MrQuackers said

The Dreaded Culinary Grade

So I’m thinking of using this grade of matcha for Lattes.

What am I thinking?!

21 Replies
t-curious said

That if you put enough milk and sugar on that grade it will taste good ;)

MrQuackers said

I hope so. It’s a bit less than 1/2 the price. The one I’m looking uses summer (second) picked tea.

t-curious said

Well if milk doesn’t work, just go full on cream ;)

I was drinking matcha at home every morning for awhile. One day I stopped at a Scooters, kind of like a Starbucks. Anyway, I saw they had matcha lattes and requested one, except I told her to hold the milk and sugar, since that’s the way I had been drinking matcha. What I got was this very thin green water with little chunks of floating matcha. Not good at all! I’m sure that was culinary grade. It definitely needed the milk and sugar ;)

MrQuackers said

That sounds more like a problem preparing properly.

I’m looking for someone who uses culinary grade all the time. I have faith in the company that it will be good.

t-curious said

Definitely a preparation problem. I’m sure the culinary grade will work just fine for a latte. No one in their right mind would use anything but, unless they have the kind of money to “waste” the good stuff…

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t-curious said

So do you generally whisk your matcha in a bowl MrQuackers?

MrQuackers said

Absolutely

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K S said

I’ve been using culinary grade every morning for years. Mixed cold with milk and a little sweetener.

MrQuackers said

Do you mix first in hot water. Or just go straight to cold milk?

K S said

I use a little cold milk in my tumbler, then add powder and sweetener. I use a hand held frother instead of a whisk. After foaming I add more milk. Ceremonial gets lost in the mix I think. I’ve used Deluxe Matcha (culinary grade) from Matcha Outlet for the last couple years. It is a Chinese tea powder. Lately I have been trying out three Japanese culinary matcha from Matcha Outlet. Haven’t reached a complete opinion of them yet. Very different from what I have used. Kind of like the difference between Assam and Yunnan black tea – which is better? Depends on the tastes of the drinker (to me Yunnan wins every time).

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Stephanie said

A lot of coffee shops also use culinary grade as it is the cheapest and is mixed with a ton of sugar. Culinary grade is decent for anything you are going to mix with sugar. Although if you have a Japanese grocery store near you I would suggest looking at their matcha selection. There are 3 types of quality ceremonial, universal, and culinary. I use the universal quality that I got at my local Japanese grocery store for like $9.

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Tea J said

I typically get a matcha latte when I’m near my local tea shop, they only sell ceremonial grade matcha, and it’s pricey. I found culinary grade matcha at the grocery store and thought, “Hey, it’s only $5, I’ll try it”… and it just wasn’t the same. It didn’t have as deep and naturally sweet a flavor, it was more bitter and green. I prefer higher quality matcha for drinking, this is just my opinion though. If you can find culinary grade for a cheap price, you can always try it, if you don’t like it you can use it for, well, culinary purposes… matcha cookies, anyone?!

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LuckyMe said

Culinary grade matcha can work if it’s good quality. I got a sample of “Restaurant Grade” matcha from Den’s once that made an excellent matcha latte.

Alternatively, you can get an inexpensive ceremonial grade. That’s what I do since I consume matcha primarily in the form of lattes.

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MrQuackers said

I decided to use ceremonial grade for my daily ceremony, and buy culinary grade for morning Lattes.

Usually I like a bowl without milk in the morning. I will be switching to Lattes with sugar.

K S said

Sounds like a good plan. Keep in mind the taste range in culinary is pretty wide. Don’t be afraid to shop around. I will say if you enjoy straight matcha in a bowl, it may make it a little harder to find a latte blend that grabs you.

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I’ve had culinary grades that are better than ceremonial grades. It all boils down to taste, being stored well, and a seller that knows their stuff. If it is decent culinary grade, the most you might have to do is use more than usual.

Same time, a great ceremonial grade loses a lot of its magic with milk and sugar added. It is a total waste to use nice matcha for latte unless it is getting old and needs to be used up.

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MrQuackers said

Well, the culinary grade arrived. Overall, it’s good. There is more of a tea flavour to it, along with a slight difference in colour. I think I will be able to use it.

K S said

Out of curiosity – What culinary did you choose?

MrQuackers said

Hibiki-an’s Culinary Grade $35 usd / 240g.

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MrQuackers said

I tried this once as a normal matcha with sugar. I don’t think I would like it this way.

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