Matcha April 2015
Thank you for Reading!
What was a very small list of around
350
100
has ballooned to over
enthusiastic tea drinkers. I appreciate each and every one
of you as well as the tea companies who so generously share their knowledge. Some of you might be wondering why the Japanese tea ceremony isn't covered here. That is a topic that I believe deserves its own future issue. Now that this one is complete, I'll be heading off to World Tea Expo. I am super excited to be listed as a speaker. I'm also honored to be nominated for two World Tea Awards, Best Tea Blog and Best Social Media Reach. Wish me luck!
The next journal will be published in July and the theme is yet to be decided. I'd love to hear suggestions on what you'd like to see. Shoot me an email at nicole@teaformeplease.com!
Matcha Buyer Beware by Nicole Martin If recent media coverage is any indication matcha is one of the hot teas of the moment. From Dr. Oz to national newspapers, everyone is talking about the green stuff. That can be both a blessing and a curse for the tea world. The market is flooded with cheap knock-offs, making it even more difficult for consumers to get their hands on the real deal. Here are a few things that you might want to keep an eye out for when selecting your matcha:
Product of China While China produces some truly wonderful teas, none of them are matcha. The real deal is only grown and produced in Japan. I’ve had samples sent to me by companies who had no idea that this was the case (or so they claimed). Only buy from companies who can tell you where in Japan their tea came from. Green Tea Powder Product labeled as green tea powder is not actually matcha but poor quality tea that is ground up to resemble matcha. While these might be ok for some purposes, like baking projects, they are not the real deal. The color, taste and texture will be all wrong. Those inexpensive bags on Amazon or at the Asian market are tempting but please understand that you will get what you pay for.
Ingredients other than Matcha Simply put, there should be no other ingredient than green tea leaves. I’ve seen everything from sugar and flavoring to powdered acai berries blended to matcha. If anything is added then it is very likely that the base is poor quality. I prefer to call these green tea beverages to avoid confusion.
Health Benefit Hype Matcha is a very healthy beverage, especially compared to most of what we consume on a regular basis. However, it is not a miracle drug that will cure cancer or magically make you lose
20
lbs. If a retailer puts most of their emphasis on hype then you can bet that their attention
is not focused on the tea.
Anything that Isn’t Green Tea I’ve seen powdered white and black teas sold as “matcha”. These curiosities might be interesting to play around with but in no way are they anything close to matcha. I haven’t tried too many of them myself but I can tell you that I once had a powdered Kenyan white tea that tasted like gym socks. Keep these tips in mind, along with the advice of the experts who contributed articles, and you'll be well on your way to enjoying matcha to its fullest. If you have any questions about matcha that weren't answered in this issue, let me know about it! It might just end up in a blog post.
I've seen a few tea retailers post about mixing matcha with fruit juice lately. I was skeptical but I had a morning off of work so I thought that I would give it a try. The result was actually surprisingly tasty. The matcha smooths out the citrus bite of the juice. It's a great way to get a healthy dose of Vitamin C as well as antioxidants. I don't drink coffee so this will be my go-to pick me up on days when I am feeling really groggy. Ingredients
1 1
teaspoon of matcha cup of orange juice
Mix together thoroughly and enjoy!
I usually take step by step pictures for tutorials but this one is pretty fool proof. I used my milk frother to make this because it gets everything blended smoothly without clumps. If you don't have one you can just as easily use a whisk or blender. In a pinch, shake them together in a mason jar with the lid tightly closed.
If you aren't a fan of orange juice, just substitute apple juice or whatever your favorite might be.
A little sip of Uji-cha: Matcha’s history in the region and Mizuba Tea Co. by Lauren Danson of Mizuba Tea Co. The lush, Camellia sinensis laden hills that constitute Japan’s famed Uji region are found at the very center and heart of the country. Uji-cha has made a name for itself, made rich by history and of course, flavor. In March,
2013
, I was lucky enough to step off the Shinkansen (bullet train) on a whim
- and found myself in and city that’s - forgive me - steeped in tea lore and legend.
Uji. The city thrives around the Ujigawa: a large, burbling river that proudly cuts through town. Not only does it proffer beautiful views (peeks into the the back valley and hills; a fiery red pagoda set against lush greenery, a few more graceful bridges), but the Ujigawa is the center of Uji’s community. Parts of the famed Tale of Genji take place on its iconic bridges, it sustains Uji’s unique cormorant fishing, it provides ample scenic locations for people to gather, stroll, picnic, or lounge…and provides water for tea, plant to cup.
