Your day in matcha

Non-oxidized tea
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debunix
Posts: 1812
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:27 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Sun Feb 02, 2020 6:33 pm

Matcha every day sounds good!

Matcha once a week is more usual for me
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nasalfrog
Posts: 127
Joined: Wed Dec 20, 2017 10:51 pm
Location: Tulsa, OK

Sun Feb 02, 2020 9:52 pm

I finally have a chawan on order and will be ordering a chasen soon. It may take a few weeks to arrive, so in the meantime I have been watching videos. I am finding it is recommended to soak/loosen up the chasen with hot water. I assumed I would just do this in the chawan while warming it up, but you say this step may not be necessary @Janice? Do you soak/warm up your chasen or do you find this to be another unnecessary step?
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VoirenTea
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2017 11:49 am
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Sat Mar 07, 2020 10:49 am

I finally got around to making my first matcha!

This is O-Cha's Kiri-No-Mori. I am really enjoying it, it has a lovely creamy texture and a good taste. (I don't mind bitter in teas - definitely none here though!)

Now I've opened it, I'm having one bowl a day. Two in a row tends to give me jitters - I can drink puerh all evening, but not matcha!

My frothing technique needs work, but I got some. I started off doing the cold water mix straight away, because I didn't want to change my kettle temperature so am adding very hot water afterward... I do end up with a temp that is drinkable straight away,

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Cup by Jiri Lang via pu-erh.sk, part of a shibo set.
Janice
Posts: 262
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:11 pm
Location: New Jersey

Sat Mar 07, 2020 2:21 pm

nasalfrog wrote:
Sun Feb 02, 2020 9:52 pm
I finally have a chawan on order and will be ordering a chasen soon. It may take a few weeks to arrive, so in the meantime I have been watching videos. I am finding it is recommended to soak/loosen up the chasen with hot water. I assumed I would just do this in the chawan while warming it up, but you say this step may not be necessary Janice? Do you soak/warm up your chasen or do you find this to be another unnecessary step?
My apologies - somehow I missed your post. I still soften the chasen. If I’m having a very lazy day I’ll just do it in a separate cup rather than in the chawan. Then I can skip drying the chawan.
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debunix
Posts: 1812
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:27 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:20 am

Today I enjoyed the Tsuen Taiko-San matcha via O-Cha in the copper red chawan, but I am not sure if this photo from last month was Tsuen Manten or the Taiko-San matcha; it's still a good representation of the pleasure of today's session

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Janice
Posts: 262
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:11 pm
Location: New Jersey

Wed Mar 18, 2020 11:51 am

After an initial buying spree I’ve been storing matcha in the fridge and just keeping out one container at a time. My last container is Kyou Mukashi from O-Cha which is inexpensive - only $14 for 30 grams. I’ve been experimenting with which steps are needed and I’m finding that all of them greatly improve my results with this matcha. So just now I heated the chawan and softened the chasen . Then I dried the chawan and allowed the matcha to soften a bit in the residual heat, Even though I had warmed the chawan and the matcha I still dissolved the matcha in cold water before whisking it in hot water. The results justified the effort as an improvement over the results with fewer steps but still not as good as more expensive matcha.

I need to order more matcha and I think I’ll order from a local (USA) source to avoid shipping delays. I’m considering Tea Trekker. Any other suggestions for matcha that’s already here?
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Victoria
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Wed Mar 18, 2020 12:26 pm

Janice wrote:
Wed Mar 18, 2020 11:51 am
I need to order more matcha and I think I’ll order from a local (USA) source to avoid shipping delays. I’m considering Tea Trekker. Any other suggestions for matcha that’s already here?
What about Ippodo USA out of NYC., Den’s Tea in Torrance, Ca, or Birouen's Tea House shipped from Los Angeles, Ca. I have been enjoying their Kabusecha almost daily since last April, and like their Kabusecha tea bags also. Sometimes Birouen is at the Sunday farmers market in Brentwood, although I think those are sadly on hold for now.

