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My package finally arrived! Included was a 1.06 tin of ceremonial grade matcha and a bamboo whisk (chasen). Thank you to DoMatcha for holding this contest! I decided to go ahead and prepare this thick style right off the bat. For those who are unfamiliar with matcha, there are two ways matcha is usually prepared: thick style (koicha) and thin style (usucha). Koicha is prepared using more matcha and less water, and thus requires very high grade matcha; using a lower grade matcha to make koicha will result in a bitter, undrinkable mess. Generally speaking, the higher the grade of matcha, the sweeter and less bitter it will be. I’m using the directions a friend of mine told me about preparing koicha, as well as the instructions listed at http://www.yuuki-cha.com/matcha_green_tea_powder.php. Note: These directions are for koicha (thick) matcha, and not usucha.
1. Sift 3.5 chashaku scoops of matcha into pre-heated, dry bowl.
The chashaku is a bamboo scoop that comes with many matcha sets. I read on a blog that the amount of matcha in a single chashaku scoop should be about the size of an almond—if anyone has learned tea ceremony, please let me know if this is accurate.
2. Heat 40-50mL of water to a temperature between 70°C and 80°C (158°F and 176°F).
I went with just under 50 mL of 165°F water which probably cooled down a little before I had a chance to add it to the matcha powder.
3. Add a small amount of the water to the sifted matcha to create a thick paste. Using the chasen (bamboo whisk), knead (don’t whisk!) the water and matcha powder together using up/down and left/right motions, or a calm 360° rotating motion.
The water and matcha paste actually was fairly smooth from what I could see, probably thanks to the sifting. It almost looked like green paint.
4. Add the rest of the water to the matcha powder. Continue kneading, not whisking, the matcha. Koicha is not supposed to be frothy, and the kneading should produce a tea that is thick, smooth, and without froth.
The resulting tea was thick and smooth. I was shocked because there was absolutely no bitterness. None. Whatsoever. Maybe my taste buds are off because I’m used to drinking very concentrated matcha using crappy quality powder, but really: I didn’t taste any bitterness or astringency. The flavor of the matcha was a little more on the savory side than sweet. It was vegetal and just lightly sweet, similar to steamed green beans, and oh so creamy…mmm. There wasn’t much of a sea or seaweedy taste. There was no grittiness or left-over clumps, and there was such a small amount of tea (50 ml) that there was no opportunity for settling. The temperature was a bit cool for me, probably because I sifted the powder after the water was done heating up, instead of before, so it just sat on my counter losing heat. Oops.
I prepared a bowl of my really low grade matcha from Mighty Leaf in the same way, and the result was a very bitter and had a thinner mouthfeel, for some reason. So, another plus of the DoMatcha ceremonial grade: the mouthfeel was really smooth, thick, and creamy. The Mighty Leaf was also gritty and didn’t mix as well as the DoMatcha, but that might have been because of error in preparation.
Unfortunately, this is the first ceremonial grade matcha I’ve ever tried, so I don’t have anything to compare it to. However, this is a really delicious matcha, and the lack of bitterness, the sweetness and savoriness, and the creamy and thick mouthfeel all make this one a winner for me.
Preparation
Umm…yummy delicious amazing. I loved this I am so happy to have had the opportunity to try this, as I was one of the 10 winners. The best part is how long the flavor lingers past the sip and sollow. Even my 3 yr old daughter loved. She has a very sophisticated pallete. Don’t worry she only had a touch. I would recommend this to everyone.. Did I mention it has a sweetness that appears a minute or two after you drink it. Amazing! Thank you DoMatcha!
Preparation
I had a little bit of Crystal Light Lemonade left so I tried to salvage it buy adding 2TB lime juice and a tsp of matcha- James Bond Style. It worked pretty good but the obnoxious sweetness of the lemonade can still be tasted in the back of the sip sometimes. I like my home made lemon or limeade.
Preparation
Made black bean brownies: 1 package brownie mix + 1 14oz can unseasoned black beans blended, mixed well. No egg, oil, water, etc.
Topped with: Equal parts unsweetened cocoa, powdered sugar, plain white sugar, and matcha, sifted together. I’ve had this w/o the plain white sugar before and the texture gets a bit pastey in my mouth, so it’s a must. I just wish it would have been vanilla bean sugar.
