Hopefully you can satisfy my curiosity. How is matcha used in Japan? I know it's used in the tea ceremony and in sweets, ice cream, etc. Does anyone drink it as their daily cuppa? Could I go into a restaurant and get a bowl of matcha? Do people drink it for taste (like folks here) or only for the ritual?Matcha question
There seem to be a lot of matcha fanatics here. Hopefully you can satisfy my curiosity. How is matcha used in Japan? I know it's used in the tea ceremony and in sweets, ice cream, etc. Does anyone drink it as their daily cuppa? Could I go into a restaurant and get a bowl of matcha? Do people drink it for taste (like folks here) or only for the ritual?
Hopefully you can satisfy my curiosity. How is matcha used in Japan? I know it's used in the tea ceremony and in sweets, ice cream, etc. Does anyone drink it as their daily cuppa? Could I go into a restaurant and get a bowl of matcha? Do people drink it for taste (like folks here) or only for the ritual?
Re: Matcha question
- Rithmomachy, i have found matcha at sweet shops where a bowl of matcha and a freshly made sweet is served. also, tea producers often have a tea house where they serve their own (matcha) tea. i have been served matcha as a guest where i stayed the night at one particular ryokan. so it is enjoyed for taste without the ceremony. i don't know if some drink it daily, but a bowl of matcha is not the kind of thing done quickly, so my impression is it enjoyed as a special break in the day for whatever reason. there are so many teas and instant or pre-bottled teas in japan so the time to prepare matcha i think still makes it something special. plus, so many younger people drink no tea at all really, and will give you a blank stare if you begin to discuss fine japanese teas and tea culture with them. matcha for them is only recollections of their grandparents and the old traditions.Rithmomachy wrote:There seem to be a lot of matcha fanatics here.
i hope others will further your knowledge by sharing theirs with you.
Re: Matcha question
I've not lived in Japan, but when traveling the two places I saw matcha being consumed were in a national park in a lovely little sit-down area with some dango, and in matcha lattes at Starbucks.
Re: Matcha question
Thanks for all the info! I find this all fascinating!
Rdl, what kind of sweet shops are these? A candy store? Or more like a bakery or a snack shop where people might sit down and enjoy something they just bought?
Do they prepare it for you or do they provide the utensils and tea for you to prepare your own?
What about restaurants?
It sounds like matcha (and tea in general) is seen as an old person's drink, is that true? I wouldn't expect it to be part of the youth culture (you don't see many teenagers drinking Darjeeling in the US!) but what about middle-aged people?
I have a lot of questions, but I really appreciate any answers! Thanks!
Rdl, what kind of sweet shops are these? A candy store? Or more like a bakery or a snack shop where people might sit down and enjoy something they just bought?
Do they prepare it for you or do they provide the utensils and tea for you to prepare your own?
What about restaurants?
It sounds like matcha (and tea in general) is seen as an old person's drink, is that true? I wouldn't expect it to be part of the youth culture (you don't see many teenagers drinking Darjeeling in the US!) but what about middle-aged people?
I have a lot of questions, but I really appreciate any answers! Thanks!
Re: Matcha question
- Rithmomachy
i hope the resident experts will answer your questions; as it is i do not speak japanese and i feel i can only generalize.
i don't know the japanese name for the sweet shops- but like you mentioned, similar to a bakery where the fresh sweets are made and tables like in a cafe. the interesting thing i find is the places serving more traditional japanese dishes really aren't like in the usa in the sense of choice. the sweets are what the shop make best, or the local treat, rather then a full menu of different sweets. and the tea is limited a sencha or matcha, or coffee. i have never prepared my own but maybe like at some ceramic shops and kilns where you can make you own creations, maybe there is a similar thing with tea.
i didn't eat much at restaurants but the tea served is not the higher grade tea that is enjoyed best alone (like sencha or matcha and a sweet) but a simple lower grade tea that is drunk daily especially with food. a cup of hot tea is put down in front of you as you sit down. i am sure the restaurant chooses its bancha tea to best suit their food; sometimes it is a roasted barley tea or other grain tea.
when i wrote younger people don't drink tea really, i meant that they consume tea - it's so integral to the culture - but to invest the time to really drink, that is more, at least in my impression, the older generation. a bit like the blank stare i would give if someone asked me about home canning fruits and vegetables, something my parents and grandparents know all about.
one last thought - when i have been in a tea shop to buy tea, i notice that the 800 - 1000 yen teas (100 grams) are what i see being purchased by the typical shopper. again, this may be a general view of things, but the expensive teas are just that - and like anything expensive it is bought and served on special occasions. the gift to those who attend a funeral service is often a package of very high grade sencha. it seemed to me the highest priced teas (like the seaweeds) are something of a status symbol and bought or given in this context. i'd like to know if that is indeed correct.
