Last night was amazing! Not only did I get to photograph the eclipse, I got to share tea and not very tasty (what I get for getting the cheap ones) Mooncakes with Ben (yay for him getting off work at a decent hour) and I got to share this experience with many friends via the internet and phone apps. It was great, lots of moon photos with ‘I am drinking this tea’ posts, and it gave this wonderful feeling of togetherness, and for the people who were unable to see it, they got to live vicariously through all the photos. Usually I tend not to get all squishy about the epic tea family I am part of, but after the epicness of last night, and the way everyone has been so wonderful to me with my recent bout of health woes, how can I not get the warm fuzzies?
So, it is Monday, meaning time for a Matcha Monday! We are looking at three different Matcha from Encha, specifically their three different grades of Matcha. Before I get into the Matcha, I want to point out the excellent amount of information present on the website, not only do they say where it is from, they also say when it was harvested and ground, how to make it, the mg of caffeine, theanine, and catechins, and while there are some listed health benefits, this is not one of those companies that shoves Matcha being a panacea down my throat. Encha, for that pile of information and transparency, you have my gratitude!
Ok, time to delve into the green! Starting with the Ceremonial Grade Matcha, first thing I notice is the beautiful color and fluffy texture, I barely had to sift it! The aroma is nutty and sweet, with notes of honey and chestnut, this moves to freshly cut bell peppers, and a finish of slightly sweet hay and yeast. Once whisked into a very lovely foam, the aroma is much more green, strong notes of bell pepper and a hint of kelp with an undertone of sweet nuttiness.
Underneath the foam, the color is a rich algae green, like my beloved Marimo (moss balls) that I used to have in my planted aquarium. The mouth is thick and creamy, no graininess (I really hate grainy Matcha) and it starts with a strong umami note, like a mouth full of steamed spinach and kelp, it is not at all bitter, just robustly green. This moves to gentle notes of grass and a touch of lettuce, and the finish is a subtle sweetness that lingers. I find there are two types of Matcha that knock my socks off, ones that are naturally very sweet and ones that are like drinking pure, undiluted chlorophyll, like I am becoming one with the green growing things of the world.
(I feel lazy, for the other two Matcha and photos, blog): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/09/encha-trilogy-of-matcha-matcha-monday.html
