Does anyone drink Matcha (Maccha) tea?
 

I have a coworker who is very into it. A quick google search revealed a long list of health benefits, everything short of restoring lost limbs. Not coincidentally, the sites that rave the most about the product give you an opportunity to buy it right from their sites. How thoughtful of them. Still, even the sites that appear "objective (and I know there's no such thing on the internet) have good things to say, although some of them are quicker to point out that there have not been too many studies done.

So, of course, I turn to the fountain of knowledge, the OMNI board on FT. What say you fine folks?

Thanks,
Mike

Don't drink it on an empty stomach! (it stimulates production of stomach acid, which isn't a good thing with an empty stomach, or when hungover).

Yes.

Found that out the hard way!

Mike

Used to work at a fine dining Asian restaurant that served Matcha. Used to mix it with mango puree and a little water for a pick me up before my shift started. Pretty delicious.

Chris

It's actually not too bad alone.

My question is if anyone knows anything about the nutritional value, at least more than I do. Is it really what wikipedia says it is, or is it just another super-food that's only super big in terms of its price?

Thanks,
Mike

I'm sure someone does or it wouldn't be sold.

I'd suggest looking at the cited research in the Wikipedia articles and deciding for yourself.

I drink it now and then. Haven't grown any new limbs yet but I like it because it is more substantial than leaf green tea. Of all the various "health foods" I think a good quality green tea could have some benefit if you drink enough. As far as Matcha goes, how does one know if they are getting a good high quality Matcha and not just a good high price?

Trader Joes has a good Matcha powder.

None of the matcha suppliers I use give all that guff about health benefits, they just get on with the business of supplying fine tea.

Best tip I can give you is find a way to try good high end matcha and take in as much of the experience as you can. Remember the aroma and the taste and this will be enough to know whether you are getting decent matcha or not. There simply isn't that much high end matcha around to ever flood the market and lots of the powdered green tea that gets used by the food and drink industry and labelled as matcha simply isn't or is a very poor grade (what I would consider cooking matcha, for flavouring icecreams or cookies etc). The other big problem is that matcha tastes stale very quickly. If you do get hold of some decent matcha, try storing it in an airtight container in the freezer to delay the oxidisation.

Yesterday I had a wonderful opportunity to drink matcha from Uji prepared by a visiting Japanese potter from this area. It was sublime, vaguely sweet with the most subtle bitter undertones. I shared it with my five year old and a friend's six year old daughter, no wagashi was required, both the girls loved the frothy tea and went for second gulps.

For me, matcha is a luxury or a treat, not an every day drink. I find the caffeine hit it gives to be quite potent. I can understand why it has been used for centuries as a meditation tool as it can help sharpen the mind, for those who drink lots of strong coffee I can see how matcha might be considered as a more calming alternative (due to the theanine which can smooth over some of caffeine's effects).
I'd recommend considering a strong sencha if you want to drink green tea regularly for health, if you have the means then perhaps you could try gyokuro (divine). Matcha has a time and place, but, as far as my own life is concerned, it isn't a daily beverage.

If you are stuck for a reputable supplier (or for someone who can make you a good cup of good matcha) you could try this reliable vendor in Japan.
My own supplier is in London but I've enjoyed the teas I've bought from the shop I've linked to

http://www.thes-du-japon.com/index.p...ndex&cPath=1_7

They have a low grade matcha for experimenting with, I would bet that most of the more expensive matcha available in the USA from websites promoting it as a miraculous superfood won't be any better (and could be a lot worse) than this lower grade tea.

Where do you get it from in london?

and what other accoutrements should I get? Am quite up for trying it properly!

My own supplier is Postcard Teas in Dering Street, just by Bond Street. They periodically have events there where a tea enthusiast, scholar or craftsman will make an informal cup of matcha. The range of matcha on sale is limited but the vendor has personal relationships with the growers, you won't find any dud examples (and there is no way you would ever be sold stale matcha).

Another place you might unexpectedly be offered a cup of beautifully prepared matcha is at the British Museum. There is a tea house there and occasionally there is a demonstration.

