Flower" I understand but 天恵鳥 "Gift from God bird" I'm not quite so sure. At $45 and $35 the price sounds good though.
Tenju is not so cheap though:
It is only 8400 yen without the wooden box. 天授 Tenju "natural gift" or could also be interpreted as a gift from god. I'd like to be in the marketing meetings where they're naming their teas...
Prized Matcha ‘Tenju’, 40g can in a Kiri wooden box.
10,500yen MT-100
