tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33009506007413952018-05-05T10:55:34.743+02:00A Matcha Enthusiast's DiaryOca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-8334827709787598592018-03-17T17:51:00.000+01:002018-03-17T17:51:36.085+01:00Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by MaikoTea JAPAN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by Maiko Tea" border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wJJFXbKD5q0G509hWjnvBf5Qbd-bKjWS8r5yLDUO0cG1yX66jKmw2wI2cuAA8lf2B2jwq1gBLoEEudRg5SiUNWzNRKFD0RiGMg_Mj-eyvVf7iPa6lEze4AurvlEattNgYhTp5c1Cjwqi_7CFOBBT0NVent1t4tFIO5P5mGnYN2TpfZpNueXsGaYgYwoQYFf2TJqD4JJ-BNl1pDdJ9PENT4IyI3SKW8VweA9A9wNJzcvajSJlfGMDT3B-dElJo0FtD0wh1jtlMqtzcUN6ENKmRDz1-f3Hu_E9PRdXQmJR4PjNj2-S3H3GT9cY3pDA9g410slB7a-Ve0VFNVT7fjc7S1ZZDG0Qbz7xyFnemkkp5kJ3vJAjD6Pj7yoENclLHHfSokqbXbFq2Dv5L953UHNJ4sVzxI5FG0R9g6a9p7v4DETSyiIckWnUTh5QhTIm3pBpcBb2_gW09-9ZvKSm-dYNFmQ67qWjaDdw_zgKDH2HvmjoMgjJkaKNB3UC_W0j1NAVABuIHen0HczIwBLwhotpIgDB7LVHkd6XXLrFJY1alUIqlW7ds4uKq6StmQ5_xDPcOUTUSkhZwasJuRYNAfLir_GWxCC3fypf33parqg=w1000-h750-no" title="Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by MaikoTea JAPAN(2018 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></div><br />It is almost 10 years since I placed my first order with MaikoTea JAPAN, but I remember as if it were yesterday. I was excited and little bit worried because I haven't bought from an overseas website before. <br /><br />Although I wasn't very impressed by the Matcha I bought at that time, I very much appreciated to have an japanese tea source, where I could purchase high quality Japanese goods that I could not get in my country.<br /><br />I sometimes like to browse through the japanese Website of MaikoTea JAPAN. Last December I discovered that they were selling a New year's Matcha, which was limited to 100 pieces.<br /> I couldn't resist and bought one - and what should I say? I just loved the complex and multi-layered taste of this high quality Matcha.<br />It is only a pity, that this Matcha is only available on the japanese website of MaikoTea JAPAN. <br /><h2 style="font-size: 40px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by MaikoTea JAPAN</h2><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by Maiko Tea prepared as Usucha" border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/e2pets4YMHxebfDyXbocgCtRttdasbpLJyAScIVdrspL0yWOBFsuHNPRl8u4Z0lUv3Z8pXk1X6Fbg3fyLo2CB8otgtA4oj9M2H9wSrObTtYz8KFPDIzyEoPyLxob54g52XZXGVrEs3RSvQ2UDVqB5EEuemV1J9IQifhWWcHU01YxHMDU8jRNkPCGMyhL05dJ1G3B59c6Fjd9LSrLu0WqtwiodOgNXjUd8pVEQestifJpKUEszMGOnzf4RzP7Ra4zTl5vbAWBtvbYBI-eMxMc7NbdLLlJZ1Sy6jlHXJRgDyeZvyaGWDhmM_4jDnlDTeTmJWVev2KjKEDHO4xpSx1Jwg7T8Y43qb_u9fFxUIWQTkgSdGxTegXNUGZ7_MhvH3QtUGSZdwo87E7kt69vSjbk24yheaX3m_nqONddp8gwC_RsQTgyoEDFvjMWnJNJjaXMSkG652QtTPGzJ9NCYi_UoBsDJy6t5g5q17APcJtPQ4HmB1N6xH0NV53VxdZTuopMP4OwkbSMCxwXEPJBLKGLxLLp3fcBSlsic7qEqiKH5ylVjS0IEdkbw7aDMJEVKMKr6Sq3Po5mJZOzoit3WkIP5lyY_RqFot6zhRr8fZw=w1000-h750-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by Maiko Tea prepared as Usucha</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">宇治抹茶 笑福の春</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Name:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Note:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Seasonal Matcha</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Availability:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> only from Dec till Jan</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Grade:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> -</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Origin:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Uji, Japan</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Producer:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> MaikoTea