Matcha - Yomo no Kaori (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 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. 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 into finished matcha tea.

Matcha tea grades are typically divided into two groups according to whether the tea is intended for making so-called thin tea, usucha, or thick tea, 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 making, serving and enjoying matcha.

This tea

This high-quality matcha is well suited for making usucha, or thin tea. The name of the tea Yomo no Kaori could be translated as Scent in All Directions or Surrounded by Fragrance. It is a slightly better basic matcha quality in the producer's selection.

Taste

The smell of the dry tea is powdery, sweet, coolly candy-like and aromatic. The smell of the whipped tea is porridge-like and vegetal. It also has a bright fruity tone. The taste is slightly bitter, but not in a pungent way. It has a smooth vegetal note, a slight roastiness and a mineral freshness.

Preparation

The traditional utensils 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 into 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 sieve inside.

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