Matcha Matsu (Organic)

This is my favourite matcha from the David’s Tea matcha line. I like using a few scoops when i make a matcha tea, and this doesn’t taste too strong or bitter.

Hello Steepster, long time no see! I’ve been really busy at work lately, and had to work overtime quite a few times this past week. So this is the first time I’m actually sitting down at my desktop to do some catching up on my various websites.

I received a gift card to DAVIDsTEA over the holidays, and last weekend I decided to go cash it in for something I haven’t tried before. And that’s how I ended up walking out of the store with a bag of this matcha and their handheld matcha frother (which is essentially just a milk frother with a stand-up holder; link, in case you are wondering about this marvelous contraption: https://www.davidstea.com/ca_en/handheld-matcha-frother)

The milk frother was only $12 surprisingly, and I’m quite happy with how it performs. I just use it to mix up the matcha while I warm up some milk, then dump it in the cup, froth the milk up and viola! Homemade matcha latte with foam. To be honest, almost milk is not the greatest at making foam, but I’ve had some successful attempts. Other times were mostly just bubbles that went away in a minute.

The matcha itself is pretty average. I mean, DAVIDs had three different ones to choose from. They all smelled pretty much the same to me, but this one reminded me of the one I used to get at Starbucks the most so I just decided to go with something more familiar to start with. I mean, it tastes good when I make the latte so no complaints there. I don’t think my matcha palette is evolved enough to be able to criticize any more anyway.

For the milk I first tried regular almost milk, which was pretty ok but lacked some sweetness that I like in my matcha lattes. So I tried switching to vanilla almond milk and that did the trick! I usually use a bit more matcha than is recommended on the instructions (1 tsp instead of .5 tsp) because I find the latte to be very weak with just half a teaspoon. I guess I’m used to making my teas strong? I’ve been enjoying these for the past few days. I’m glad they are quite easy to make, or else I’m afraid I couldn’t be bothered, coming home tired from work and all.

My tea trade thread has been updated, by the way! Maryelle, you shall be receiving your teas shortly. :)

http://steepster.com/discuss/12335-mookits-cupboard-tea-trades-and-giveaways-star-updated-star?post_id=191035#forum_post_191035

Once, when it was my first matcha, I really enjoyed it. However, I’ve now had several others, of higher quality and I like this one the least. The powder is a little yellowish and the taste is not as smooth as my other matchas. It is less grassy and a lot more bitter. I would use this one for baking or blending in smoothies, but not really for sipping.

Very nice to make smoothies with.

I love it! I’m using this one daily for Matcha Soy Latte! :D Really affordable so perfect for daily use.

My brother (foolish as he is) blindly bought a 100g tin of this and then discovered he can’t tolerate matcha.

So I ended up with it. Yay!

I’m sipping on it cold, and I’m really enjoying it. 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp matcha, whirred into a little water, then topped up with ice and water to make about 1 cup.

Yum.

I’ll have to do this more often!

Today I made my first cup of matcha. I’ve had the lates, iced and hot, and even got a cup from the David’s Tea matcha shaker at their store. But I hadn’t tried it on my own.
(see more on my blog: dong-tea.tumblr.com)

I like the history and tradition of matcha and I like the idea of building my own little ceremony. In my everyday life, I tend to be anxious and impatient, and thought a process with some focus and contemplation could be a nice new part of my tea routine.

After doing some looking around on the internet, I was tempted by the beautiful world of matcha bowls and high quality tools and tea. I even bookmarked a set or two worth a few hundred dollars. But for all the tools and quality, the David’s Tea matcha essentials set really struck me as a good beginner deal. I ordered it up with some matcha matsu and some flavored matcha and thought I’d give it a go.

First impressions of the David’s Tea matcha essentials set were positive: the bowl was cute and well-made, the measuring spoon convenient, and the whisk pretty standard compared to the others I had seen around.

The one problem is the lack of instruction. They give you the temperature of the water on the tea pack, but no water to tea ratio, and while they set includes a whisk, there’s no directions or diagrams on how it might best be used. So out of the box, without the internet, this might be a baffling process.

Luckily I’m a tea nerd and had been looking into matcha tips and tricks beforehand anyway. Of the teas I ordered, tried the matcha matsu hot first. I used the spoon to measure the scoop, and put in as much water as I felt comfortable mixing in the bowl. After a few dabbing figure-eight motions with the whisk to break the tea up and stir it in, I went in for the froth. I mixed vigorously for about 15 to 20 seconds, moving back and forth across the bowl (not in circles, like you would in a mixing bowl).

And I got to say, the tea foamed right up and looked as perfect as the picture on the box!

As to the taste, it started off a little plain, green and warm, but the more time I spent sipping, the deeper the flavor developed. I know there’s a world of high quality matchas out there, so this probably isn’t too remarkable for you experts out there. It was grassy and smooth and gentle.

As I drank the bowl, I sat at my desk and looked out the window, watching the sky and the sun, listening to the birds and the sounds of my neighborhood. Cheesy as it sounds, it was nice to not have anything to do but sit for a while and drink a bowl of matcha.

tastes like matcha

Yum! I’ve always been a fan of matcha flavoured things, so trying to real deal was a no brainer. I haven’t had any real issues with preparation using the whisk, although sometimes I feel like I’m brutalizing the poor whisk. As for the matcha itself, it tastes smooth and, for lack of a better word, green. I really enjoy sipping this in the morning while I read articles/eat breakfast.

And speaking of breakfast, I actually mixed this in my yogurt this morning. Yum! It turned out pretty well, there were only a few small clumps, which really didn’t bother me anyway.

I’m gunna be a butt because I had this this morning and I’ve been freakin busy with assigments and things and YES THIS IS GOOD.
I used a different Vanilla Almond Milk so I actually had to sweeten it a bit since the other milk I had a while back was already super sweet. Sweetened with honey and it was good.

Matcha.
Vanilla Almond Milk.
Touch of honey.

Cool.
Cool cool cool.