MatchaApril 2015

Thank you for Reading!

What was a very small list of around 100 has ballooned to over350 enthusiastic tea drinkers. I appreciate each and every oneof you as well as the tea companies who so generously sharetheir knowledge. Some of you might be wondering why the Japanese teaceremony isn't covered here. That is a topic that I believedeserves its own future issue. Now that this one is complete, I'llbe heading off to World Tea Expo. I am super excited to be listedas a speaker. I'm also honored to be nominated for two WorldTea Awards, Best Tea Blog and Best Social Media Reach. Wishme luck!

The next journal will be published in July and the theme is yet tobe decided. I'd love to hear suggestions on what you'd like tosee. Shoot me an email at nicole@teaformeplease.com!

by Nicole Martin

If recent media coverage is any indication matcha is one of the hot teas of the moment. FromDr. Oz to national newspapers, everyone is talking about the green stuff. That can be both ablessing and a curse for the tea world. The market is flooded with cheap knock-offs, making iteven more difficult for consumers to get their hands on the real deal. Here are a few thingsthat you might want to keep an eye out for when selecting your matcha:

Product of ChinaWhile China produces some truly wonderful teas, none of them are matcha. The real deal isonly grown and produced in Japan. I’ve had samples sent to me by companies who had no ideathat this was the case (or so they claimed). Only buy from companies who can tell you wherein Japan their tea came from. Green Tea PowderProduct labeled as green tea powder is not actually matcha but poor quality tea that is groundup to resemble matcha. While these might be ok for some purposes, like baking projects, theyare not the real deal. The color, taste and texture will be all wrong. Those inexpensive bags onAmazon or at the Asian market are tempting but please understand that you will get what youpay for.

MatchaBuyer Beware

Ingredients other than MatchaSimply put, there should be no other ingredient than green tea leaves. I’ve seen everythingfrom sugar and flavoring to powdered acai berries blended to matcha. If anything is addedthen it is very likely that the base is poor quality. I prefer to call these green tea beverages toavoid confusion.

Health Benefit HypeMatcha is a very healthy beverage, especially compared to most of what we consume on aregular basis. However, it is not a miracle drug that will cure cancer or magically make you lose20lbs. If a retailer puts most of their emphasis on hype then you can bet that their attentionis not focused on the tea.

Anything that Isn’t Green TeaI’ve seen powdered white and black teas sold as “matcha”. These curiosities might beinteresting to play around with but in no way are they anything close to matcha. I haven’t triedtoo many of them myself but I can tell you that I once had a powdered Kenyan white tea thattasted like gym socks.Keep these tips in mind, along with the advice of the experts who contributed articles, andyou'll be well on your way to enjoying matcha to its fullest. If you have any questions aboutmatcha that weren't answered in this issue, let me know about it! It might just end up in a blogpost.

I've seen a few tea retailers post about mixing matcha with fruit juice lately. I was skepticalbut I had a morning off of work so I thought that I would give it a try. The result was actuallysurprisingly tasty. The matcha smooths out the citrus bite of the juice. It's a great way to geta healthy dose of Vitamin C as well as antioxidants. I don't drink coffee so this will be my go-topick me up on days when I am feeling really groggy.Ingredients

1 teaspoon of matcha1 cup of orange juice

Mix together thoroughly and enjoy!

I usually take step by step pictures for tutorials but this one is pretty fool proof. I used mymilk frother to make this because it gets everything blended smoothly without clumps. If youdon't have one you can just as easily use a whisk or blender. In a pinch, shake them together ina mason jar with the lid tightly closed.

If you aren't a fan of orange juice, just substitute apple juice or whatever your favorite mightbe.

The lush, Camellia sinensis laden hills that constitute Japan’s famed Uji region are found at the verycenter and heart of the country. Uji-cha has made a name for itself, made rich by history and ofcourse, flavor. In March, 2013, I was lucky enough to step off the Shinkansen (bullet train) on a whim- and found myself in and  city that’s - forgive me - steeped in tea lore and legend.

Uji. The city thrives around the Ujigawa: a large, burbling river that proudly cuts through town. Notonly does it proffer beautiful views (peeks into the the back valley and hills; a fiery red pagoda setagainst lush greenery, a few more graceful bridges), but the Ujigawa is the center of Uji’s community.Parts of the famed Tale of Genji take place on its iconic bridges, it sustains Uji’s unique cormorantfishing, it provides ample scenic locations for people to gather, stroll, picnic, or lounge…and provideswater for tea, plant to cup. 