Hair of the dog, of sorts, after my dairy disaster. 2 containers of Strawberry Fiber One yogurt w/ 1/2 a teaspoon of matcha in each. Don’t worry, these are safe lol! I’m hoping more matcha, the active cultures, and the fiber (10g total!) help ward off anything that might be brewing in my digestive tract.
Jade Limeade! (which makes more sense then Jade Lemonade since Limeade is green) Unfortunately this is not happy occasion. Today, purely on accident, I have consumed both bad sour cream (expired in May) and shredded cheese (although unopened, expired in June)… I’m not feeling sick, but I don’t want to wait around til I do. Unfortunately the packets of stevia I have equal the sweetness of 2tsp of sugar so I have to make a 2x cuppa. 4TB lime juice, 1 packet stevia, 12oz water, and 2tsp matcha. Although I normally do not have sweetened lemon or limeade, this was really good. Not just good… BETTER than regular limeade! The matcha gives it a whole new mouthfeel and tones down the sweetness.
“like” for the Matcha “dislike” the sour sour cream and cheese! LOL – seriously tho…I hope you don’t get sick! eeeeek! My fingers are crossed for you!
I hope the awesome powers of lime juice and matcha will negate any badness you consumed. fingers crossed Matcha limeade sounds wonderful, I’m going to have to follow your lead soon, esp. since it’s going to get HOT again this weekend!
How is it that you got your hands on both sour sour cream and expired cheese?
Items getting forgotten/not used in my fridge and not watching expiration dates Rachel:)
LOL :-). Hope you don’t get sick I can imagine it wouldn’t be fun.
So far so good! So I can’t imagine getting sick now. I’m gonna have some hair of the dog, of sorts, later- 2 containers (totaling 1 cup) of fiber one yogurt plus another tsp of matcha so the cultures, fiber, and matcha should help even more.
Day 2 of… um… mineral replacement lol. I filled my chawan w/ musk melon, sifted a tsp of matcha over it and stirred. Most of the matcha ended up w/ the juice at the bottom so I added 2oz hot water and whisked. Whoa! This has the best foam I’ve gotten yet! Ok, well it’s more like bubbles than real foam or froth. But it covers the entire surface of the matcha- I’ve never managed to get that before!:)
Another attempt at salvaging my SoBe water. SoBe matcha lemonade!
6oz SoBe Lifewater (yumberry pomegranate flavor)
2TB lemon juice
1tsp matcha
Served James Bond Style.
The flavor of the water pretty much gets lost, but the overpowering sweetness is perfect for a lemonade.
Preparation
KOICHA! It’s been a looong day. Up too late last nite. Madison got me up too early this morning. 4 hrs in a car. All afternoon at the museum (which included LOTS of pushing my chair, several hrs in dark rooms, and spending a lot of time straining my neck trying to read exhibit discriptions). And trying to stay up til mite. So I need koicha.
Attempt 2.
1tsp matcha sifted and 40ml water.
Thank God this does not look or taste like a chalky sand castle! It’s actually VERY smooth and creamy (still very thick of course) where as all other koichas I’ve made have been on the verge of too chalky/gritty for my personal taste. I need to sift my other matchas and revisit koicha w/ them. I’d love to give this a 100, but since it absolutely needs to be sifted, I can’t give it more than a 99.
Craaap. Ok I really need to think when I’m making matcha. Remember when I said I like following methods/recipes for making tea cuz it lets me go on autopilot? Well that only works if I think just enough to remember the recipe. I wanted to make koicha, but I used 75ml of water instead of 40. And I even took time to sift it which took foreeever… It was good, but I’m rather annoyed w/ myself.
Forgot to log my Usucha from before church yesterday. 1/2tsp matcha/75ml water. Didn’t sift it, but thankfully I didn’t need to. It was very thick (thicker than other Usuchas possibly?) creamy, vegetal, and GREEEN!!! (extra “e” completely intended lol). I’m scoring it as 100 for now. If I can’t figure out koicha, it may go down a couple points- but not much.
My matcha came today! This is my 1st ceremonial grade matcha so, of course, I had to make koicha!:)
1tsp/40ml hot water.
Hmmm… I’ve never had the matcha stay in one glob like wet sand when I add the water before… I’ve never had to… but maybe I should have sifted it?