As Uji’s streets began to materialize I was struck by the presence of Uji’s hallmark: the scent of fresh, powdered Matcha that hit me and overtook our senses. The aroma was undeniable, and I grew giddier and giddier as I learned that almost every shop was dedicated to tea. From the cha-soba noodles in one window, to the mounds of sweet Matcha mochi in another; to the yunomi cups piled high among kyusus of every design…never mind the Matcha soft serve ice cream that capped the end of the road, sprinkled liberally with such pristine, vibrant Matcha. No one had to convince me if I liked this place. My companion had a cone…and
15
minutes later (without saying a word to me) ran
back half a mile before the shop closed to order a second.
Where were we, that proffered tea at every turn? How did Uji come to be? At the beginning of the
13
th century in the days of the ruling shoguns, two Buddhist monks, Saicho and Kukai, brought tea
1191
plants back from China. However, it wasn’t until the later Kamukura period (
AD) that the famed
Rinzai Zen priest Eisai encouraged the growth and production of tea. Legend has it that Eisai gave seeds to another Zen priest, Myoe Shonin. Shonin originally began cultivating tea in Toganoo, but searched for better growing environs and found Uji. News of Uji’s legendary tea spread across Japan, and Uji’s fame as the best tea-growing region was set in history. Uji Matcha in particular became known as the pearl of Japanese green tea.
The shade-growing method that gives Matcha its tender, nutritious, and vibrant qualities began in the
16
th century, but later in
1738
, Soen Nagatani (also credited with inventing Japan’s famous
Sencha tea), devised a specialized method of processing harvested leaves. Instead of roasting and drying the harvest, he found steaming tea preserved freshness and enhanced a fuller flavor. The technique became known as the Uji method, and is still standard practice today. One can even visit Soen Nagatani’s shrine deep in the hills of the Uji countryside, with walls carved with the names of Japan’s most famous tea houses and proprietors.
Before I knew how famous the region was for its quality, and before the idea of Mizuba even came to be, I was inspired by the small, close-knit community where my I tasted Matcha for the first time. I was blessed to meet an enthusiastic Matcha producer, in charge of his family’s
100
-year-old farm
(“very young,” he says). It wasn’t long after that I felt called to build a company grounded in the traditions and spirited relationships I encountered over cups of tea. Now, Mizuba is honored to exclusively source all of our Matcha from Uji, and visit annually for harvest season.
Our facility in the Uji countryside houses
50
heavy stone mills, which run twice a day and spin at
30
revolutions per minute. Though Uji is a famed region, our production is relatively small in comparison, (two of our grades are harvested once a year) allowing for our team to focus fully on the quality of each batch of our Matcha tea.When selecting the best Tencha (shaded leaves, before being stoneground) to make Matcha, our producer notes that it’s not so much the shape that he’s looking for, unlike many leaves for tea. “Shape has no meaning. It’s the color and flavor that’s most important. It’s difficult to show flavor in words.” We agree – quality tea is sometimes an ineffable beauty, perhaps best taken as a simple experience.
As such, Mizuba hopes to impart just a taste of the larger, beautiful experience of Uji to you. Your cup of Matcha contains years worth of craft and care, and with each sip you take, you help continue to make Uji’s history as vibrant as the color of Matcha itself.
Mizuba Tea Co. presents a fresh way to enjoy tea. We are passionate about Matcha tea as we are passionate about the community that comes around tea and tea drinking.
You can find out more at http://www.mizubatea.com.
How to Buy Matcha A Professional Tea Buyer's Perspective
by Peter Sabbagh of Think Matcha When we talk about tea, several words come to mind. Words like steep, brew, hot, or iced, but do we ever think of specific teas right away?
There are different grades of teas, which is not always known by the general public. What I would like to do is bring a professional tea buyer’s perspective to the consumer of one tea in specific: matcha. I also want to give you the customer, knowledge of how to purchase and store matcha correctly, so you can better enjoy your tea. The conundrum is that many people, even some tea experts, don’t know much about matcha, where to buy it, how to store it, and its myriad of uses.
So how can you get your hands on some quality matcha? It can be tricky because if you are like some shoppers, you might pick up the first thing you see, and when you drink it, you realize there’s added sugar.