As Uji’s streets began to materialize I was struck by the presence of Uji’s hallmark: the scent offresh, powdered Matcha that hit me and overtook our senses. The aroma was undeniable, and I grewgiddier and giddier as I learned that almost every shop was dedicated to tea. From the cha-sobanoodles in one window, to the mounds of sweet Matcha mochi in another; to the yunomi cups piledhigh among kyusus of every design…never mind the Matcha soft serve ice cream that capped theend of the road, sprinkled liberally with such pristine, vibrant Matcha. No one had to convince me if Iliked this place. My companion had a cone…and 15 minutes later (without saying a word to me) ranback half a mile before the shop closed to order a second.

A little sip of Uji-cha: Matcha’s historyin the region and Mizuba Tea Co.by Lauren Danson of Mizuba Tea Co.

Where were we, that proffered tea at every turn? How did Uji come to be? At the beginning of the13th century in the days of the ruling shoguns, two Buddhist monks, Saicho and Kukai, brought teaplants back from China. However, it wasn’t until the later Kamukura period (1191 AD) that the famedRinzai Zen priest Eisai encouraged the growth and production of tea. Legend has it that Eisai gaveseeds to another Zen priest, Myoe Shonin. Shonin originally began cultivating tea in Toganoo, butsearched for better growing environs and found Uji.  News of Uji’s legendary tea spread acrossJapan, and Uji’s fame as the best tea-growing region was set in history. Uji Matcha in particularbecame known as the pearl of Japanese green tea.

The shade-growing method that gives Matcha its tender, nutritious, and vibrant qualities began inthe 16th century, but later in 1738, Soen Nagatani (also credited with inventing Japan’s famousSencha tea), devised a specialized method of processing harvested leaves. Instead of roasting anddrying the harvest, he found steaming tea preserved freshness and enhanced a fuller flavor. Thetechnique became known as the Uji method, and is still standard practice today. One can even visitSoen Nagatani’s shrine deep in the hills of the Uji countryside, with walls carved with the names ofJapan’s most famous tea houses and proprietors.

Before I knew how famous the region was for its quality, and before the idea of Mizuba even came tobe, I was inspired by the small, close-knit community where my I tasted Matcha for the first time. Iwas blessed to meet an enthusiastic Matcha producer, in charge of his family’s 100-year-old farm(“very young,” he says). It wasn’t long after that I felt called to build a company grounded in thetraditions and spirited relationships I encountered over cups of tea. Now, Mizuba is honored toexclusively source all of our Matcha from Uji, and visit annually for harvest season.

Our facility in the Uji countryside houses 50 heavy stone mills, which run twice a day and spin at 30revolutions per minute. Though Uji is a famed region, our production is relatively small in comparison,(two of our grades are harvested once a year) allowing for our team to focus fully on the quality ofeach batch of our Matcha tea.When selecting the best Tencha (shaded leaves, before being stone-ground) to make Matcha, our producer notes that it’s not so much the shape that he’s looking for,unlike many leaves for tea. “Shape has no meaning. It’s the color and flavor that’s most important.It’s difficult to show flavor in words.” We agree – quality tea is sometimes an ineffable beauty,perhaps best taken as a simple experience. 

As such, Mizuba hopes to impart just a taste of the larger, beautiful experience of Uji to you. Your cupof Matcha contains years worth of craft and care, and with each sip you take, you help continue tomake Uji’s history as vibrant as the color of Matcha itself.

Mizuba Tea Co. presents a fresh way to enjoy tea. We are passionate about Matcha tea as we arepassionate about the community that comes around tea and tea drinking.

You can find out more at http://www.mizubatea.com.

How to Buy MatchaA Professional Tea Buyer's Perspective

by Peter Sabbagh of Think Matcha

When we talk about tea, several words come to mind. Words like steep, brew, hot, or iced,but do we ever think of specific teas right away? 

There are different grades of teas, which is not always known by the general public. What Iwould like to do is bring a professional tea buyer’s perspective to the consumer of one teain specific: matcha. I also want to give you the customer, knowledge of how to purchaseand store matcha correctly, so you can better enjoy your tea. The conundrum is that manypeople, even some tea experts, don’t know much about matcha, where to buy it, how tostore it, and its myriad of uses.

So how can you get your hands on some quality matcha? It can be tricky because if you arelike some shoppers, you might pick up the first thing you see, and when you drink it, yourealize there’s added sugar.

