Encha

While waiting for my Mandala Matcha package (a staple for me), I bought some Encha from Amazon.

I finally found the darn package. I thought because it’s local, i.e. USA, I wouldn’t have a problem with shipping. Wrong. Mandala has excellent shipping speed (and tea) but as I wrote before, something is going on at my local PO. They never try to deliver it, said they gave a final notice and kept it at the post office without alerting me… Sigh. I call, they don’t answer, so I was delighted it was there when I stopped by today and wow, my B&B package was there too. The replacement for the one that the USPS lost last time, months ago.

Bah, a tangent haha. Thanks for letting me complain. :)

So I bought this because I ran out of matcha. I always get my Amazon shipments, that’s always a plus. It’s a decent first-harvest organic matcha powder. It doesn’t smell like turpentine like most of the Amazon matcha purchases I’ve bought in the past.

It’s weird, but it’s pretty neutral. No bitterness, nor sweetness, no real taste either. I still recommend it if you can’t get excellent matcha from another source or if you’re in between buying. Since it is culinary or latte grade, it went with milk just fine, without a turnoff taste (health benefits still there), and it mixed well, no clumps. I used oatmilk, yum. I will not drink this ceremonial style because latte grade means usually more astringent or bitter if you drink it straight, so I’ll just use this as it is directed… Lattes or cooking.

Ah, so nice to have Steepster back.

Last night was amazing! Not only did I get to photograph the eclipse, I got to share tea and not very tasty (what I get for getting the cheap ones) Mooncakes with Ben (yay for him getting off work at a decent hour) and I got to share this experience with many friends via the internet and phone apps. It was great, lots of moon photos with ‘I am drinking this tea’ posts, and it gave this wonderful feeling of togetherness, and for the people who were unable to see it, they got to live vicariously through all the photos. Usually I tend not to get all squishy about the epic tea family I am part of, but after the epicness of last night, and the way everyone has been so wonderful to me with my recent bout of health woes, how can I not get the warm fuzzies?

So, it is Monday, meaning time for a Matcha Monday! We are looking at three different Matcha from Encha, specifically their three different grades of Matcha. Before I get into the Matcha, I want to point out the excellent amount of information present on the website, not only do they say where it is from, they also say when it was harvested and ground, how to make it, the mg of caffeine, theanine, and catechins, and while there are some listed health benefits, this is not one of those companies that shoves Matcha being a panacea down my throat. Encha, for that pile of information and transparency, you have my gratitude!

Ok, time to delve into the green! Starting with the Ceremonial Grade Matcha, first thing I notice is the beautiful color and fluffy texture, I barely had to sift it! The aroma is nutty and sweet, with notes of honey and chestnut, this moves to freshly cut bell peppers, and a finish of slightly sweet hay and yeast. Once whisked into a very lovely foam, the aroma is much more green, strong notes of bell pepper and a hint of kelp with an undertone of sweet nuttiness.

Underneath the foam, the color is a rich algae green, like my beloved Marimo (moss balls) that I used to have in my planted aquarium. The mouth is thick and creamy, no graininess (I really hate grainy Matcha) and it starts with a strong umami note, like a mouth full of steamed spinach and kelp, it is not at all bitter, just robustly green. This moves to gentle notes of grass and a touch of lettuce, and the finish is a subtle sweetness that lingers. I find there are two types of Matcha that knock my socks off, ones that are naturally very sweet and ones that are like drinking pure, undiluted chlorophyll, like I am becoming one with the green growing things of the world.

(I feel lazy, for the other two Matcha and photos, blog): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/09/encha-trilogy-of-matcha-matcha-monday.html