Edit (I’m editing as I think I may have come off a bit too strongly the first time.)
I have a speech in Sept. It’s on matcha. When I started learning about mo cha, it really threw a curveball. I want to say first that I absolutely, 100%, hope that farmers experiment and try to reclaim lost arts. I have nothing against that. However, I personally disagree with fully calling it mo cha at this point. It’s no different than powdering any other green tea made in China. Like Lu An Gua Pian, which Tea Trunk/Ooika used. Do they have more right to call it Mo cha because theirs is unshaded? If you blur the lines, things get sticky real quick.
Dry Powder: Very different aroma from those who are used to matcha. It’s very herby. Reminds me of dandelions. The coloring is decent. Not quite as amazing as some higher grade matcha, but not the worst I’ve seen either.
Flavor: Oh man. Bitter. Like I stuck a dandelion in my mouth and started chewing on it. But not unpleasant like industrial grade matcha is on its own. To make this, they used Long Jing #43, which I love as a loose leaf. Not sure how I feel about this one, though. The herbaceous/medicinal qualities through me for a loop.
The coloring is also a bit different. It’s less of a jade green and more yellow, which makes sense as it is pan-fried. Need to try again with less powder.