A recent acquaintance (a tea buyer) of mine told me a story from several years ago. Hewent to a local tea seller that was purchased by a larger company. That store is now achain. The objective was to discover what the store knew about matcha tea preparation,storage, quality, and how easily the average tea consumer could purchase various types ofmatcha.

He was told by the manager that they were given matcha to use for customer samples bytheir corporate owners. Of course, it was low quality and mixed with sugar. There areseveral reasons why a corporate company might want to supply matcha mix to their storerather than real matcha. Since matcha is expensive (typically $20 or more for 30 to 40grams), it’s much cheaper to use the mix. The corporate company decision-makers alsomay not have known the differences in the quality of matcha tea because they had neversold premium matcha before.

Thankfully, due to experienced tea drinkers’ complaints about the taste of the mix, thetea store’s manager finally received permission from corporate to serve and sample realmatcha for a pricey $5 a cup.  

I understand how difficult it is to find matcha to purchase, and how often tea supplierslack the proper knowledge to sell quality matcha to consumers. If you want qualityMatcha, here are some questions you should ask yourself prior to purchasing.

1) Will I be cooking with matcha or whisking it with water? For cooking or in a mixed sweet beverage, typically, you use a less expensive, lower gradeform. Due to the lower quality grade, its flavor is more astringent. From a culinaryperspective, matcha at this grade is used in certain dishes and beverages to illuminate amultitude of flavors, much like the use of lemons. 

If you want to drink matcha with water, then you should look for a more expensive, higher-grade form. Higher grades naturally have a smooth, creamy, and slightly sweet finish. Onereason for its taste    difference is because younger smaller leaves from the top of thetea plant are used. Image traditional whisk tea

2) Should I buy tea from a local tea shop or online? At a local retail tea shop, you can speak to the staff, ask questions about their tea, orsample it. However, an online store may be less expensive and store their tea properly.Pick a site with a customer service option and product transparency.

3) How do I tell the difference in matcha grade levels? Low grade matcha is recognized by a dull green with brown or yellow tints. The pale greencolor indicates the tea possibly contains stems and branches, or that it’s not fresh. Poorstorage of matcha can also cause discoloration. If you notice these visual cues, it willprobably not have its desired finish. Properly stored high grades are vibrant, emeraldelectric-green, and will smell slightly sweet.

4) How do I store matcha so it stays fresh? To increase shelf life, it’s important to refrigerate or freeze it (before and after opened),in an airtight container, like a canning jar.

You should also check the date stamped on the tin or pouch before purchasing. It willtypically last 6 to 7 months from the time it is packaged, provided it is properly storedcoming from the grower. Like wine, temperature control and vacuum sealing (afteropening) are imperative to extending your tea’s longevity.

5) What other questions should I ask myself or a retail shop before purchasing? Matcha is shipped from Japan, so it already has lost some of its shelf life. Ask theshop/site about their storage process. Examine the tea’s color and smell. What countryand region does it come from? How was it shipped? Ask for a taste to check astringencylevels. 

These days consumers are more diligent about reading food labels, so why not learn moreabout growing conditions? I recommend asking a tea store to see a copy of the grower’ssoil or plant testing reports. They will provide you with a snapshot of a tea’senvironmental purity. 

To produce a good premium matcha, the soil must be nourished properly, particularly in itsfinal shaded stage of the growing process. Some pure organic fertilizers derived from fishmeal and other sources may not be rich enough in nitrogen to produce a high gradepremium matcha. What you may notice with organic matcha is a less bold or flatter taste.

Be careful about paying more for an organic matcha. You shouldn’t have to pay extremelyhigh prices just because it’s organic. It may not necessarily be the highest grade teaproduct, even though it might be considered as such. If you ask yourself these questionsbefore you purchase matcha, then it will prepare you for a delicate process of finding,purchasing,  enjoying, and storing your delicious tea.

We are tea lovers and health nuts who like helping people. Ourlives revolve around providing healthy alternatives to ourcustomers. We are also a family owned company located in AnnArbor, Michigan, and enjoy an active lifestyle.

You can find out more at http://www.thinkmatcha.com.

My introduction into the tea industry was also my introduction to the umami flavor of tea thatconnoisseurs in Japan value so highly. It was a kabusecha, steeped for me by a certified Japanesetea instructor, and it took me by surprise—thick, syrupy, savory, delicious. I knew at that moment, Iknew nothing about Japanese tea despite having lived in the country for a decade.