A recent acquaintance (a tea buyer) of mine told me a story from several years ago. He went to a local tea seller that was purchased by a larger company. That store is now a chain. The objective was to discover what the store knew about matcha tea preparation, storage, quality, and how easily the average tea consumer could purchase various types of matcha.
He was told by the manager that they were given matcha to use for customer samples by their corporate owners. Of course, it was low quality and mixed with sugar. There are several reasons why a corporate company might want to supply matcha mix to their store
20
rather than real matcha. Since matcha is expensive (typically $
or more for
30
to
40
grams), it’s much cheaper to use the mix. The corporate company decision-makers also may not have known the differences in the quality of matcha tea because they had never sold premium matcha before.
Thankfully, due to experienced tea drinkers’ complaints about the taste of the mix, the tea store’s manager finally received permission from corporate to serve and sample real
5
matcha for a pricey $
a cup.
I understand how difficult it is to find matcha to purchase, and how often tea suppliers lack the proper knowledge to sell quality matcha to consumers. If you want quality Matcha, here are some questions you should ask yourself prior to purchasing.
1
) Will I be cooking with matcha or whisking it with water?
For cooking or in a mixed sweet beverage, typically, you use a less expensive, lower grade form. Due to the lower quality grade, its flavor is more astringent. From a culinary perspective, matcha at this grade is used in certain dishes and beverages to illuminate a multitude of flavors, much like the use of lemons.
If you want to drink matcha with water, then you should look for a more expensive, highergrade form. Higher grades naturally have a smooth, creamy, and slightly sweet finish. One reason for its taste difference is because younger smaller leaves from the top of the tea plant are used. Image traditional whisk tea
2
) Should I buy tea from a local tea shop or online?
At a local retail tea shop, you can speak to the staff, ask questions about their tea, or sample it. However, an online store may be less expensive and store their tea properly. Pick a site with a customer service option and product transparency.
3
) How do I tell the difference in matcha grade levels?
Low grade matcha is recognized by a dull green with brown or yellow tints. The pale green color indicates the tea possibly contains stems and branches, or that it’s not fresh. Poor storage of matcha can also cause discoloration. If you notice these visual cues, it will probably not have its desired finish. Properly stored high grades are vibrant, emerald electric-green, and will smell slightly sweet.
4
) How do I store matcha so it stays fresh?
To increase shelf life, it’s important to refrigerate or freeze it (before and after opened), in an airtight container, like a canning jar.
You should also check the date stamped on the tin or pouch before purchasing. It will typically last
6
to
7
months from the time it is packaged, provided it is properly stored
coming from the grower. Like wine, temperature control and vacuum sealing (after opening) are imperative to extending your tea’s longevity.
5
) What other questions should I ask myself or a retail shop before purchasing?
Matcha is shipped from Japan, so it already has lost some of its shelf life. Ask the shop/site about their storage process. Examine the tea’s color and smell. What country and region does it come from? How was it shipped? Ask for a taste to check astringency levels.
These days consumers are more diligent about reading food labels, so why not learn more about growing conditions? I recommend asking a tea store to see a copy of the grower’s soil or plant testing reports. They will provide you with a snapshot of a tea’s environmental purity.
To produce a good premium matcha, the soil must be nourished properly, particularly in its final shaded stage of the growing process. Some pure organic fertilizers derived from fish meal and other sources may not be rich enough in nitrogen to produce a high grade premium matcha. What you may notice with organic matcha is a less bold or flatter taste.
Be careful about paying more for an organic matcha. You shouldn’t have to pay extremely high prices just because it’s organic. It may not necessarily be the highest grade tea product, even though it might be considered as such. If you ask yourself these questions before you purchase matcha, then it will prepare you for a delicate process of finding, purchasing, enjoying, and storing your delicious tea.
We are tea lovers and health nuts who like helping people. Our lives revolve around providing healthy alternatives to our customers. We are also a family owned company located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and enjoy an active lifestyle.
You can find out more at http://www.thinkmatcha.com.
Understanding Japanese Green Teas by Ian Chun of YUNOMI My introduction into the tea industry was also my introduction to the umami flavor of tea that connoisseurs in Japan value so highly. It was a kabusecha, steeped for me by a certified Japanese tea instructor, and it took me by surprise—thick, syrupy, savory, delicious. I knew at that moment, I knew nothing about Japanese tea despite having lived in the country for a decade.