JAPAN</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Shop:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> MaikoTea JAPAN</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Year:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 2017</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Packaging:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Tin with an inner bag and plastic seal tab</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Weight:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 20g</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Price:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ¥ 2,160</span></div><h3 style="font-size: 24px;"><br />MaikoTea JAPAN writes about Matcha:</h3><blockquote class="tr_bq"><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li>[New Year's Matcha]</li><li>[limited to 100 pieces]</li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Source:</span> Shoufuku no Haru. MaikoTea JAPAN. http://www.maiko.ne.jp/shopping/kansha2017.htm#spring (Retrieved 28.12.2017)(link no longer available) </ul></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Matcha tin of Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru" border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/cwi7dtW58bQ8tKwyNZS_wFmF0OMz5niQKO2YRmQoNQCfncMinqMHqk92AN6EQxbH9EbBhK3NcCUjI9toWhI7fOY7eCUfnSccoZL55YEeN0vazUzTpmq7TlJ8fL_mNPz4bcO0NzoS4lHKZF4jm1IOpjsqOIcGUYK3Gnw8xixku3BW-dMrNhmGNLYuK-jKYEQcQFUmp19otitjUWqtlgiwyYGtpi6C4IUmje_oMi_6q5t03gOPqqI-WQ1GeiEUxrC5HpKdCmfb2kFANSgVcViF-f3zzSTFWJfFyeffEEVJNWKwdrVATlWqhsgaiUVfwiO3Sr9F4r65olBhsxFEAIiAcll8qeR2oKMXQ7S0s_aZhftglmZ_MAArt9eQJXNkHVeOtv4R-szsqpwI5MFygb1RA9_qr4Sctt_yMYIBKhYfdAV_gHwaCkqB6d75iW1XVEaI-_VTGkYQlu-97o-9QtJbvYVo-COCLXJVTGc3BZX6_NaCv769sF7vZJX8ozcfzyJr4flk363a4APVo4TNMyhXsj-jKyWNW6nKf9-f1Lo2xu41Z98ZjRYRznxc3pmp92QcA3czMsLAKvQndKk4s3d1SMperszlNgcM9ZW-A8o=w1000-h750-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Packaging of Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru (2018 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matcha Tin of Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Packaging:</h3><br />Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by MaikoTea JAPAN was shipped in a gift box.<br /><br />Inside of the gift box was a hermetically and doubly sealed washi paper covered tin, that is designed with traditional Japanese patterns.<br /><br />The Matcha tin has an inner lid to ensure airtight storage. Inside the metallic tin, the Matcha powder was stored in a plastic bag that was easy to open and allowed an effortless transfer into a Natsume.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Appearance of the Matcha powder Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru" border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gbfp3tnSAMjtomLlNCZr5N8sVHbeBoq3cuE-MiVWeHVLKRP9TBJCysYJgAG-4Xj_UlStkFnYftUOlRDqBIwMSaGYDCSYTA0rCFzKp2gqkJrHEBuADwS_q4s_Ox7s8UNNeAinCvu_0z-GIGSA-JrQ1RpwCCD838d1hkGCz7jIVeHheTftER-kzgXcCqoipRgIlMk-vt1Rv3ploWoBRcGZrBKnYgMZ4xV3JnWgbTga-10AW-_SnmnGjCAvyfuWjuF3_V1AOqqncCjwIepS1uo9MiD_0psAo7ox1Bx_o1eileSb9d1Lf7d8lxsTJKIXPJKv19o96cTfBhidqWRU6SLbx6jTm4aHachPrdthTQQf9HsnlqtBdqdQX85h47DS5fw67lK6GS3oTOCjAimCd2_W4npqKgxOr0TS-N1GNvDGXDPmusxfE4MtsJCCnf8B8kCne6wvhkWXByIACzmmfGLUTA0BJAf8kJu3XtrWJeAMstZybJ1K_mSO1YIAHZxeN-0f4g4Ahc_JiLjVZm15BRF0PdFfvcW_lqdxlOIwS2X3gQ_mHDNiIZBmQ_5j8ZfC1CJX2l3M4M7oKamg6Tx5rIJ4q1Ps5MyQddpvjr9GUl0=w1000-h750-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Appearance of the Matcha powder Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru prepared as Usucha (2018 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">non-sifted vs sifted Matcha powder</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Appearance of the Matcha:</h3><br />When I opened the plastic bag my eyes were delighted by the gorgeous, vibrant green color.