I drink 2-3 grams per day of Matcha green tea for all the health benefits and slow caffeine release throughout the day, yet had trouble finding good supply that wasn’t bitter, fishy, non-organic or just dull. Then I found out about Breakaway Matcha in LA Weekly (link: http://www.laweekly.com/squidink/2014/05/21/matcha-the-seriously-green-super-healthful-green-tea)and recently ordered one of their pricier options, the “Breakaway blend 99” which clocks in at about $3 per serving (gram). Man this stuff is good! Tons of umami, vegetables on the palate and no bitterness. Great color, too. I like to throw some in a cold water bottle and just shake it up, then it’s good to go and delicious cold brew. Apparently served at many Michelin starred restaurants.
No affiliation, I just enjoy the product. Figured I’d share here in case there’s other tea berserkers.
This looks awesome.
How do people use Macha in Japan? I only use it for dessert or cooking…
Made some cured yellow tail crudo with Macha dust…they were awesome.
They make a ton of desserts out of it there, too, especially in Kyoto. They occasionally use it in savory dishes as well, but mostly for various confections, which are almost uniformly delicious, not to mention beautifully packaged. I load up on my favorites to bring home when leaving Kyoto - many options at the wonderful train station. And I don’t like sweets particularly!
Macha can cut the sweetness in a dessert and makes it more palatable if you do not like things that are too sweet. I mix them in yogurt and make a parfait with sweet red bean. You can also experiment it with sea food. It can reduce the fishy taste.
I wish I have access to some great Macha from Japan.
Hi David - Yes, all their matcha is from Japan. For each “blend” they list the origin. For example: “Origin: Nishio, Aichi Prefecture (near Nagoya), Japan. Elevated growing region, very pristine environment, incredible terroir. One of the rarest, and most delightful, epicurean experiences in the world.”
This I love. The oreos are an acquired taste. Green tea soft serve ice-cream is AWESOME.
RE: Matcha
The Japanese do bake with the lower quality that you would use for usu-cha.
The matcha for koi-cha (which looks like the 100% in the OP? )is a very high quality matcha tea that is used mainly for medicinal purposes. You make a strong brew with it called koi-cha. It is like espresso. It has many great antioxidant properties and is very healthy. I like the usu-cha made with a traditional wooden stirrer causing a frothy consistency. The best I had was in Uji but the people at the Miyamasou made the best drink with it. It is delicious! From a green tea convert.
I would love to try the 100 tea when I get back. That is a very special area for green tea in Japan in that prefect.
Just curious how grinding the tea leaf into powder form changes the taste of the tea. In most of the tea drinking cultures, whole leaf tea is always considered higher quality. If you need to make a beverage out of tea leafs, what do you get by grinding it into powder.
This I can’t answer David. It is an interesting question. I would think that it has to do with extraction needed to get the desired flavor profile, the fact they want to consume the entire leaf (you don’t take anything out of your drink) not just a liquid brewed from the leaves and the fact that leaf tea can’t be used for purposes other than brewing tea.
My favorite brewed tea in Japan is Hojicha. Smoked Green Tea. It is not expensive like Matcha. The really good stuff from Kyoto when done well like at the Miyamasou almost makes me want to quit coffee. Complex. Smoky. Beautiful.
