Koicha

[devites]

I have that and it is great.

[olivierco]

I have that and it is great.

Where did you buy it?

[olivierco]

Just a question about koicha's consistency.
Is it close to hot chocolate's consistency or does it flow quicker?

[chamekke]

Just a question about koicha's consistency.
Is it close to hot chocolate's consistency or does it flow quicker?

It's thicker than hot chocolate. Almost ketchup consistency.

[olivierco]

It's thicker than hot chocolate. Almost ketchup consistency.

Thanks for the answer.

[chamekke]

It's thicker than hot chocolate. Almost ketchup consistency.

Thanks for the answer.

I'm speaking of the traditional consistency, naturally - the thickness that puts the "koi" in "koicha"

Some people may choose to drink a thinner version of it at home, for example. And koicha always can be used to make wonderful usucha.

[inspectoring]

I just tried making koicha with 4 matcha spoons in 2 oz water. Well..its an acquired taste. The consistency of the tea is not even close to that of ketchup. That 4 spoons of tea kept me on my feet for the whole day.

[olivierco]

I will appreciate you input on two things -
1. How servings of thick tea/thin tea will this provide?
2. How long do you keep this on shelf/refridgerator once you open it?
I mean I know that itoen recommends that this be in a refridgerator for no longer than 3-4 months unopened and no longer than 1 month opened.
3. How does it compare to Matcha-Koto no Tsuki ? I have one can open that I am using right now but would love to experiment.
4. Are you not concerned about the possibility of this having pesticides etc?
5. I know this has been discussed to death - is this good for a everyday use?

1. about 4-5gr per serving (koicha). For usacha 2gr.

2. I tend to follow these recommendations

3.

4. yes and no. Answer given by Kevin (o-cha) If pesticides are used, it's usually during fall when the plant is in dormancy. The newly sprouted leaves have never been exposed to any pesticide at all..
You can always buy organic matcha but it is more expensive and perhaps difficult to find for koicha grades.

5. I don't drink matcha daily for the same reason I don't drink gyokuro daily: for matcha and gyokuro I need some quiet time to fully appreciate their tastes.
Besides, at about 5$ per session, drinking koicha daily will consume all my monthly 150$ teabudget.

[joelbct]

I drink matcha daily. Yum....

An update, my 2 favorites are still Ito En's Koto (red label) and Ippodo's Wakamatsu.

In response to my inquiry wednesday, Urasenke teamaster recommended Ito En, Ippodo, and a place called Kanaemaya (sp?) for matcha.

[Buzz Fledderjohn]

In response to my inquiry wednesday, Urasenke teamaster recommended Ito En, Ippodo, and a place called Kanaemaya (sp?) for matcha.

Koyamaen? Actually the full company name is Marukyu-Koyamaen. I currently have a tin of their Eiju matcha (koicha) open. I like it a lot, it's got a nice creamyness to it.

[joelbct]

Koyamaen? Actually the full company name is Marukyu-Koyamaen. I currently have a tin of their Eiju matcha (koicha) open. I like it a lot, it's got a nice creamyness to it.

Thanks Buzz, yes I think that was it. I had actually came across their website a few weeks ago and bookmarked it, but hadn't ordered from them yet. They look good, and their matcha was what the Urasenke Center served us. The matcha under schools of tea looks good too.

I love the line of "skip preview" text while their splash page is loading:



? Cute

[olivierco]

I drink matcha daily. Yum....

An update, my 2 favorites are still Ito En's Koto (red label) and Ippodo's Wakamatsu.

I reordered some Ippodo's Wakamatsu. I bought two cans, so I will be able to experiment if cold storage for opened matcha cans is a good thing or not.

I also ordered their best matcha Ummon no Mukashi: about 40$ shipping costs included (33% more than Wakamatsu), quite the same price as O-Cha's Uji Matcha Chiyo Mukashi.

[joelbct]

I drink matcha daily. Yum....

An update, my 2 favorites are still Ito En's Koto (red label) and Ippodo's Wakamatsu.

I reordered some Ippodo's Wakamatsu. I bought two cans, so I will be able to experiment if cold storage for opened matcha cans is a good thing or not.

I also ordered their best matcha Ummon no Mukashi: about 40$ shipping costs included (33% more than Wakamatsu), quite the same price as O-Cha's Uji Matcha Chiyo Mukashi.

Olivierco, I just received my Ippodo reorder as well! 2 cans of Wakamatsu, 1 of the Horai (just out of curiosity), and the 80 tine Chasen. The whisk is beautiful, very high quality.

Let me know what you think of the Ummon! I still haven't tried O-Cha's Chiyo either, because I wasn't thrilled by the Manten.

I too am now cold-storing my unopened Matcha, along with the rest of my unopened tea, and a few double-bagged Shincha packages that are open. I have a compact refrigerator devoted solely to tea...



I just hope the moisture inside the fridge doesn't affect the tea somehow...

[joelbct]

A follow-up, my review of Ippodo's Horai no-mukashi:
This is an excellent Matcha, I'm amazed that it costs only 1000 yen (~$10US) for 20 grams! The Horai tastes much like the Wakamatsu, which costs 50% more. And I am pretty discerning, I would not waste my money on a mediocre Matcha.

Anyways, this is great news, I think I have found my new everyday Matcha. I love when I find a great tea for a fair price... I really think this Horai Matcha tastes better than some Matcha's from other sources which cost 4 times as much. It is completely bright green and foamy as well, I will post pictures when I have the time.

[Space Samurai]

Thanks, Joel; I think I found my next matcha.