I went to a new matcha shop last week to try some high level matcha and this was one of two I tried.
As it turns out, there is a huge difference between matcha gold ($1.13 per gram) and matcha platinum ($1.50 per gram). I’m glad I tried both. I am also glad I didn’t try the bronze and silver.
The matcha gold was surprisingly bitter (less so than cheap culinary grade matcha, but definitely not what I hoped for). I was under the impression that high quality matcha was not bitter. As someone quite sensitive to bitterness, I can say this may not be as bitter to other people as another person in my group had the gold one and she loves a bit of bitterness/astringency in her tea.
Lots of umami, very strong resemblance to edamame/soybean. It is a very dark/rich green with vegetal and seaweed smell to the prepared brew. No grassy flavour. The mouthfeel was interesting. The tea was definitely lubricating, but also the bitterness made my mouth feel dry.
Flavors: Seaweed, Soybean, Umami, Vegetal
