Matcha - Samidori (Yamamasa Koyamaen, Uji) 150g

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 the Japanese tea ceremony, 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. The leaves used to produce Matcha are not 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 into ready-made matcha tea.

Matcha tea grades are typically divided into two groups depending on whether the tea is intended for making so-called thin tea, or usucha, or thick tea, or koicha. A relatively larger amount of matcha is used to make thick tea, resulting in a thicker and fuller-tasting tea.

Japanese tea art focuses on the preparation, serving and enjoyment of matcha.

This tea

Samidori is Yamamasa Koyamaen's entry-level matcha grade, which is well-suited for making usucha, or thin tea. The grade's name, Samidori, is a tea plant variety common in the Uji region that is particularly common in matcha production. It should not be confused with the Saemidori variety, which is common in southern Japan for the production of loose leaf teas. This matcha features the smooth taste, strong umami and fine aroma of the Samidori variety. All matcha is frozen in our warehouse and stores, so you can be sure that the freshness is top-notch!

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 in 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. The pastries made from it are very popular in Asia.

Watch the livestream recording where Matti from Teepolku tastes through all of Yamamasa Koyamaen's matcha tea varieties, including the product on this product page. In addition, we talk more about the producer:

Below is a video where you can learn everything you need to know about matcha tea. The video also shows how to make matcha tea the traditional way, as well as some modern uses for matcha.