There's a chado (tea ceremony) society in Cambridge and they sometimes come to London to take part in events. http://www.kaetsu.co.uk/regeve.htm


I'll focus now on somewhere you can just turn up and buy a cup to drink:
There's a lovely wagashi (the dainty sweets that often accompany matcha tea) shop called Minamoto Kitchoan in Piccadilly. http://www.kitchoan.com/?page_id=7#lct-lo
It's open until 7pm and they serve matcha until 6:30pm.

If you do like it and decide you want to prepare it yourself at home, there are starter kits at the Japan Centre in Piccadilly and youtube tutorials, or you might like to have a chat with someone at Postcard Teas to discuss your options and the techniques you can try. The Japan Centre does offer matcha, but check the expiry date carefully. I strongly recommend buying matcha in small quantities, it is really unpleasant when it goes off and it goes off pretty quickly (hence the tip about storing in the freezer). I've had a couple of matcha flavoured sweets and cakes from the Japan Centre that had that horrible "wet hay" aroma that stale matcha gives off.

If you're looking for a milky matcha drink, there's Tombo which is a small restaurant/cafe close to South Kensington Station. They have fantastic cakes from Lanka (which does Japanese French style patisserie ever so well) and delicious matcha latte (or matcha milk).

I used to really like matcha when I took a Japanese Tea Ceremony class in college. It's definitely an acquired taste, but the traditional sweet that accompanies it is helpful.

I sometimes miss the taste. Not sure where to find it in NYC, though I'm sure it's available.

This place is close to Grand Central.

Just checked and the next scheduled demonstrations are on Friday 26th September at 2pm and 3pm

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_o..._calendar.aspx

Even if you went to Japan you couldn't get a better introduction to and explanation about matcha tea in Japanese culture. It's been many years since I once stumbled on one of these events and raised my hand when a volunteer was requested. I still draw on what I learned that day.

Thanks for the museum link, might check it out next week.

I'm an avid drinker of at least one cup a day, I'm sure it's doing some good inside in the long term! If anyone is in Japan/Asia I would say stock up with as much as you can carry because it's so expensive everywhere else.

I tend to make it reasonably weak though and not in the traditional way as it takes a bit to long.

I went to a traditional tea ceremony whilst in Kyoto with a woman that converted her house and devoted her life to it, when she made it it was so thick and bitter but of course finished it to be polite :p

Few pics and details of the process on my partners blog if anyone's interested:

http://www.thecutlerychronicles.com/...ony-kyoto.html

Yokozuma - the demonstration I was given at the British Museum was by Alex Fraser, co-owner of East Teas. He's as passionate about the actual tea as he is about the ceremony. Since he only occasionally gives demonstrations he would have used matcha from his own personal stock, sharing what he himself likes to drink.

The lady you saw in Kyoto has her focus mostly on the ceremony, it's not really in her economic interests to select and prepare the finest matcha for guests who are only paying a modest amount for her services.

I know that prevailing received wisdom dictates that matcha is characteristically bitter but I've not found that to be the case when sharing matcha with people intimately connected with matcha growers who prepare it for pleasure.
Within Japanese tea culture there must be some particular divide that dictates whether one should "suffer" a little (like a smack to the head given to sharpen the concentration of those trying to meditate) and that the tea should be bitter, but not everyone is on the same side of that divide.

I guess it's similar with coffee. High end coffee can be extremely smooth but there are many who seek out and prefer a more bitter/rougher taste regardless (have to stop here, I know even less about coffee than I do about tea).

Although I personally avoid going to Williamsburg (Brooklyn), other FT/casual readers may not: MatchaBar

Thanks for all the advice. Much appreciated.

Mike

An article about matcha was published today on Serious Eats.

I went there! It's the real deal - felt like I had stepped through a doorway into a shop in Japan.

I bought a bag of genmaicha (toasted rice tea), which I've always liked, even though I know it's what the peasants drank. The store is quite expensive (a matcha making starter kit, with bowl and whisk is $90) but the bag of tea was $14 or so.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Brilliant stuff.

Also a fan of bori cha, Korean barley tea.

At Ippodo, barley "tea" is more likely to be called mugi cha.