Let’s step back and start at the beginning—sencha and its two definitions. Yes, two. The wide definition of sencha encompasses all tea leaf that has been steamed, rolled into a needle-like shape, and dried. At this point, it is called aracha. Stems, leaf tips, tea dust are then sifted out to make sencha.
In this definition, gyokuro and kabusecha can also be considered sencha. Many high quality sencha teas are enhanced by adding the umami-rich kabusecha or gyokuro creating an even higher quality blend (in Japan a blend is a combination of tea leaves from different regions or of different cultivars, etc., and master blenders are at the pinnacle of the industry in tea expertise). A farmer might even shade a sencha for
37 -
days to enhance the umami flavor a slight amount.
However, the umami rich flavor of kabusecha or gyokuro is deserving of our acknowledgment as tea drinkers, and for this reason we exclude these shaded teas from the sencha category. By default sencha is then redefined as tea leaf that has not been shaded during cultivation as opposed to kabusecha (shaded for about
2
weeks) and gyokuro (about
3
weeks). Or if we remember the above,
it is tea leaf that has not been shaded long enough to make it a kabusecha. Confused? I hope so. If you’ve thought this much about what defines sencha, you’re on your way to becoming an expert.
Let’s move on to that other Japanese green tea taking the world by storm: matcha. Matcha is very simply powdered tea made from green tea leaves. More specifically, it is made from a leaf called tencha. The common mistake some tea sellers make is to say matcha is made from shaded tea leaves, then assume these leaves are gyokuro. They couldn’t be more mistaken.
Tencha leaves are significantly different from gyokuro not in how long they are shaded (often
4
weeks), but in the fact that they are steamed and dried without rolling. The rolling process in sencha production breaks down the cell membranes in the leaf releasing flavors.
Without this step, you have a very different leaf, tencha, that produces the characteristic flavor of matcha when ground into fine powder. Although it is more difficult to produce powdered sencha as fine as matcha, the flavor remains sencha. Yet, even when tencha that has not been shaded as long, or lacks umami (as in autumn-harvested matcha for industrial usage like ice cream production), the powder that results is more bitter than usual, but still distinctly matcha in flavor.
Launched in
2013 60
Featuring nearly
, YUNOMI is the leading source of artisanal Japanese tea and tea ware online. tea farms, factories, tea ware artists, and other small-scale, independent
merchants, YUNOMI strives to promote Japan’s culture and its people through the world’s love for tea.
You can find out more at http://www.yunomi.us.
Ceremonial Matcha: What’s the real deal? by James Oliveira of AIYA America I have been on a bit of a crusade lately. A few years ago it was all about introducing Matcha green tea to people - explaining where it comes from and how it is used. Now, the next frontier is explaining the difference between “Ceremonial Matcha,” and all these other titles and grades. There is no industry standard stating that the quality of a Matcha must be at a certain level in order to be called “Ceremonial Matcha.” With no official industry standard some people get caught up in the names of the grades, rather than focusing on the actual quality of a Matcha.
Before we delve deeper, let’s take a step back and explain where the term “Ceremonial Matcha” comes from. As you may or may not know, Matcha is a powdered green tea that comes from Japan and is traditionally used in the Japanese tea ceremony. One of the central concepts for the Japanese tea ceremony is ichi-go ichi-e, which means “once in a life time encounter.” Thus each meeting or encounter with a family member, friend or acquaintance should be treasured. For the Japanese tea ceremony, one would then typically serve a high quality Matcha to their guest in order to treasure the experience. By calling Matcha “Ceremonial Grade,” you are implying that the quality is high enough to be used and served in a Japanese tea ceremony. For a guest of yours, you would want to serve them something high in quality to be a gracious host.
This eventually led to “Ceremonial Matcha” becoming a marketing tool to name Matcha and try to communicate quality. Everyone later started using the term Ceremonial Matcha when grading their Matcha. That said, if you want truly ceremonial-quality Matcha, you should ask your Matcha supplier if any of their teas are endorsed or used by a Japanese tea ceremony school such as Urasenke, Omotesenke, and Mushakoujisenke. Japanese tea ceremony schools will only use high-quality Matcha. Since there is no official rule or industry standard for determining the quality of Matcha, these Japanese tea ceremony schools can be used as a benchmark and something you can trust.
Besides being endorsed by a Japanese tea ceremony school, the next best thing is to try out a Matcha yourself. You should learn what to look for when tasting Matcha so you can discern the difference between high-quality and low-quality Matcha. When tasting, you want to use your senses; check the color of the Matcha, feel it between your fingers, smell it, and finally taste it. The following chart explains what you should look for:
You can see the color difference between a high-quality Matcha and a low-quality Matcha above.
