Sunday, November 11, 2007

Matcha, Part 4

Sweet Matcha

A few weeks back, Rishi started offering a line of Sweet Matcha. Since then there has been a recurring, morbid interest in it on TeaChat, so I took it upon myself to trek out to Whole Foods and see what it's all about.

The Original Swet Matcha isn't anything new for Rishi, though the packaging is new, and I've never seen it advertised on their website, but it has been part of their Bulk Tea program for some time. I first saw this stuff a year or so ago on an old order guide. The sweet matcha is a mix of matcha and milled cane sugar. I don't know the sugar to tea ratio, but I'd guess at least 50/50.

The color is rather pale, reminds me of dried peas. As to be expected, the aroma was faint.

I used one scoop per ounce of water, and whisked thoroughly, but it wouldn't froth. I suppose because of the high sugar content.

It tastes....I probably have customers who would love this, but I found it very unpleasant, and very, very sweet. A mouth full of warm sugar followed by the distinct taste of matcha. This is not something that I would drink.

However, I looked at their website later, and it would seem that they do not intend this stuff for traditional consumption either. 125 grams for $10? I think its safe to call this food grade matcha.

And sure enough, look at that; they have recipes.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi !

If you really want to taste outstanding matcha, check it out :

http://www.matchaandmore.com

Marukyu-Koyamaen brand is the best, no contest !

Fortunato

Space Samurai said...

Interesting, they do have a large selection. I want to experiment more with single origin matcha, particularly Uji, before I try blends.

Anonymous said...

Blend is THE secret of matcha ! As for Champagne, Bordeaux, Côtes-du-Rhône whatever... Single origin matcha is boring...

Marukyu-Koyamaen is the 'château Cheval Blanc' of matcha !

Cya Alex,

Fortunato

Anonymous said...

My tastes and pocketbook are quite a bit more pedestrian.
However, I want to thank this site for steering me to some other tea answers.
Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Yep, I,ve tried most of the brands out there and I always go back to Koyamaen. I usually go for one of the thin grades.

Matcha said...

Great article.Matcha Tea factory has a really great range of Matcha Tea whether it be for everyday drinking, cooking or special occasions they also have a great range of Matcha accessoriesTea too!