A few members have also mentioned Kettl Tea in Brooklyn, NY. Looks like matcha is a specialty of theirs.
rdl
Posts: 135
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:43 am

Wed Mar 18, 2020 5:22 pm

http://matchaandmore.com/About-Matcha-a ... _ep_7.html
Matcha and More is based in the Chicago area.
FYI... I just found this post about the owner and her mother, which I link:
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2017/05/ ... -ceremony/
Janice
Posts: 262
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:11 pm
Location: New Jersey

Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:27 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions. Kettl Tea and Matcha & More both ship from Japan so I’m trying to decide between Den’s Tea and Ippodo. In the meantime I find that the extra effort of preheating and drying the chawan improves my results with the inexpensive matcha I have available to me right now.

When I’m freed from “house arrest” I can visit the NYC Ippodo store in person but I’ll probably run out of matcha before then.
rdl
Posts: 135
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:43 am

Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:47 pm

Janice wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:27 pm
Thanks for all the suggestions. Kettl Tea and Matcha & More both ship from Japan so I’m trying to decide between Den’s Tea and Ippodo.
It's my understanding that as a distributor the teas are shipped from the US.
Janice
Posts: 262
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:11 pm
Location: New Jersey

Thu Mar 19, 2020 8:00 pm

rdl wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:47 pm
Janice wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2020 2:27 pm
Thanks for all the suggestions. Kettl Tea and Matcha & More both ship from Japan so I’m trying to decide between Den’s Tea and Ippodo.
It's my understanding that as a distributor the teas are shipped from the US.
Perhaps that was true in the past but their website is very clear that’s no longer the case.

If anyone is interested in tea “porn” there’s a beautiful short video on the Ippodo site. I know it’s advertising but I still enjoyed it.
https://ippodotea.com/pages/about-ippodo
Janice
Posts: 262
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:11 pm
Location: New Jersey

Fri Mar 20, 2020 12:35 pm

Maybe it’s the lack of fresh air and outdoor exercise but I had way too much difficulty choosing what matcha to order. I decided to look at Ippodo matcha in the same price range as TeaTrekker offerings, which are $36 for 40 grams. I ended up with 40 grams of Sayaka-no-mukashi, which is their recommendation for a first purchase. Then I added in their seasonal offering of 20 grams of Nodoka Limited Spring Matcha. Nodaka is Japanese for serenity, something I need to cultivate. I’ll report back when the tea arrives.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
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debunix
Posts: 1812
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:27 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Sun Mar 22, 2020 1:27 pm

matcha morning

First mixing matcha with cool water to get out the lumps (saves sifting)....love the rich vibrant green of this Taiko-san from O-Cha

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Now hot water plus whisking, whisking, whisking for the foam, snap quickly with camera, then drink, so lovely against the dark Shyrabbit chawan

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Janice
Posts: 262
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2017 11:11 pm
Location: New Jersey

Sun Mar 22, 2020 3:40 pm

Not everyone is a fan of the US Postal Service, but I’ve had many good experiences, partly because my local post office is well managed. So I placed the order with Ippodo on Friday and it was delivered today. I decided to begin with the seasonal spring Matcha, Nodoka. It was only $17, and was packed in a bag inside a box, rather than a tin. Not a problem, because I’ve been saving the best empty containers for just this purpose. I followed my usual preparation routine, which includes using cooler water, about 170 degrees. The one change I’ll make tomorrow is to use slightly hotter water. The flavor and texture combined to fit the adjective “velvety”. I expect slightly warmer water to bring out more characteristics of this matcha.


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I’m always happy to achieve a decent foam with inexpensive matcha.

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rdl
Posts: 135
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:43 am

Sun Mar 22, 2020 3:54 pm

Janice wrote:
Sun Mar 22, 2020 3:40 pm
I’m always happy to achieve a decent foam with inexpensive matcha.
It's nice to receive a delivery so quickly, in good or difficult times.
I'm wondering why you find inexpensive matcha doesn't foam well; meaning you have success with expensive matcha? Is it technique or chemical?
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