It takes a lot of whisking, but I think I finally have a coheasive mixture. It’s thick and GREEN! As soon as I take a sip I realize it’s not really mixed after all… the chunkyness is not cool- it almost makes me want to gag. Due to this matcha fail, I’m gonna hold of rating.
Oh no I should be getting mine soon too. I am worried now. Maybe it was just bad luck.
Oh my! I’ve decided to finish up my teavana matcha before I open this one. I’ll be keeping an eye on your exploits — I hope it is better once sifted!
You should always sift Matcha (unless it’s a flavored matcha, because you may just end up sifting some of the flavoring bits out). Just like in baking, when you sift the flour and other dry ingredients, it helps to aerate the ingredients and the resulting product ends up tasting just a little better.
The same is true with Matcha – regardless of the company/quality of the matcha (except for, as I say, flavored matcha and matcha latte mixes)… you will have a better tasting matcha if you sift it. You should also always “pre-whisk” it, using just a little water and making a sort of thick paste out of the matcha before you add the rest of the water and whisk again. This will help ensure that your matcha is well blended.
LiberTEAS, I’ve never had a problem w/ not sifting it before… infact I’ve noticed that when I do it doesn’t mix w/ the water as quickly. I also have never had a problem not making a paste.
I’m not saying that it must be done, I am just saying that I have noticed a difference in the finished product when I sift, versus when I do not. Also… I just re-read my comment above, and instead of “thick paste” I should have said “thin” paste.
Of course, each person is welcome to prepare their matcha the way they see fit, with or without a chashaku (or even with or without a chasen and/or chawan) … if it works for you… great!
Yeah not sure why, until now, I’ve had better results not sifting or making a paste. Strange…
I will let you know how mine turns out when it comes in. It may have been the batch you got.
Liberteas, I agree with you. I’ve only had one matcha not require sifting for best results, and that was 52teas, I think because it gets double ground/mixed with the dried orange so it has less clumps. Then again, my results are very different from Coffteas….mandarin matcha is the only matcha I’ve ever had that didn’t foam, no matter how hard I whisked (I think because of the dried orange added in), but you’ve been able to get that (and the beer tea) to foam (without whisking, even!), so maybe you’re got awesome matcha skills I lack :)
lol no I think it’s pure awesome luck… because when I try to get it to foam I can’t. Or at least not as much as I should be able to. Exibit A being my Rishi matcha experience lol. But like I’ve said before- nearly all of my tea experiences are opposite of that of the general western tea population lol
Dude…you just lost a lot of customers, because no one likes a spammer.
Actually, they lost my sales earlier last nite. Posting a link to a woman wearing only a strategically placed bed sheet on FB is not ok. What’s with them today? Well that’s one place I won’t be getting my Breville.
Used my very last bit of this for a strawberry smoothie this morning. Unfortunately, there was SO little left that I can’t even tell that it’s there :( Which is a shame because I finally got a smoothie that was actually smoothie consistency. I have finally cracked the smoothie code! Go me!
Attempt at matcha smoothie number 2!
This one went much better. Longer blending + moar yoghurt is clearly the way! Still a bit runny though. I’m not sure I mentioned it yesterday, but these are actually my first attempts at smoothies, period, so…bit of a learning curve. Per advice received from someone whose smoothies I have tasted and found delicious, I will try adding banana to it to act as a thickener. I also have strawberries (2 packs for $3! I love sales), so I should probably use those up.
Ah well, that’s for tomorrow.
So I realize I’m not saying much about the smoothie itself. It tastes pretty good! Like kinda watery matcha ice cream. There’s an odd aftertaste which I’m not sure what to attribute to. Is it the almond milk? Or should I use different yogurt? I’m trying out a new brand of almond milk, so I’ll have to try it with some other teas to see if I’m still getting a weird aftertaste.
Also, even with matcha smoothie, I can’t seem to wake up! Have I grown immune to matcha!?!? …or should I just start going to bed earlier?
Tried out making a matcha smoothie today. I do not have much experience with smoothies so the result, while undeniably tasty was not really smoothie-like as such, but I will get better, I’m sure!
I think the yoghurt I used didn’t really go well with the matcha taste, I will have to experiment with different kinds. Sadly, I am almost out of this tin :( Need moar matcha!
