Matcha - Ogurayama (Yamamasa Koyamaen, Uji) 30g

General

Yamamasa Koyamaen, located in Uji, Kyoto, is one of Japan's traditional tea houses. It was founded in 1861 and is still a family business. Matcha, a powdered tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies, is Yamamasa Koyamaen's most important product. The producer's teas offer the classic taste of Uji.

Matcha tea is finely ground green tea. The tea is produced from the same leaf material as the Japanese brewed green tea gyokuro. The tea bushes are partially shaded with transparent cloth for about 20 days before the leaves are picked. This causes the leaves to darken in color and increase their amino acid content. The leaves are quickly steamed to prevent oxidation. However, the leaves used to produce Matcha are not subsequently rolled as in the case of gyokuro or sencha, but are allowed to dry without rolling. The branches and leaf stalks are removed from the dried leaves, resulting in a leaf material called tencha. The tencha can now be ground in a stone mill to make matcha tea.

Matcha teas are typically divided into two groups depending on whether the tea is intended for so-called for making thin tea, or usucha, or thick tea, or koicha. Thick tea uses a relatively larger amount of matcha, which results in a thicker and fuller-tasting tea.

Japanese tea art focuses on making, serving, and enjoying matcha.

This tea

Ogurayama is the best-selling grade in Yamamasa Koyamaen's matcha selection. The name of the grade means Mount Ogura, which is a mountain located in the Saga region, west of Kyoto. The grade is in the lower middle range of the producer's selection. When it comes to a high-quality producer, it can be considered a fairly high-quality matcha grade in a broader comparison. For many, it is a benchmark for matcha where the price is reasonable but the taste is also extremely soft and velvety.

Taste

Description coming soon..

Preparation

The traditional tools for preparing Matcha tea include a tea bowl - chawan, a tea whisk - chasen and a teaspoon - chashaku. About 1.5-2g of Matcha tea is whisked with about 1dl of 80-degree water with a quick whisking motion so that the tea becomes frothy and foam forms on the surface. The tea powder can also be mixed with water in other ways, e.g. with a whisk-type milk frother or it can be shaken in a bottle with a mixing strainer inside.

Matcha can be added, for example, to ice cream or smoothies. Pastries made from it are very popular in Asia.