Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Matcha’

The name “Green Matcha” may sound redundant, but Pure Matcha delineates it that way for a reason. Of their three products available, only the Green Matcha is traditional matcha. The other two are matchas made from a Darjeeling/Assam blend and rooibos, respectively. I recently had the pleasure of trying out their wares for the first time. While I could’ve gone for the traditional matcha first, I actually bee-lined for the oddities instead. Both were wonderful. Now, it was time for their flagship product.

Pure Matcha gets their namesake offering from the Nishio region of Aichi Prefecture, Japan. While not the largest city in Japan by any standard, it does have an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the largest simultaneous tea ceremony ever. Nishio is also considered one of the primary growing regions for top-quality, ceremonial-grade matcha – along with Uji. Matcha is also produced in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, but I’ve found theirs to be mid-grade at best.

Right off the bat, without using too many superlatives, I have to say the stuff looked gorgeous. Identifying high-quality matcha isn’t that difficult; the brighter – more vibrant – the green color, the better it is. This was the boldest, brightest, darkest green powder I’d yet come across. And the aroma – dear Buddha! – it was incredibly sweet and kelpy. Granted, I’ve read aromatic notes to that effect but never really ran into them myself until now. I even bought a new chashaku (bamboo matcha spoon) for the occasion.

Preparation for this seemed easy enough. I used my usual miso soup bowl, took 2 chashaku spoonfuls-worth of powder (usucha or “thin tea”-style), used a tiny bit of cold water to sift out the clumps, and heated some more water at about 160F. Next, I took my chasen (bamboo whisk) and stirred the heck out of the green concoction.

The result was a radiactive green, bubbly liquor with sweet, seaweed-like nose. This had frothed up wonderfully, another revealing trait for high-quality matcha. The flavor echoed the visual and aromatic excellence with an only-slightly vegetal (but not spinachy) cup that held onto its sweetness like green tea ice cream. The fluffy texture was also welcomed on the foretaste and all the way to the finish. Without exaggeration, probably the best matcha I’ve ever tried.

You can purchase the Green Matcha directly from the Pure Matcha website.

If there was ever an occasion for having tea, it’s as part of a chocolate tasting! An expert chocolate blender in England sent an exquisite box of chocolates that combines two well-known anti-oxidants for review. Both Mike and I were more than happy to oblige.

To do a proper tea and chocolate pairing, you need to know a bit about chocolate tasting and what happens. The tea warms the mouth and prepares the palate for tasting and provides flavour notes to compliment the chocolate tasting. The chocolate which is made with a high butter fat content will coat the tongue, protecting the tongue from strong tannins and astringency in the tea but may even prevent some chocolate flavours from being sensed. A quick sip of tea, however helps to cleanse the palate between chocolates and refreshes the senses.

Typically, a chocolate tasting starts with the lowest cocoa content, usually the milk chocolate (about 40% cocoa content) and moves towards increasing densities of cocoa arriving at the dark chocolate (about 70% or more cocoa content). The notes in the tea can either compliment the flavours of the chocolate, elevating the flavours of the chocolate or can even mask the flavour notes of the chocolate. Getting a good pairing is a challenge!

The tea is selected to provide delicate tasting balance and should enhance the chocolate. Tea provides a depth of flavours, high citrus notes, floral fullness, marine and vegetal qualities and even some smokiness. Chocolates have these flavours too. A chocolatier provides a tasting and sensory experience to the consumer by playing with the blending, complimentary and contrasting flavours and aromatics.

As this is a chocolate tasting, we wanted the chocolate to be the focus and not the tea. To that end, Mike and I met at a local tea shop that could provide us with a range of teas while sampling the chocolates. We looked at the notes in each chocolates and selected the tea with the aim to either compliment or to elevate the flavours in the chocolate. We had some hits and misses. That happens when you sample a product for the first time and don’t know where it will lead you. We had some surprises as well.

Here is the list of chocolates sampled and their characteristics followed by my review and recommendations, Mikes review to follow at a later date:

Jasmine Silver Needles White Chocolate – A white chocolate shell filled with white chocolate ganache infused with jasmine silver needle tea. 2 Gold Star Great Taste Award winner.

First, thanks for sharing, Bro! This little morsel of white goodness with a swipe of gold leaf over its creamy god-send, was the perfect way to kick-start a chocolate and tea tasting. Having no prior expectations, a sampling of this sensational white chocolate immediately spirals one’s head into lofty clouds of sensual pleasure. I kid you not!! I was completely overwhelmed with the instant gratification of the intense jasmine floral flavour filling the mouth and nostrils. The soft sweet mellow centre carries the jasmine tea flavour and the white chocolate combines with the warmth of the mouth in a smooth rapture. The white chocolate is merely an accessory yet is a needed buttery component to this master bon-bon to disperse the flavours throughout the mouth. Having warmed the mouth with white puer tea was a necessary preparation.