Needed something refreshing this afternoon so I made myself a Jade Lemonade except instead of using lemonade I used Pomegranate Limeade from Trader Joe’s (and soda water, of course). As usual, the result was extremely tasty, with the matcha providing a creamy note of contrast to the tang of the limeade.
I am not gonna lie, Jade Lemonade has basically become my favorite cool drink. After making the arduous trek to the liquor store (3 blocks) I was totally in need of a cool drink. BAM! Thirst quenched! Healthy matcha consumed. Win!
I actually tried adding gin to it earlier this week as per DoMatcha’s suggestion but was too lazy to document it. I definitely approved though.
Cold foggy day not really suitable to jade lemonade, but I need something to wake up, so I made an almond milk latte instead. Hopefully the matcha will counteract the sleep inducing tendencies of warm milk! Recalling my almond milk fail from earlier this week, I decided it might have been a temperature issue and heated up the milk prior to pouring it in. Success! We have blendyness instead of weird clumping!
This is a much more subdued latte than those made with the latte mix. I like it though since it feels more like I’m just drinking a drink rather than a dessert.
Happy Geek Pride Day all! Today, I celebrate by unleashing my inner geek. This may mean that my posts become incomprehensible to some (ok, most). They’ll be back to my normal levels of incoherence by tomorrow though!
Post Title: OMG NERF MORNINGZ ! ! 1 ! ! one ! ! 1 1 1 ! !
Poster: Ewa, Level 26 Grad Student
omg gaiz mornings are so totally op this morning i had to blow all my cooldowns AND have pre-morning tea matcha just so i wouldn’t be one-shot by stupid op morning plz nerf mornings they are totally unfair and op i get pwned by them everyday plz nerf them
Replies(2)
Poster: Morning, Level 4,500,000,000 Time of Day
LOLOLOLOL QQ MOAR
Poster: Morning_Person, Level X Archetype
lrn2rl n00b
(damn you steepster autoformat for making me put spaces in my brilliant totally meta mockery of people who abuse exclamation points!)
Lol, the only thing that’s missing is whining about your repair bill. Hahaha.
Dammit, I knew I forgot something!
Laughed ’til I cried!
Yes, I generally abuse exclamation points, but it’s in honor of Terry Pratchett’s “Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind.” (notice that many of my multiple !’s are in fives) Mwahahaaaa!!!!!
mmm, Terry Pratchett
Tried the Jade Lemonade again with more matcha (because sleep is for losers!) and adding soda water so: 3/4 tsp matcha, 6 oz lemonade, 4 oz soda water.
NOM NOM NOM, Houston, we have delicious! So cool and refreshing with just the right amount of tang! It’s like a lighter, sippier version of the Odwalla juice thing I made a bit ago. Of course, now I have the problem of convincing myself that I don’t want to keep drinking this all day. What with wanting to get to sleep SOME time and all.
Swap the lemon for lime, steep some mint water, let cool, add matcha (and rum if desired) for a Matcha mojito!:)
I like Cofftea’s idea MATCHA MOJITO :D
but I has no rum! I has only gin ;_;
work with what u has :P
Heck I bet even white wine would do the trick. Matcha blini or mimosa?
…I am starting to think this is some sort of plot to get me drunk.
Nah, just party ideas! Some people find it hard to make matcha converts of people, but put some alcohol in it and maybe some fruit and you’ll have them hooked:) I don’t have any vodka, but I’m thinking using OJ instead of the water, a lil vodka and doing matcha screwdriver shots. Equal parts vodka, milk, and OJ for dreamsicles?
mmm, sounds good. As soon as I can convince myself to actually spend the money on non-terrible vodka I need to try that.
It’s so nasty hot here I think I’m gonna make a dreamsicle matcha shake tonite.
I’m underage, I shouldnt even be talking about booze. hahah :P
No you shouldn’t- not saying you can’t jot the suggestions of others down and keep them in a safe place for 5 years:)
well actually im turning 17 this week, and in canada its 18 drinking age.
so one year :D yaaaay! loool
Today’s Maxsperimentcha: Jade Lemonade, also from the DoMatcha website.
8 oz lemonade and 1/2 a teaspoon of matcha.
I’ve gotta say, I love turning things green by sticking matcha in them. It’s so much fun! The lemonade I used (minute maid) is naturally light in color so the drink is just slightly lighter than normal matcha. Hmmm, I can definitely SMELL the matcha, but I can’t really taste it that much. Looks like some experimentation with amounts is in order! On the other hand, I haven’t had lemonade in a while, so perhaps I just need to get used to the flavor before I can start looking for additions to it.
