O-cha's Matcha Chiyo Mukashi

Ocha's Chiyo Mukashi, a wonderful birthday present from my in-laws, is from Uji. According to Kevin the name translates as chi: one thousand, yo: era or period, mukashi: long ago, ancient.

I had just opened a fresh tin of Nakai's Uji Matcha, so I planned to wait a while before opening it. My self-control lasted twelve, maybe sixteen hours, eight of which I was asleep. Go will-power.

This matcha is meant for koicha, but can be used for usucha. I found usucha to be too mild for this tea, so the following notes are for koicha.

Aroma: (9/10) Strong, you open it and seconds later you can smell it. Sweet, thick. Vegetal; I shit you not, I smell...french fries or veggie chips. I think my brain, when encountering a new, unknown smell, simply spins a wheel and picks whatever random association the needle stops on.

Sweetness: (3/10) Not very sweet.

Astringency: (5-7/10) This is the most astringent matcha I've had yet. If I prepare it using Hibiki's koicha instructions, it is very astringent, I can feel it predominantly on the sides of my tongue. If I use O-cha's koicah instructions, its dialed down a bit, and I can feel it in the back of my throat.

Flavor: (7/10) This is a distinctive matcha, with a clear vegetal profile that helps it stand out. It is bold and clean. As I said, I found usucha was too mild, but koicha is just a smidgen more astringent than I prefer. I think three scoops is a good compromise, and yields a more enjoyable bowl.

Sifting

Sifting the matcha is a must in my opinion. I have my eye on one of these matcha sifters, but in the mean time, I have been experimenting with different methods.

Most of the time I use one of these brew baskets to sift the matcha as I go, using the chashoku as a paddle, sort of a back and forth sweeping motion. It works quite well. The baskets are durable and easy enough to rinse or wash afterwards.

I read about using the chasen to break apart the clumps and sift the matcha in the bowl, using the tines in a chopping motion, kind of like you're preparing lines of coke. This way is a little quicker, but the matcha tends to stick to the tines.

Either method produces the same, positive results in the end.