If you are looking for a head rush, this is it. You have arrived at the moment in time when you can allow the taste sensation to completely overwhelm you into a state of bliss. The experience lasts longer than you’d expect and then ever so gently glides you down back to earth with caramel notes to finish off with a creamy aftertaste.

I did note that the green tea flavours were lost completely to the jasmine notes however. The white puer meant nothing to the bold jasmine. Using a white tea to prepare the pallet by warming the mouth and setting up some flavour profiles would be lost on this chocolate that would overpower most white, green or even black tea. Consequently, this delightful chocolate is best on its own.

China Rose & Raspberry Caramel – Milk chocolate heart filled with caramel, flavoured with an infusion of dried pink rosebuds and the season’s best China black teas, blended together with raspberry puree.

I’ve always found China Rose a heavy black tea with a cloying oily intensity. One bite of this chocolate and you have a very long experience ahead of you. The heart-shaped milk chocolate with a red swirl is filled with caramel. The chocolate shell very thin and fragile and the caramel was a bit runny but smooth. I was surprised it made it this far in its container without accident.

Like the jasmine white chocolate, the rose was overwhelming, intensely cloying and irreverent to one’s wishes that it go away quickly. It just doesn’t do that. Maybe its a good thing if you are a rose lover because I’m sure someone would swoon over it the sensation. However, it was like having a bath in rose oil. I was expecting some raspberry seed to break up the monotony of the rose and as a reminder that there really was raspberry in this confection. I just couldn’t find much strength of the raspberry in the except weakly as a middle note.

Still, the overall feel was very smooth, a rich chocolate followed by the tannins from the black tea as evidence a dryness in the mouth. Overall, an interesting experience but one that should be taken on its own.

Mint & Green Tea – A square of milk chocolate ganache infused with mint and green tea, has fresh mint and aromatic floral green tea notes.

While this sample looks heavy, this square piece of mild chocolate provides an ample mouthful. The first sample was not very pleasant however and it would seem to have had no mint in it. Put it down to an omission, I sampled another piece and was happily engaged in yet another flavour experience. While I was anticipating an overwhelming powerful mint freshness, it just didn’t come through. I was a bit disappointed but then there was an understated herbal mintyness coming through as discernable by drawing in the breath. I thought a Nilgiri tea boasting floral and spice was an excellent compliment to this chocolate. The tea stood up well with its mild astringency to offset the creaminess of this larger square. The chocolate used for the shell was also excellent with complimentary light fruity and floral notes to the herbal background. I found the finish was a bit heavy of cream taste and a bit gamy for my liking but was impressed that the tea and this chocolate were an excellent match of all the tastings. With any more mint, there might be an interference with the tea tasting. There was no point is having more green tea or a mint tea with this chocolate as the tea would overwhelm the subtleties if the tea in the chocolate. Also, the flavours dropped quite quickly, leaving you with lots of complex tastes in the Nilgiri tea to savour afterwards. It was a classic moment in pairing.

Lapsang Caramel – A dark chocolate heart filled with a caramel flavoured with lapsang tea, a sweet, delicate smoky fragrance with a hint of fruitiness.

After some thought, a Ti Kwan Yin tea was selected to work with the smokiness of the Lapsang heart with the elegant blue swirl. This darker chocolate has an overall thin shell and the caramel centre carries the largely smoke flavour. The smoke flavour is reminiscent of bacon flavouring so I placed the flavour as both pine and hickory-smoke. Combined with the tea, there was an immediate flood of strong marine and seaweed notes not unlike the umani tastes you would find with Japanese Sencha tea. It was quite alarming because the chemistry was truly there for this chocolate in combination with the tea creating a synergy of flavours. The smoky flavours resolve quickly though, unlike the rose or jasmine chocolates that lingered for more than 5 minutes. It could leave you asking for more but a 2nd chocolate just doesn’t have the same effect. You can’t repeat the experience because your senses are already over whelmed. So, sit back, sample one of these bonbons for a one-of-a-kind show, enjoy the Ti Kuan Yin as a chaser and wait on the Tao.

Phoenix Honey Orchid – A square of dark chocolate ganache infused with Phoenix Honey Orchid tea, an Oolong tea with flavours of honey and lychee. Decorated with a white and red swirled motif.