Another thread for discussion about this and other non tea tisanes/infusions:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...d-tisanes.html

I've been making delicious ice tea with it for quite a long time - the process is fairly simple:

1. boil water, then allow to cool slightly, or heat up clean/bottled water to below the boil point. Don't mix matcha powder with just boiled water

2. put a couple tea spoons of good quality matcha in a cup or bowl, then add some of the hot water a little at a time, stirring into a loose paste with a smooth consistency

3. add the paste to a larger amount of hot water to create the concentrate, then dilute into a pitcher or serving glass

For those in/going to NYC, check out this recent article.

That picture at the top from Chalait looks oddly unappetising, could be the way it was photographed but the ochre tinge to the green suggests the matcha might be stale.

By contrast (and ignoring the ice cream examples) enter
抹茶 ラテ
into google images to see what consumers in Japan would expect.

I am also starting to drink matcha tea but hear alot about radiation from fukushima? What do you guys think. Is it still a concern? The specific brand that i was drinking was Domatcha which has pretty good reviews but than i found the following video


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WbX9ubE_hI

Now im not sure if the video has valid testing. I just dont want to consume any radiation while paying premium price for the tea.
Can you guys provide some information if the matcha overall is safe and if the video above has valid testing

I have been interested about matcha tea since last week when I heard of it. I want to try it from the positive things that I see on google about it. I read above that I should not be drinking this tea on an empty tummy and if I'm hungover (those are good to knows). Other than that, are there other things I need to be mindful about? By the way, been scouting for a whisk and a holder and I found one that I really liked at http://www.flourishandthrivenow.com/. Can you suggest other places?

I love the flavour of matcha, particularly in confectionery.

However, the tea itself? Afraid it tastes like liquidised grass to me. Not my taste - give me sencha every time!

Hi, yes i have.
But only drinking green tea regularly and not maintaining a proper diet won't help.

I was at 74 kgs before starting with green tea and then with 2 large cups of plain green tea with lemon ( no sugar or honey). Took it for 2 months and now i have a reduced belly and fat content on my body. I am at 67 kgs.

see this site, I knew matcha here http://www.matchatea10.com/2016/05/matcha-tea.html

I maimtain a proper diet plus i also workout regularly but still i feel that most of weightloss was due to green tea because other things were followed by me for more than a year now. So, have patience and drink green tea.

Any recommendations on where to buy proper matcha online? The view I've tried on Amazon are all eh... I've learned that any matcha powder that sieves easily are probably very cheap or very good (unlikely).

There are some sites that might sell true Japanese vs the cheap imports from China. Trust is an issue, though - which is why I've been buying up cans of powder at NRT during layovers. Have you tried a Google search? There must be some legitimate importers.

How would I know if it's legitimately imported from Japan? Can you trust the "made in Japan" claims you see online?

Honestly, that's why I stock up at Narita or in-town Tokyo. I never need to worry. An experienced matcha drinker can tell the difference, but for a newer aficionado, it might be hard to tell a cheap imitation from the real thing - just check the online reviews carefully.

Another option, are you near any Japanese grocery stores?

In China, it seems drinking Maccha tee is very popular for young girls.

I own a matcha company, 3 Leaf Tea (threeleaftea.com) and have personally studied matcha before even started the company.

Basically, the tea leaves are ground up into a fine powder, so because you are consuming the whole leaf, you get much more nutritional value than other teas. One thing in specific is the combination of caffeine with amino acids. L-Theanine helped produce alpha brain waves which promote a state of relaxation. Paired with caffeine, helps keep you calm but alert. Also it's been studied that matcha contains more antioxidants then goji berries or blueberries.

It's pretty amazing stuff.

Anyone in Australia should check out Elixirlite, they're fairly new but they offer free shipping. Shame they aren't international though :rolleyes:
(elixirlite.com.au)

The stuff is very popular is southern Brasil, and has been linked to statistically the higher incidents of stomach cancer in that particular geographic region of the country.

Matcha tea is green tea powder from Japan - where it has been consumed for centuries without causing cancer, if anything, it helps guard against it.

Maybe they are drinking something else in Brazil? Given that part of the world, it could be anything - although my guess is they are drinking powdered tea spiked with an alphabet soup of chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers, any or all of which could cause stomach cancer.