enjoy your new interest. is it only japan you're interested in or tea drinking in other countries as well?
i hope the resident experts will answer your questions; as it is i do not speak japanese and i feel i can only generalize.
i don't know the japanese name for the sweet shops- but like you mentioned, similar to a bakery where the fresh sweets are made and tables like in a cafe. the interesting thing i find is the places serving more traditional japanese dishes really aren't like in the usa in the sense of choice. the sweets are what the shop make best, or the local treat, rather then a full menu of different sweets. and the tea is limited a sencha or matcha, or coffee. i have never prepared my own but maybe like at some ceramic shops and kilns where you can make you own creations, maybe there is a similar thing with tea.
i didn't eat much at restaurants but the tea served is not the higher grade tea that is enjoyed best alone (like sencha or matcha and a sweet) but a simple lower grade tea that is drunk daily especially with food. a cup of hot tea is put down in front of you as you sit down. i am sure the restaurant chooses its bancha tea to best suit their food; sometimes it is a roasted barley tea or other grain tea.
when i wrote younger people don't drink tea really, i meant that they consume tea - it's so integral to the culture - but to invest the time to really drink, that is more, at least in my impression, the older generation. a bit like the blank stare i would give if someone asked me about home canning fruits and vegetables, something my parents and grandparents know all about.
one last thought - when i have been in a tea shop to buy tea, i notice that the 800 - 1000 yen teas (100 grams) are what i see being purchased by the typical shopper. again, this may be a general view of things, but the expensive teas are just that - and like anything expensive it is bought and served on special occasions. the gift to those who attend a funeral service is often a package of very high grade sencha. it seemed to me the highest priced teas (like the seaweeds) are something of a status symbol and bought or given in this context. i'd like to know if that is indeed correct.
enjoy your new interest. is it only japan you're interested in or tea drinking in other countries as well?
May 12th, '10, 11:54
Posts: 1796
Joined: Sep 15th, '09, 16:11
Location: Wilton, New Hampshire USA
Re: Matcha question
Like in any country... a lot about an answer depends a lot about where you are looking.
My experiences in Japan over the past 10-12 years tend to say that coffee is encroaching on tea, and beer is encroaching on sake. The younger generations tend to favor coffee and beer... the older generations Ocha and Nihonshu (sake).
The best coffee I have ever had has been in Japan. Like their fanaticism for the quality nature of most any food products, they tend to obsess over good coffee. Coffee shops are everywhere. I almost never drink coffee anywhere else. In Japan... I sometimes drink coffee (I know... traitor!)
The Japanese potters I know tend to favor Ocha and Nihonshu.... with biru (beer) right in there too. And Shochu (a distilled licquor). Most have reasonable to great familiarity with Tea Ceremony. Most also drink coffee.
Japan has one of the oldest average populations of any country...... so older traditions are still very much alive there. As the population age shifts........ one wonders about the holding on of old traditions.
Like anywhere, some younger people have an affinity for "tradition"... and others run from it as fast as they can. Hard to fully generalize. Country people might be said to hold on to traditions more strongly than city folk..... but the city folks are developing a set of new "traditions".
The Japanese always tend to assimilate and put their own twist on anything that they absorb.
Matcha shows up in lots of places from being served in chawan (with sweets) at small resting places in national parks and cultural sites, to showing up in cakes, sweets, and breads in bakeries. Of course, it is there in Chanoyu.... but the formal practice is becoming less common amongst the younger people....particilarly in the urban centers.
Next time you make tempura (which is NOT a "traditional" Japanese dish..... adapted from the Portugese)... try dipping it in a mixture of matcha and salt. Quite common in parts of Japan.
best,
................john
My experiences in Japan over the past 10-12 years tend to say that coffee is encroaching on tea, and beer is encroaching on sake. The younger generations tend to favor coffee and beer... the older generations Ocha and Nihonshu (sake).
The best coffee I have ever had has been in Japan. Like their fanaticism for the quality nature of most any food products, they tend to obsess over good coffee. Coffee shops are everywhere. I almost never drink coffee anywhere else. In Japan... I sometimes drink coffee (I know... traitor!)
The Japanese potters I know tend to favor Ocha and Nihonshu.... with biru (beer) right in there too. And Shochu (a distilled licquor). Most have reasonable to great familiarity with Tea Ceremony. Most also drink coffee.
Japan has one of the oldest average populations of any country...... so older traditions are still very much alive there. As the population age shifts........ one wonders about the holding on of old traditions.