The tea selected for pairing was Golden Leaves, a type of honey Oolong that was intended to help bring out the orchid flavours in the chocolate but not cover up the subtleties of the oolong. This was a mistake. The tea did not do a thing for this chocolate. The decorative colour circles on top of the chocolate suggests a complex taste is ahead of you and indeed it is a ‘finisher” chocolate for après dinner. You would need nothing more. But what tea could compare with the velvety deep rich chocolate with a slight leather tannin to complete the sensation? While there is a fullness in the mouth, the cream does not interfere by coating the tongue.

In fact, I find this a superior bonbon. Exposing myself as a dark chocolate lover, I will share with you that giddiness when you’ve hit your high. Oh, yes, this chocolate does not disappoint. But where’s the tea? It no longer matters when the rich chocolate elevates you to euphoria and sustains you for the full hit. But really, what tea does go well with this? I tried a Japanese Sencha but the tea was completing with the chocolate, heaven forbid! I tried a Keemun but it was too smoky to the chocolate. Next, one of my prize possessions – a 1st rate 2010 Darjeeling, 1st flush Makaibari clonal tips from Kurseong Valley (think sweet, buttery, rich muscatel, floral and other complexities). Finally – the right tea. The chocolate complimented the tea by accenting the muscatel and floral notes. The chocolate remained unchanged (a good sign). I enjoyed the tea even more as the tannins in the tea held up to the creamy dark chocolate. The Makaibari became the finisher to the chocolate. I was in heaven again for a long time.

In conclusion, I would rate these chocolates as follows and to be sampled as recommended:

Jasmine Silver Needles White Chocolate – on it own and away from any other food or drink. Drink what you will before to warm the mouth. Other than that, any tea selection won’t matter because the Jasmine will overtake all tastes. Plan some solitude to fully enjoy the experience.

Mint & Green Tea – Milk Chocolate with Nilgiri is a perfect compliment with neither the tea or the chocolate competing with each other. It is a perfect taste pairing to accent the aromatics.

Lapsang Caramel – Dark Chocolate with Ti Kuan Yin. Such chemistry is rare.

Phoenix Honey Orchid – Dark Chocolate with Darjeeling. This must be the taken as the last morsel, even after a dessert to finish off the meal and to welcome the evening.

China Rose & Raspberry Caramel – Milk Chocolate must be taken separately from other food or drink and only when a long-lasting sensation of rose is desired. It will complete with everything else.

You can purchase the Matcha Chocolat – China Tea Collection directly from the Matcha Chocolat website.

This sencha is one of the loose tea samples included in Den’s Tea’s Green Tea Novice sampler. The dry leaves are lovely to look at – shiny, dark green needles of tea that have a full, savory sort of smell with hints of nuttiness. When I took the leaves out after they’d steeped they looked almost like pieces of fresh leaves that had been picked today.

The colour of the tea is a vivid lemon-yellow hue despite having a fairly short steeping time. The tea itself hovers somewhere between the grassiness of matcha and the flavour of cooked vegetables. It has a distinct savory undertone to it – I think someone else called it umami and I agree with that. There’s also a bitter tang on the end of each sip that leaves a bit of a sour aftertaste in the mouth. Nothing too horrible though, and the other attributes of the tea more or less make up for it in my opinion.

I’ve not had much experience with authentic, good-quality Japanese teas, but within my limited experience I can say that I think this is an excellent sencha and something that I might consider buying a full bag of one day.

You can purchase the Sencha Fuka-midori directly from the Den website.

DoMatcha Organic Matcha:
DoMatcha Organic Matcha

Bamboo Whisk:
DoMatcha Bamboo Whisk

Whisk Stand:
DoMatcha Whisk Stand

Mike at It’s All About The Leaf sent me some of DoMatcha’s Ceremonial Matcha – which is also organic – along with a Matcha Bamboo Whisk AND what looks to be a Whisk holder/stand (or at least that is what I am using it for) and I am very grateful!  So, it seems I have a LOT to review here.  First, I would like to review the whisk itself.

This is the very first WHISK I can now call my own and now have in my possession.  I’m VERY excited!!!  I guess that truly qualifies me as a tea freak when I am that excited and add 3 exclamation points on the end of that sentence, eh!?  Anyhow, when I first took this whisk out – I examined it for several minutes noting how clean and perfect it was.  The Bamboo seemed to be delicate but was in fact very durable.  The whisk bristles are very sturdy and precise!  At the end of the whisk everything seemed to curl under and I found myself ‘playing with’ it and was mesmerized at how those little bristles curled under ‘just-so’.  The first time I used it I was careful to go by the instructions that were provided.  They were easy to understand and seemed to work like a charm.  I have had matcha in the past but must fuss-up that I have been lazy and not very ‘official’ when it came to preparing my matcha.  Now that I have this whisk I will not look back!  I did find the Whisk Stand to be very useful and I will move on to that next.

