Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Matcha Source Matcha Kinrin and Matcha Sifter

As their name indicates, Matcha Source provides matcha and matcha accessories from a variety of other shops. Since they are a reseller, you will pay more for their products, so if you choose to purchase something from them, I recommend taking note of which shop they sourced it from, and buying it direct. For example:

Matcha Kinrin:
M.S. Price: $20 vs Koyamean Price: $12

Matcha Sifter:
M.S. Price: $14 vs Ippodo Price: $8.65

On the other hand, if you were looking to buy a variety of items that came from different shops, I could see that it might be more convenient, and possibly less expensive once shipping charges were taken into account, to simply purchase it all from one place.

The Matcha Kinrin, "Profound," comes from Koyamaen. It is meant for koicha.


Aroma: 6/10
Sweetness: 4/10
Astringency 1-3/10
Flavor 5/10

This was an average matcha, but quite fair for the original price. It has decent flavor; I still find it hard to describe the taste of matcha. It isn't grassy or vegital or like any other green tea. It isn't nuanced or layered either. The kinrin has a pleasant creamy mouth feel. I would consider this one a very suitable daily koicha, provided you buy it from Koyamaen.


The preparation instructions that came with the tea were helpful. Matcha Source suggests using an almond-sized scoop. I thought this was as good a visual as any, so here you go:


Use about that much. If you don't have a chashoku, this comes to .5-.6 grams. Two scoops equals about a teaspoon.

Matcha Sifter


Also known as a matcha burui (sieve). The sifter is removable and comes with a small, bamboo spatula. The container is air tight and will hold up to 50 grams. I have used it twice now, sifting an entire 20-30 gram tin at a time. The matcha will re-clump a bit given time, but not enough to make a difference.


So far I am fond of it. I have had no problems with it, and I prefer having my matcha pre-sifted. Do follow their cleaning instructions. I thought I was smarter than them and made a mess. Matcha and water equals green mud, gooey, hard to clean, mud.

15 comments:

Brent said...

Nice post, and great pics as usual. I sound like a broken record, I suppose, but I do mean it.

Oh, and by the way... *points to wikiCHA* I see lots of potential material here... :D

-Brent

Anonymous said...

Koyamaen-sama (owner of the gardens) once told me that kinrin
is an "acceptable matcha for usucha" (QUOTE!) although they
list it as koicha.

If you are really into koicha, try
their tenju, it's really a gift of heaven as it's name says.

In my teaching I use kinrin, a far better one and still for a reasonable price is unkaku (also from KYE).

Kim
PS: No affilation with KYE :)

MarshalN said...

Kinrin means profound? Whose dictionary are they using??

Kinrin can literally mean golden wheel (or any round metal thing), but it's also a buddhistic term, but even there I don't think it means profound...

But like what brent said -- nice pics!

Space Samurai said...

Marshal: "Kinrin" isn't in my dictionary, so I can't confirm it.

It has been my experience with the language that often times a single word will have several different meanings, and some times a dirrect translation is fuzzy.

Daniel said...

Have you ordered directly from Koyamaen? I've bought their matcha from an online reseller. Didn't know individuals could order from them directly...?

If so, I'd love to!

Space Samurai said...

Hi Daniel,

No, I haven't purchased from them directly. It doesn't look like you can place an order using their site, but there is a contact forum including a field for items you interested in buying...

chinese tea said...

Very nice post,I can not express my feeling by simple words,there is no words to express it,just can say thanks to you.

Anonymous said...

The "scoop" you mentioned is not "chashoku", it is "chashyaku" meaning Cha=tea, Shyaku=spoon in Japanese

Matcha Tea 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 accessories too!

ReadLeafTea said...

It is also important to note that the multitude of health benefits from Matcha are not limited to its Chlorophyll content. Matcha is also rich in EGCGs. EGCGs can be obtained from all green teas; but recent research indicates that not all green teas contain the same amounts of EGCGs. That is exactly where the remarkable health advantages of drinking Matcha tea truly stand out. Research has shown how the actual levels of EGCGs in Matcha are more than one hundred and thirty times as much as regular green tea.

Matcha Green Tea said...

Oooh, I've never seen a matcha sieve before.

That's something for us to think about.

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Jade said...

If you don't like the taste of matcha but really want the health benefits, you might want to check out Jade Monk flavored matcha tea HERE. You'll love the flavors and get the benefit of matcha.

Alie said...

Matcha Tea is made from top quality leaves with flavors blend tea.
i have been using this and i love it
Thank you for information !!

Niklas said...

A great Post! To cancel the reseller is a great way to make the economy a better place.
It's the same principle I am useing for my Matcha-Tea Shop. I canceled all wholesalers and I am selling in big packs. So I am able to sell the best matcha from Uji for 30% of the price the other shops take.