Like anywhere, some younger people have an affinity for "tradition"... and others run from it as fast as they can. Hard to fully generalize. Country people might be said to hold on to traditions more strongly than city folk..... but the city folks are developing a set of new "traditions".
The Japanese always tend to assimilate and put their own twist on anything that they absorb.
Matcha shows up in lots of places from being served in chawan (with sweets) at small resting places in national parks and cultural sites, to showing up in cakes, sweets, and breads in bakeries. Of course, it is there in Chanoyu.... but the formal practice is becoming less common amongst the younger people....particilarly in the urban centers.
Next time you make tempura (which is NOT a "traditional" Japanese dish..... adapted from the Portugese)... try dipping it in a mixture of matcha and salt. Quite common in parts of Japan.
best,
................john
Re: Matcha question
Thanks all for the great questions and fascinating answers. More, more, more!
Ed
Ed
Re: Matcha question
- john, this is for a forum for that other beverage, but i fully agree: the best coffee i had anywhere was in hiroshima.JBaymore wrote: The best coffee I have ever had has been in Japan. Like their fanaticism for the quality nature of most any food products, they tend to obsess over good coffee. Coffee shops are everywhere. I almost never drink coffee anywhere else. In Japan... I sometimes drink coffee (I know... traitor!)
this is a really interesting point..."Country people might be said to hold on to traditions more strongly than city folk..... but the city folks are developing a set of new "traditions"." i'd appreciate your insights if could mention any new "traditions" you've observed (of any kind, but tea related in particular).
Re: Matcha question
Thanks for all the answers! I 'm fascinated by this stuff!
I was obsessed with trying Tibetian yak-butter tea when I first read about it (in "Seven Years in Tibet," I think). I eventually made my own with pu ehr and regular cow butter, but I still want to try some in a Tibetian restaurant some day. (Or in Tibet!!) I actually have samples of aged tea bricks from Tibet and Mongolia coming from Yunnan Sourcing, hopefully any day now!
Obviously it's not just Japan, but matcha is another one of those things I've been curious about for a long time. My first experience, unfortunately, was at a local coffee shop (I was very excited when I saw that they had matcha available!) where the innocent barrista took my order for matcha and proceded to scoop three or four tablespoons of dull yellow powder from a big jar and stuffed it into a teabag filter like they do for regula loose-leaf! I knew right away that this was not working, but I didn't know enough to tell her how it should be done (or to recognize stale, low-grade matcha unsuitable for adding to food, let alone drinking straight!)
Last week, I bought a tin of Two Hills Organic matcha and decided to try it right. Or at least my own version of right - I don't have a chasen, but I tired shaking it in a sealed container and whisking it with a kitchen whisk. Both seemed to work well enough for casual drinking. I expected pretty low grade matcha based on the price, and was prepared to be put off again, but it actually turnd out pretty good. A little bitter when I make it strong, but overall smooth and strongly umami. I'll have to get a chasen and some higher grade stuff next!
Thanks, rdl! I don't know if I'd call it a "new" interest, exactly. I've been drinking tea since I was a kid and I've always been interested in the culture of food and drink in different societies. Tea is especially fascinating, of course, because there is so much variation and ritual, but at the same time it's almost as basic as water for so many people.rdl wrote:enjoy your new interest. is it only japan you're interested in or tea drinking in other countries as well?
I was obsessed with trying Tibetian yak-butter tea when I first read about it (in "Seven Years in Tibet," I think). I eventually made my own with pu ehr and regular cow butter, but I still want to try some in a Tibetian restaurant some day. (Or in Tibet!!) I actually have samples of aged tea bricks from Tibet and Mongolia coming from Yunnan Sourcing, hopefully any day now!
Obviously it's not just Japan, but matcha is another one of those things I've been curious about for a long time. My first experience, unfortunately, was at a local coffee shop (I was very excited when I saw that they had matcha available!) where the innocent barrista took my order for matcha and proceded to scoop three or four tablespoons of dull yellow powder from a big jar and stuffed it into a teabag filter like they do for regula loose-leaf! I knew right away that this was not working, but I didn't know enough to tell her how it should be done (or to recognize stale, low-grade matcha unsuitable for adding to food, let alone drinking straight!)
Last week, I bought a tin of Two Hills Organic matcha and decided to try it right. Or at least my own version of right - I don't have a chasen, but I tired shaking it in a sealed container and whisking it with a kitchen whisk. Both seemed to work well enough for casual drinking. I expected pretty low grade matcha based on the price, and was prepared to be put off again, but it actually turnd out pretty good. A little bitter when I make it strong, but overall smooth and strongly umami. I'll have to get a chasen and some higher grade stuff next!