<br /><br />The Matcha powder was bit clumpy. So sifting the Matcha powder was necessary to whisk or knead it into into a deliciously smooth green tea.<br /><br />The smell, so fresh and bright, was a little more on the savory side than sweet.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru prepared as Usucha" border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bTJ0-JITdXlFB6n4jmx6U_p7K3Qt5CxCxwbtFLnrqSt-d5Q7r_p0n0Xw_MTZ3kP2DXBNgQids4t8uyj-VZ9aStMaSxgy70nKpwIxezVYIaQFD4TutykOlEjKETxby3UXGsHXPwClo-lUPRC7_QpR7tobMaNxf43RJfFAFW-swr6OmzI8HG3w1I5-Xa1J0hWv7eWI6vTqHczuePpWSuTeX-gxF_V9eeMW4M9TQVKVIB1U40veYkYQVJBeGll-VG6SQBIPiwO5frw3rhm4uLHZg2wlGDqn5vVyTQfGM9G2nv8scdGfNLIJVgam30zCihyKcIPeG1JHrpebls4THMhy67JjNiIahfBSAq5UWXMyvgUwgoUsdq-nsci5N5qDtDghQLwTPNUwXsbl3RdvYNzcvHOXniXW9fzQq5L_NcKkZTQpDdSA1oGFxGuMO_lD9Hct4TQhlFRIKwFLKhZef4Il5RjNlyUogPShHVYbPPJ7p9pTR7qTCQkk_eyRGCLv-ANQbrJoLnd_7uzPpWlKg5Zfl-gRuFLNLU3NHO7yrh8C1wIUIHkvb2CoaFmWcH1vxKe5KySj0R0Y01mK8w7vSPRMOQHctN992TfvYleQZ8=w1000-h750-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru prepared as Usucha (2018 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by MaikoTea JAPAN prepared as thin tea</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Prepared as Usucha</h3><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Dry Powder Amount:</span> ca. 2g<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Amount:</span> ca. 70ml<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Temperature:</span> 85-90°C<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Type of Whisk:</span> thin pronged<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Preparation Method:</span> traditional<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Whisking Action:</span> rapid "w"-action<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Consistency:</span> thin with froth<br /><br />Once I added the hot water, I vigorously whisked for about 5 seconds to produce a semi-fine froth, because too much whisking can make it taste bitter.<br /><br />Shoufuku no Haru by MaikoTea JAPAN frothed up nicely with a light green, velvetine head of foam.<br /><br />The first sip is always the best.<br />The mouthfeel was really smooth and creamy with a wonderfully fragrant blend of sweetness and umami.<br /><br />The finish lasted for several minutes, which was utterly delightful and delicious.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru prepared as Koicha" border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/8pZwpoONwW0P0LQisy4wUPDuMx_nHSRM3OI0SiOUZBhYm2ypzT02RrqpIZPZqAnp0dH0sR7ZbS3uw7p7S2Gj8KgMeScuFOO6Iq0dDen7fGoVRj7JeLNE6EG0gcnsP-pC22qT1M9tj7n8ws8pKCyMhvRHiYoPaIVoRuAxrHn-s14h6mon5klEmVdu4NSZzgaqJ_khiOpw7qTASVT13amrTl5oeanAhDPzy-ST59HRSjq6tcOYfYaCo9j-39s9QrjA0ad0CuEVpCgbhKOfqEG0J8PA8SBRbttIp1ZrTqqGxpVyluhlDnx-vhJb_6Jcw6aR1ruzYkRq197nMLw5XNW7ULHaOai3mB-OV-06yNOQ_8gHHfa14SvJ_uIsw677PydqUonps3NPwryjGq6oxNrJP-ag9PEkHZxZj87YtTHdz6ELNhpe7cOQWqRSW5-n-4ASKeo3pj9vE5Sf2CxjnFzTU_JLIoWzUQlsgGOYMJPb3YB6WE06-nG-DE1dO85ycoPaJc6AngqGfOZLcB7ennCKVaj4mTycGYgmODy_1HUroii6zJBShT-xNrEjK1yTbte7GFRr4cZDHtGIPSA1tZq2jKLApeOmMewc2lh6W1s=w1000-h750-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru prepared as Koicha (2018 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by MaikoTea JAPAN prepared as Koicha</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Prepared