Ceremonial Matcha

So – I have had this matcha staring at me and I was saving it for a day I really needed it. Sometimes I wait for a tea to TALK to me…well, this one biffed me in the head today! I needed it! Right there infront of me – on the package – it says “Mental Focus” – I soooo needed that today!

My dear Sororitea Sister LiberTeas will tell ya…I’ve had a flighty morning and technology hasn’t been my friend! LOL

Anyhow…this SHOULD help me get back on track! I HOPE.

This is really good matcha! It’s velvety and pleasant from start to finish! AND…it stays mixed the whole cuppa! It froths up and stays mixed well throughout with little to no chalky end-cup! YAY!

Today, I tried out the Ceremonial Grade Matcha from Aiya (hopefully tomorrow, I will get to the Organic Ceremonial Grade). Here are my thoughts:

While whisking this one, it was evident how different it was from the Premium Grade Matcha. It was thicker. VERY frothy, froths up more than the Premium Grade. Creamy and thick on the palate, Sweet with a distinct bitter tone. Even though it’s thicker and creamier, it still doesn’t impart a chalkiness in the aftertaste. One thing I noticed about this, is that it stays mixed… no need to whisk while sipping (same is true with the Premium Grade). This is delicious, but, I actually think I prefer the thinner Matcha as it has less of the vegetative taste. I don’t dislike vegetative taste, but, I do prefer it to be on the lighter, milder-tasting side.

I should probably start of by saying Matcha is my favorite tea, followed by oolongs and various blacks. Shortly after I found matcha, I began a search for the best ~$30 tin I could find. I have a bowl or two a day, so this task has taken a bit of time, as I finish a tin before I order another.
I have had Domatcha and Pure comparative grade matchas in addition to this. ( long way to go, I know ;) )

The tea:
Sifted and whisked at 175, it doesn’t froth for me much differently than the rest, good amount of small bubbles to cover the surface of the bowl. I do keep it in the fridge and I understand this lessens frothy-ness.
It tastes wonderfully of vegetal, grassy, underlying buttery and most importantly fresh. I find it to taste a lot like domatcha, and similar in color. It stays together and does not require re-whisking or have any chalky texture.
I love this matcha, it’s tasty, more vegetal than buttery but not unpleasantly strong. If I could afford it, an everyday drink for sure, and my current matcha winner!

Honestly, I had a great experience with this one today and bumped my previous rating up a few points. Really tasty!

Clearly we drank a lot of matcha over our trip, but in addition to all of the fun and creative matcha beverages in cafes it was nice to make the time to just drink some proper Ceremonial Matcha. Aiya’s matcha is always impressive, but their ceremonial grade it particular is just very smooth with a really fresh, aromatic floral sweetness to it as well. It was very nice to have something that felt almost “grounding” in between all the packed in days of tasting.

I probably should have tasted this matcha on its own first but it was an older tin so I wasn’t sure if the flavor had degraded at all and I was in the mood for a latte. And I’m generally skeptical of “ceremonial grade” grocery store matcha since it seems like almost every ground tea, no matter how low the quality or if it’s even actual matcha, is labeled ceremonial grade matcha in the US. My skepticism didn’t stop me from rescuing several tins of Aiya ceremonial grade when a local store discontinued it, though.

After going through a pouch of the Jade Lead culinary grade that I probably should have used for baking or something instead of lattes, the Aiya was super smooth. Both in flavor and texture. At least until I got to the lumps in the bottom because I forgot to sift the tea and my milk frother didn’t manage to break up all the clumps. Aside from the lumpy bits in the bottom of my cup, it felt smooth enough to make me think Aiya might grind their matchas finer than some of the other grocery store or budget-friendly brands. There wasn’t really much powder that settled to the bottom of my cup, which also makes me think it’s ground more finely (maybe? I dunno. Chemistry and physics were never my favorite things…but it seems like larger particles would be heavier and more prone to settling out). I made my latte with quite a lot of matcha and no sweetener and there was no harsh bite. I wouldn’t say it’s award-winning top quality but based on my latte experience I think I could probably stand to drink this one straight as “thin tea”. And if not, it’s pretty good as a latte.

Ceremonial matcha is always a winner for lattes during the winter

My first pure Matcha, and one of my favorites of all time. Deceptively expensive, but worth the cost considering how long this little tin lasts. It smell like sea mist and forest to me, also very close to Dragonwell and Sencha. The taste is Green personified, if that were ever possible. Umami, seaweed, grass, bits of cream, and sea mist again fill the cup and linger on my tongue. I’ve had it for over a year and have just gone through half of it, still enjoying it day to day. Also, nearly impossible to make without a Matcha whisk.

My sweetie got me this matcha, as well as a chasen, scoop and bowl for Xmas this year, and I’m so pleased. This is slightly bitter, a bit grassy, a bit umami and creamy. Superfine powder stays suspended and it’s very pleasant and easy to drink.

I’m excited to finally have the means to drink matcha straight, as I’ve really been enjoying it in latte form, and till now didn’t have the tools to prepare it nicely otherwise.

This is the first matcha I have tried, I was prepared for a horrible taste after reading about matcha in general but was pleasantly surprised. I drink this almost every day and am loving the energy it is giving me after I drink it. The only problem I have is that I have to order online to get it, would like to compare it’s taste to the Teavana brand.