Finding the real deal can be a daunting task, but I would not be so caught up in the names and grades companies give their products. These names are often arbitrary, and some companies do not even call any of their Matcha “Ceremonial Grade.” It’s always good to ask a supplier if any of their Matcha grades are endorsed by a Japanese tea ceremony school, and if they are, the company should have some document or certification from the school as proof. If a Matcha supplier has such an endorsement, then it is safe to say that you can trust the quality of their Matcha. However, learning the difference between high and low quality Matcha will also help you in your research, because even if a Matcha is not officially endorsed by a Japanese tea ceremony school, it does not necessarily mean it is of poor quality. In the end, everyone just wants a good quality Matcha that they can sit down and enjoy drinking along with their guests.
AIYA lives for its tea - for the benefit of everybody. Our philosophy is to create harmony between humans, nature and technology, resulting in products of enormous exclusivity, purity and high class.
You can find out more at http://www.aiya-america.com.
How to Prepare Matcha at Home by Ricardo Caicedo of My Japanese Green Tea Matcha seems intimidating at first, not only because of the utensils used but because we often have the image of the tea ceremony with its elaborate steps and gracious movements.
But don't worry, you can prepare this green tea at home in a casual way. It's quite easy and doesn't take up much time.
What You'll Need
First of all, pay attention to the type of matcha. Kitchen grade matcha is too bitter by itself, so as its name implies use it only when cooking. It's best to use a normal matcha or a ceremonial grade matcha, which has a better flavor but is more expensive.
Although you can certainly prepare it in a modern way using a milk frother and a tall glass or mug, I advise you to try the more traditional way. At the very least, have a matcha bowl and a chasen (tea whisk). The matcha bowl doesn't have to be expensive, start with a basic one. Many bowls are works of art and collector's items, but they aren't necessary when starting out. For the chasen, you can find many types but again don't go for the high-end at first.
Lastly, there's also a chashaku (bamboo spoon) that's useful for measuring the matcha but it's not obligatory.
Let's Begin Pour boiling water into your matcha bowl, this is just to warm it up. Discard the water and dry the matcha bowl, otherwise the matcha will clump when it comes in contact with a drop of water.
Now you can add the matcha. You need two grams, so that's either two scoops of the chashaku
23
(bamboo spoon) or in case that you don't have one, use
Add about
60
2
ml (
70
oz) of hot water (
C ~
/
80 158 C,
F ~
of a teaspoon.
176
F). Notice that the matcha bowl
won't be completely full, it's just one third of it. For the hot water, you can start with boiling water and then pour it into a cup. Once it fully warms the cup, you can now pour it into your matcha bowl and it will be at the required temperature. It doesn't have to be exact.
Finally, hold the matcha bowl with one hand and with the other start to whisk slowly with the chasen. Don't push it against the bowl because you may break the tines, just whisk in a W motion and gradually speed up until foam appears. This requires some practice, so don't be discouraged if at first you can't whisk as quickly.
As a final note, matcha prepared this way is called usucha (thin tea). There's also koicha (thick tea), where you use more matcha and less water to create a thick, concentraded brew.
Ricardo is the author of My Japanese Green Tea,. He believes that one day, words like sencha and matcha will be as common as espresso and cappuccino.
You can find out more at http://www.myjapanesegreentea.com.
รก
He also owns and operates Bogot
, Colombia based Kyusu Teas.
You can find out more at http://www.kyusuteas.com/.
Community I asked readers to post their best matcha shots on Instagram with the hashtag
#
teaformeplease. There were so many great entries but these are
some of my favorites.
@hallstigerts
@chaxicollective
@chambredesucre
@iheartteas
@joysteaspoon
@patrickmedina85
your subtitle here @teaspoonsandpetals
@mizubateaco
@agiftoftea
Have you subscribed to my podcast yet? In addition to this journal, I produce a monthly podcast. The topics vary from sharing the stories of tea companies that I love to how to videos. I love getting feedback from my fellow tea lovers. Is there anything you'd like to see? Just shoot me an email at nicole@teaformeplease.com. Next month I'll be sharing a bit of my trip to World Tea Expo.
Subscribe on YouTube:
1
https://www.youtube.com/teaformeplease
Subscribe in iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/teaformepleasepodcast