How to choose matcha
There are many types of matcha. There are so many ranks, from drinking to food processing, that it may be difficult to choose.
Basically, the higher the price of matcha, the better the taste, aroma, and color.
Here, we will explain the recommended matcha for you.
| Good quality matcha | Poor quality matcha | |
| color | Beautiful green | Reddish or whitish green |
| Fregrance | There is a good scent unique to matcha | There is little good scent unique to matcha |
| Umami | Many | Few |
| Bitter taste | Few | Many |
Recommended products for drinking
For first-time buyers
「OGURAYAMA」Yamamasa Koyamaen
「IKENOSHIRO」HOSHINOEN
Among the beverage brands of each manufacturer, it ranks in the middle and is the best-selling product.These are the best-selling brands of matcha for Japanese tea ceremonies.
For everyday use
「MATSUKAZE」「SAMIDORI」「YOMO-NO-KAORI」Yamamasa Koyamaen
「YAMENOHANA」「YAMENOTSUYU」「HOSHINOTSUYU」HOSHINOEN
If you want to drink casually every day, we recommend our “Samidori” or “Matsukaze” or “YOMO-NO-KAORI” . It is recommended for daily wake-up and daily practice of teaceremony.
For special occasions
「TENNOUZAN」Yamamasa Koyamaen
「SEIJYU」HOSHINOEN
If you want to entertain important customers, give something a little better than the standard, or have a special taste, we recommend the “Tennozan” or higher brand. Not only do they have a rich, rich aroma and umami of matcha, but they also have a unique aroma from the use of young buds, making them very delicious.
Recommended Matcha products for food processing
「Premium Culinary Grade A」Yamamasa Koyamaen
「MOKUREN」HOSHINOEN
These matcha are recommended for food processing applications. The quality is also high, and it can also be used for the drink menu of the cafe.
If it fits your budget, it would be better to use matcha "Matsukaze" for tea ceremony.
| GRADE | KOYAMAEN TEA NAME |
| CEREMONIAL GRADE (THICK TEA) |
|
| CEREMONIAL GRADE (THIN TEA) |
SHIKIBU NO MUKASHI OGURAYAMA YOMO NO KAORI SAMIDORI MATSUKAZE MAKI NO SHIRO |
| CULINARY GRADE |
Premium Culinary Grade A Premium Culinary Grade B Premium Culinary Grade 1 Premium Culinary Grade 2 |
About the quality and price of matcha
The higher the quality (priced) of a matcha, the more fragrant it is, the more mellow the taste is, the less bitter and astringent, and the richer the umami (sweetness) and the better the aftertaste.
TThe higher the quality, the brighter the green color.
It comes from the cost of fertilizers and wrapping techniques that are sufficient to produce umami.
Also, the more expensive Matcha, the higher the quality of raw material leaves used.
Matcha factory we sell
We have two factories for Matcha that we list.
Koyamaen and Hoshinoen.
The two factories are located in Kyoto and Fukuoka and produce high quality matcha for tea ceremony.
Even in Japan, there are only a limited number of factories that are officially recognized by Iemoto(grand tea master) to make matcha for tea ceremony.
Culinary Grade is not used in tea ceremony.
Used for food processing.
For tea ceremony, it is used tea ceremony matcha, but it is also used for making high quality food.
However, even if it is used for food, it is up to "Ogurayama", and higher ranks are used only for ordinary tea ceremony.
The higher the quality, the more sweet and the better the scent.