Let’s step back and start at the beginning—sencha and its two definitions. Yes, two. The widedefinition of sencha encompasses all tea leaf that has been steamed, rolled into a needle-likeshape, and dried. At this point, it is called aracha. Stems, leaf tips, tea dust are then sifted out tomake sencha.

In this definition, gyokuro and kabusecha can also be considered sencha. Many high quality senchateas are enhanced by adding the umami-rich kabusecha or gyokuro creating an even higher qualityblend (in Japan a blend is a combination of tea leaves from different regions or of differentcultivars, etc., and master blenders are at the pinnacle of the industry in tea expertise). A farmermight even shade a sencha for 3-7 days to enhance the umami flavor a slight amount.

However, the umami rich flavor of kabusecha or gyokuro is deserving of our acknowledgment as teadrinkers, and for this reason we exclude these shaded teas from the sencha category. By defaultsencha is then redefined as tea leaf that has not been shaded during cultivation as opposed tokabusecha (shaded for about 2 weeks) and gyokuro (about 3 weeks). Or if we remember the above,it is tea leaf that has not been shaded long enough to make it a kabusecha. Confused? I hope so. Ifyou’ve thought this much about what defines sencha, you’re on your way to becoming an expert.

by Ian Chun of YUNOMI

Understanding Japanese Green Teas

Let’s move on to that other Japanese green tea taking the world by storm: matcha. Matcha is verysimply powdered tea made from green tea leaves. More specifically, it is made from a leaf calledtencha. The common mistake some tea sellers make is to say matcha is made from shaded tealeaves, then assume these leaves are gyokuro. They couldn’t be more mistaken.

Tencha leaves are significantly different from gyokuro not in how long they are shaded (often 4weeks), but in the fact that they are steamed and dried without rolling. The rolling process in senchaproduction breaks down the cell membranes in the leaf releasing flavors.

Without this step, you have a very different leaf, tencha, that produces the characteristic flavor ofmatcha when ground into fine powder. Although it is more difficult to produce powdered sencha asfine as matcha, the flavor remains sencha. Yet, even when tencha that has not been shaded as long,or lacks umami (as in autumn-harvested matcha for industrial usage like ice cream production), thepowder that results is more bitter than usual, but still distinctly matcha in flavor.

Launched in 2013, YUNOMI is the leading source of artisanal Japanese tea and tea ware online.Featuring nearly 60 tea farms, factories, tea ware artists, and other small-scale, independentmerchants, YUNOMI strives to promote Japan’s culture and its people through the world’s love fortea.

You can find out more at http://www.yunomi.us.

I have been on a bit of a crusade lately. A few years ago it was all about introducing Matcha greentea to people - explaining where it comes from and how it is used. Now, the next frontier isexplaining the difference between “Ceremonial Matcha,” and all these other titles and grades. Thereis no industry standard stating that the quality of a Matcha must be at a certain level in order to becalled “Ceremonial Matcha.” With no official industry standard some people get caught up in thenames of the grades, rather than focusing on the actual quality of a Matcha.

Before we delve deeper, let’s take a step back and explain where the term “Ceremonial Matcha”comes from. As you may or may not know, Matcha is a powdered green tea that comes from Japanand is traditionally used in the Japanese tea ceremony.  One of the central concepts for theJapanese tea ceremony is ichi-go ichi-e, which means “once in a life time encounter.” Thus eachmeeting or encounter with a family member, friend or acquaintance should be treasured. For theJapanese tea ceremony, one would then typically serve a high quality Matcha to their guest in orderto treasure the experience. By calling Matcha “Ceremonial Grade,” you are implying that the qualityis high enough to be used and served in a Japanese tea ceremony. For a guest of yours, you wouldwant to serve them something high in quality to be a gracious host.

This eventually led to “Ceremonial Matcha” becoming a marketing tool to name Matcha and try tocommunicate quality. Everyone later started using the term Ceremonial Matcha when grading theirMatcha. That said, if you want truly ceremonial-quality Matcha, you should ask your Matcha supplierif any of their teas are endorsed or used by a Japanese tea ceremony school such as Urasenke,Omotesenke, and Mushakoujisenke.  Japanese tea ceremony schools will only use high-qualityMatcha. Since there is no official rule or industry standard for determining the quality of Matcha,these Japanese tea ceremony schools can be used as a benchmark and something you can trust.

by James Oliveira of AIYA America

Ceremonial Matcha: What’s the real deal?

