Finally, Some Real Matcha

While in Chicago a few weeks ago, we visited a Japanese market place. My boyfriend, his dad, and brother were there to buy food for that night’s dinner… soup and sushi… which ended up being rather awesome, by the way. I followed close behind and waited patiently until we hit the tea aisle.

One side of the aisle was all green tea; the other was a mix of black, oolong, and “weight loss” tea (which I couldn’t help but to smirk at). I thought about buying some loose green tea, however most of the tea was in transparent bags and I could clearly see they were loaded with stems and twigs. I passed on the loose stuff, although I found some matcha that interested me.

The particular can of matcha that I ended up getting was, according to the only English-like characters on the label, Yamashiro Uji Matcha. I was really anxious to try it because the only matcha I’ve had so far was Teavana matcha which was horrible – bland taste and almost no foam.

The Uji matcha was very nice. It was smooth, thicker than the Teavana matcha, and produced a beautiful layer of foam when whisked. I’m sure this matcha is not the highest grade out there, but it was full of enough flavor for me to drink it every morning for five days straight.