Your setup is really nice and a always such pleasure to see. And I can't get enough of the Suzuki Morihisa tetsubin.
Your day in matcha
but if the administration team wishes me to post in a personnal thread, let me know.
Inspired to open the mid-priced matcha I bought at the Tsuen shop in Uji a little over a year ago. It's been refrigerated since then, sealed, waiting for today. It foamed up thickly and beautifully set off the Seigan sansai terbineri....delicious for the eyes and the palate
Not the prettiest, but tasted 4 different matchas today in a blind taste test. Can you tell anything about them just from these images?
3rd and 4th look better, better aspect of the foam (but this point also depend on the amount of matcha used for the amount of water), less lumps (but still some, maybe sifting would improve that).
As per taste, I can’t tell without tasting
As per taste, I can’t tell without tasting
Good observations. All 4 had the exact same amount of matcha and water and were whisked for the same amount of time. You're right that the 2nd one could have definitely used more whisking, but we try to keep things consistent when testing.
Interestingly, the 3rd one is the most expensive of the 4, and was the 'focus' of the test - we wanted to make sure that we could differentiate it in a blind test (we did). The 4th one is actually ours, which we are most accustomed to and acts as a 'control' of sorts. The first two are two separate matchas that are both of decent quality from a Japanese vendor at different price points simply included to add confusion. All matchas were marked discreetly on the bottom pre-mixing so that we had no visual or other clues as to which one was which.
I find blind taste tests like this so fun. It is amazing how different things taste when consumed side-by-side. You begin to notice patterns related to cultivars, terroirs, etc.
I have a set of identical porcelain gaiwans that I marked on the bottom 1, 2, 3, 4 that I have used for this. I have not had a helper to mix them up for me, so had to do it with my eyes closed, but even with the limited ability to 'blind' myself, it is great fun.
The trick is to distract yourself while mixing them. Sing a song, work on a translation, think about your next great TeaForum post... anything to distract the mind from subconsciously following your handsdebunix wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:04 pmI have a set of identical porcelain gaiwans that I marked on the bottom 1, 2, 3, 4 that I have used for this. I have not had a helper to mix them up for me, so had to do it with my eyes closed, but even with the limited ability to 'blind' myself, it is great fun.
Tasting blind really makes you think and focus on the idiosyncrasies of each tea as opposed to the macro picture.
You mean in terms of what they each are? Certainly.
The 1st one is Uji Matcha Chiyo Mukashi from O-Cha. $1.13 per gram.
The 2nd one is Uji Matcha Kiku Mukashi from O-Cha. $0.64 per gram.
The 3rd one is Hoshino Matcha 'Star'. $0.74 per gram.
The 4th one is Leafy Green matcha. $0.56 per gram.
I'm also now realizing that I misspoke earlier. I said the 3rd one is the most expensive, but I got it confused with a different tea from Hoshitea, which is not the one we had. It was the 2nd most expensive of the group.
Interestingly, the 3rd one is the only one of the 4 from Yame, and definitely stood out the most in terms of a different flavor profile (had a hint of popcorn-y flavor to it, less seaweed). The other 3 are all from Uji region.
If you have any personal favorites, I'd love to include them in our next blind tasting!
Which did you enjoy the most? I’ve enjoyed Asahi and Uji-hikari cultivars from TDJ this year. The former is rich and chocolate-y, the latter is lighter but has a lingonberry finish that’s delightful. Both form a foam easily and do not need to be sifted first.chofmann wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 2:46 pmYou mean in terms of what they each are? Certainly.
The 1st one is Uji Matcha Chiyo Mukashi from O-Cha. $1.13 per gram.
The 2nd one is Uji Matcha Kiku Mukashi from O-Cha. $0.64 per gram.
The 3rd one is Hoshino Matcha 'Star'. $0.74 per gram.
The 4th one is Leafy Green matcha. $0.56 per gram.
I'm also now realizing that I misspoke earlier. I said the 3rd one is the most expensive, but I got it confused with a different tea from Hoshitea, which is not the one we had. It was the 2nd most expensive of the group.
Interestingly, the 3rd one is the only one of the 4 from Yame, and definitely stood out the most in terms of a different flavor profile (had a hint of popcorn-y flavor to it, less seaweed). The other 3 are all from Uji region.
If you have any personal favorites, I'd love to include them in our next blind tasting!
All 4 were of pretty good quality, but my personal taste preferences would lead me to the #3 from Yame. It was quite smooth with a nice sweetness and a light chocolate and buttered popcorn flavor.Baisao wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:26 pmWhich did you enjoy the most? I’ve enjoyed Asahi and Uji-hikari cultivars from TDJ this year. The former is rich and chocolate-y, the latter is lighter but has a lingonberry finish that’s delightful. Both form a foam easily and do not need to be sifted first.
I see that both the matchas you recommended are from Tsuji Kiyoharu. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him yet, but am hoping to do so on my upcoming trip. I have heard wonderful things about his matcha and may have to try some prior to going to Japan.