Finding the real deal can be a daunting task, but I would not be so caught up in the names andgrades companies give their products. These names are often arbitrary, and some companies donot even call any of their Matcha “Ceremonial Grade.” It’s always good to ask a supplier if any oftheir Matcha grades are endorsed by a Japanese tea ceremony school, and if they are, the companyshould have some document or certification from the school as proof. If a Matcha supplier has suchan endorsement, then it is safe to say that you can trust the quality of their Matcha. However,learning the difference between high and low quality Matcha will also help you in your research,because even if a Matcha is not officially endorsed by a Japanese tea ceremony school, it does notnecessarily mean it is of poor quality. In the end, everyone just wants a good quality Matcha thatthey can sit down and enjoy drinking along with their guests.

Besides being endorsed by a Japanese tea ceremony school, the next best thing is to try out aMatcha yourself. You should learn what to look for when tasting Matcha so you can discern thedifference between high-quality and low-quality Matcha. When tasting, you want to use yoursenses; check the color of the Matcha, feel it between your fingers, smell it, and finally taste it.The following chart explains what you should look for:

You can see the color difference between a high-quality Matcha and a low-quality Matcha above.

AIYA lives for its tea - for the benefit of everybody. Our philosophy is to createharmony between humans, nature and technology, resulting in products ofenormous exclusivity, purity and high class.

You can find out more at http://www.aiya-america.com.

Matcha seems intimidating at first, not only because of the utensils used but because we oftenhave the image of the tea ceremony with its elaborate steps and gracious movements.

But don't worry, you can prepare this green tea at home in a casual way. It's quite easy anddoesn't take up much time.

How to PrepareMatcha at Home

by Ricardo Caicedo of My Japanese Green Tea

What You'll Need

First of all, pay attention to the type of matcha. Kitchen grade matcha is too bitter by itself, so asits name implies use it only when cooking. It's best to use a normal matcha or a ceremonial gradematcha, which has a better flavor but is more expensive.

Although you can certainly prepare it in a modern way using a milk frother and a tall glass or mug, Iadvise you to try the more traditional way. At the very least, have a matcha bowl and a chasen(tea whisk). The matcha bowl doesn't have to be expensive, start with a basic one. Many bowlsare works of art and collector's items, but they aren't necessary when starting out. For thechasen, you can find many types but again don't go for the high-end at first.

Lastly, there's also a chashaku (bamboo spoon) that's useful for measuring the matcha but it'snot obligatory.

Let's Begin

Pour boiling water into your matcha bowl, this is just to warm it up. Discard the water and dry thematcha bowl, otherwise the matcha will clump when it comes in contact with a drop of water.

Now you can add the matcha. You need two grams, so that's either two scoops of the chashaku(bamboo spoon) or in case that you don't have one, use 2/3 of a teaspoon.

Add about 60 ml (2 oz) of hot water (70C ~ 80C, 158F ~ 176F). Notice that the matcha bowlwon't be completely full, it's just one third of it. For the hot water, you can start with boiling waterand then pour it into a cup. Once it fully warms the cup, you can now pour it into your matcha bowland it will be at the required temperature. It doesn't have to be exact.

Finally, hold the matcha bowl with one hand and with the other start to whisk slowly with thechasen. Don't push it against the bowl because you may break the tines, just whisk in a W motionand gradually speed up until foam appears. This requires some practice, so don't be discouragedif at first you can't whisk as quickly.

As a final note, matcha prepared this way is called usucha (thin tea). There's also koicha (thicktea), where you use more matcha and less water to create a thick, concentraded brew.

Ricardo is the author of My Japanese Green Tea,. He believes that one day,words like sencha and matcha will be as common as espresso and cappuccino.

You can find out more at http://www.myjapanesegreentea.com.

He also owns and operates Bogotá, Colombia based Kyusu Teas.

You can find out more at http://www.kyusuteas.com/.

Community

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I asked readers to post their best matcha shots on Instagram with thehashtag #teaformeplease. There were so many great entries but these aresome of my favorites.

@hallstigerts @chambredesucre @joysteaspoon

@chaxicollective @iheartteas @patrickmedina85

@teaspoonsandpetals @mizubateaco @agiftoftea

In addition to this journal, I produce a monthly podcast. The topics varyfrom sharing the stories of tea companies that I love to how to videos. Ilove getting feedback from my fellow tea lovers. Is there anything you'dlike to see? Just shoot me an email at nicole@teaformeplease.com. Nextmonth I'll be sharing a bit of my trip to World Tea Expo.

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