The Whisk Stand is totally worth the $5 fee asked on their website!  Now that I am looking at their website and seeing how they have it displayed with the whisk I will certainly try that at some point….over the top of the stand, I mean.  I was using it inside the stand…poking the whisk up thru the hole at the top of the stand.  I would like to note that I don’t think this is incorrect – but – just another way to use the stand…or I will just keep telling myself that so I don’t feel like a moron.  But, seriously, here is why I think you can use these stands either way…when I store my whisk inside the stand verses outside as shown I don’t feel like it is as exposed and it really did help with the potential drips…there were none.  I found that this also helps with the shape of the whisk just as much as it would if it were displayed and dried on the outside of the stand.  So…like I said, I really don’t think either way is incorrect – I’ll just call it an alternative!

Now on to the Matcha!  The first time I tried this…I went ‘plain jane’ with Matcha and Water – whisking, of course.  It smelled like warm broccoli. It’s a dark vintage looking green in color yet very smooth and was very flavorful and smooth on the tongue…almost a milky taste.  The 2nd time I tried this Matcha I added it to something!  I had half of a smoothie left over that I was taste-tasting for a local chain. It was BERRY Flavored and consisted of: Ice, Yogurt, Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, and I ended up putting the same amount of this Matcha in it. Of course, it melted the ice – mostly – but it also was WAY frothy!!! This goes extremely well in a smoothie!  I actually like the the local chain’s concoction BETTER with this Matcha than without the matcha – I felt the smoothie minus the matcha was too tart…this mellows that out a little. This proves to me how versatile this Matcha is and I am eager to try it with other ingredients, as well as stand alone and challenge myself to improve my whisking methods!  There is always room for improve, isn’t there!?  In closing, I just want to say that I have had a lot of FUN with these products and am honored that they were sent to me to try and review.

You can purchase the DoMatcha Organic Matcha directly from the DoMatcha website.

DoMatcha Organic Matcha:
DoMatcha Organic Matcha

Bamboo Whisk:
DoMatcha Bamboo Whisk

Whisk Stand:
DoMatcha Whisk Stand

Suggested Preparation: ~1 teaspoon of Do-Matcha in a large cup or tea
bowl, hot water between 65 and 85 degrees Celsius.

Received a tin of Ceremonial Matcha from DoMatcha, along with a new whisk and a holder for it (nothing better than a new whisk and I really needed a holder).

The tea came in a small tin canister, really cool but it was a bit of a puzzle to get opened. The matcha inside the tin is inside of more packaging – at least I know it’s been sealed up so it must be fresh. The pouch that the tea was sealed in was impossible to open without getting matcha all over my hands. Killing me on the packaging. I get why it’s sealed up but I’m wondering if there might be a better way to keep it fresh, maybe sealing it right in the tea eliminating the foil pack. Anyway, got to the matcha – almost felt like the quest to get to the tea made me more appreciative of it when I finally got there.

The matcha is clearly fresh, smells amazing and it’s a really beautiful, bright green color. Can tell without even tasting it that it’s going to be good -it has the same appearance as when I grind my own tencha, super fresh. Grabbed my favorite chawan and sifted a teaspoon of the matcha into it (I prefer my matcha on the thicker side), then poured the water into the bowl. It started foaming just from the swirl of the water before I even had a chance to start whisking it. Beautiful. Whisked it slowly for a few minutes, enjoying the scent and the ceremony of it all. It foamed up to a light, green, crisp smelling chawan of goodness. Tastes as crisp as it smells with a bit of a bite on the finish. The after-taste is pleasantly minty and it lingers for a bit – makes me feel like kissing someone. Love matcha – matcha promotes love (well, this one does anyway).

All in all, this is a really high quality, organic matcha. Superior in freshness than others I’ve tried and absolutely worthy of a recommendation. It’s probably better than the matcha that I make from working up a sweat grinding tencha leaves but I refuse to admit that (makes me feel bad that I work so hard grinding when DoMatcha is as good without the effort). It’s become my new favorite on-the-go tea – I chill it and put it in my water bottle, gives me a huge boost during the day. So whether you’re looking to indulge yourself in a calm, soothing, always perfect matcha ceremony with your favorite chawan or if you like it iced and on the run, DoMatcha will not disappoint.

You can purchase the DoMatcha Organic Matcha directly from the DoMatcha website.