Yeah, the longer I drink the more noticeable the matcha gets, although that may also be because it’s collected at the bottom. This is a nice combination! Matcha smoothness + lemonade tang. I like it. The lemonade in question is a bit too sweet for me though. Perhaps I should try a different brand? (I made the decision to get the minute maid through the highly scientific process of what was cheapest) Or maybe I could add some soda water.
Soda water I bet would be good. I just make the lemonade as directed from the bottled lemon juice, but omit the sugar.
Good lord, what does it say about me that it did not even occur to me that I can make my own lemonade?
I love “Maxsperimentcha!”
And speaking of turning things green: most baristas at B&N and Starbucks hate cleaning out the matcha holders since the matcha wafts up no matter how hard you try and gets into your sinuses. Then you’d forget about it and a while later blow your nose and momentarily freak out ;)
LOL matchasnot!
Best tasting note on Matcha Ever! :)
I know it truly is great and btw great note.
Terrific instructional note. This is a great how-to for me as I’ve never made matcha before and my chawan just arrived in the mail yesterday so now I feel like I am ready! Or I did, until I realized I had neglected to get a scoop. Hmm. Do I need a scoop before I can do this? Or alternatively, any idea how much a scoop translates into in teaspoons?
Morgana: I now have a chashaku scoop, but until about 2 weeks ago, I have been drinking Matcha (for years!) without one, a teaspoon works just fine, and using the “almond size” guideline as suggested in this tasting note would be a good starting point… and know that everyone’s tastes are quite different, so experiment a little to find what works best for you. Best of luck with it! Matcha is awesome!
Hmm, I’m not sure how much one scoop is in teaspoons, but if you can visualize an almond, that’s about the size of a scoop. A heaping scoop would be about 1 1/2 almonds, I suppose. :)
Also, if anyone is wondering how to make thin-style usucha, you use 1 1/2 to 2 scoops of matcha, and 70 mL of water. Whisk the matcha using a “W” or zigzag motion, and voila!
Almond with or without the shell?
Oh… you also don’t need a fancy sifter (a tea strainer works as does a simple, small strainer that I picked up in the grocery store for a buck fifty). You don’t even need a chawan… you can use a smallish cereal bowl. I used to use a fork to whisk my matcha until I finally broke down and bought a chasen… and that is the one tool that I would say is probably the most essential… but it could probably be replaced with a small wire whisk…
One more thing: definitely start out with usucha if this is your first time making matcha! Koicha can be kind of off-putting if you’re not used to making matcha, and even usucha can seem strong sometimes. I like to do 3 to 4 ounces of water and 3 to 4 scoops of matcha.
Another thing to keep in mind: koicha requires very high grade matcha, so I wouldn’t necessarily use 52teas or Might Leaf matcha to make koicha :) but of course, that’s what experimentation is for :)
Almond without the shell (I’m not sure how big they are with the shell), but I tend to do a little bit bigger than almost sized scoops since a lot of websites say “heaping” scoops…so yeah, I’m not totally sure about the size.
Yes, I totally agree with Shanti. I made that very mistake of making Koicha once with a lower grade of Matcha and it was not a good thing (but it is a mistake that can be easily remedied if you add more water to thin it out a bit…) This is one reason why I usually buy high grade Matcha now, unless I find a interesting flavor (Frank’s flavored Matchas have been amazing) or latte mix that intrigues me (I’m loving Domo’s chocolate and I love Pirate’s Chai). But for unflavored Matcha, I go with Ceremonial grade because I do prefer mine slightly thicker.
Just visualize a large, roasted almond without the shell… that will give you a nice starting point… and then experiment from there to find the “just right” scoop for you. Even with the chashaku scoop I still go by “eye” than I do by “scoop” because I’ve sort of trained myself to the amount that looks right.
I agree with LiberTEAS…the scoop isn’t precise (you can google chashaku for an image) and it really does come down to just eyeballing the amount you like.
Shanti: I wanted to add another thank you! for the wonderfully detailed note! I have yet to try (non-Starbucks) Matcha, but I know when I finally do that I’ll track this note down :D
Great tasting note very informative! Thanks Shanti!