as Koicha</h3><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Dry Powder Amount:</span> 3,7g<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Amount:</span> 35ml<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Temperature:</span> 90°C<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Type of Whisk:</span> Chuaraho<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Preparation Method:</span> traditional<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Kneading Action:</span> circular kneading motion<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Consistency:</span> thick with no froth<br /><br />As koicha, the taste was bold and complex, but slightly one-dimensional toward the sweetness. I detected no bitterness and the texture was unbelievably smooth.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru prepared as Usucha" border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/doRUyvxsqZ1j6gp76OyZumnbjf-o3PfuFD0R47B68bUcU3tXJlwakH7wU_9Z-LoGnBPqeeHcHkXg-yXaNI44_G9Igdet97ZURwI1twiQpDT_QAPkFdisogsDmCEwC-LyzQK6iFckgasqvS1lgPpQ35vpkHq0Y3i2ME0U5OI0eY_c--44L_w7dhHCeiZqxIxb71B4nsfOrJSiEt2h6ibIfPnzBEkLrhepYSTio-2nJZlkg0tIV_3I0JpxK9tlcCYwxy3wrNORN17Yy5QpfG50J8AV7kw7GCog8gtrffD3ZYwUY2p7U4JETOsp6UruqyPHplN71ohVnrI6LJBUX6ezqOvz1q7apEr2P6v94A4hTDhmQjPSvLvu8EaZk8nQ6QLoqZwFVu_JvBEARujeZxULJhFX9USPZxOVsHOiDUsZGPRmuwbiMI8lgW8Y7471c2nIeIZsVtr5sU2wPH8ys5axsC5psMrsesh5vMup3QstYWvh9A1tvMmX4wHOpuTaGcAFWKzof-B8ykjxjRmgfOVpJZ6KaO703_9KClYpWyAlvzRCNvaba7BFJ0U0ETQO0wn33JqrNwcD5GRlItnKzDI7ltQU3l6uQmfghxOMGYE=w1000-h750-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru prepared as Usucha (2018 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by MaikoTea JAPAN prepared as Usucha</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Summary of the most important points:</h3><br /><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li>no bitterness, especially with the koicha</li><li>smooth texture</li><li>good foam</li><li>umami at its finest</li></ul><br />There is nothing much I can add to that, other than to say that Uji Matcha Shoufuku no Haru by MaikoTea JAPAN is all-around an excellent Matcha.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Recommended Matcha Green Tea Powder" border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.htmll" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YExJNmRRquI/VdukHivYpiI/AAAAAAAAIYU/1r4bijCoAMI/s369-Ic42/recommended_prot.jpg" title="Recommended Matcha Green Tea Powder"/></div><br /><h4 style="font-size: 20px;">How often do you drink Matcha?</h4><br /><div><div style="background-color: white; 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font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/ceremonial-grade-matcha-by-maiko-tea.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Ceremonial Grade Matcha by MaikoTea JAPAN</a><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/tea-vendor-guide.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Tea Vendor Guide</a></span></div></div></div>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-12313568666257644512017-07-10T08:59:00.000+02:002018-03-08T10:50:01.296+01:00Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en" border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oh8gvNuL2Urstsw5nALXUROG815X_pe47Q6QIxbNOvAWTr86gRKA27YV51zS5LvKvAM2ik6LICc_UKQoT64LH3d90hgXRuzeUcyCL84xeNY-ogQXp_zKpfJDDGq4qdGejY0ANFAGio0MLVurQ7BZlEkNFEVyLebaVM_AfwDLHqzl11SVhjuheZTCJa3FFkBwmsAEJ5X2ZL8F6wEkXXC8j3CEeECXnD5IUzeVfuAyB8Sd7n_JiQfnYuBOAI0r1V8jIY-yeUDjXX7ovMCKsn-VNR8xSxTlL5l8mj5n7cXookVEPMl6H4RZpcBOSrMTYbl8UshTsO4N5YhHPC6VYquXFUB-6T3jN--UqG9Z7lFTdXKlmCpwqeKlFQw7QaOEqpJ-7vkUXpKPgDRNSYsBk7G6zgkZXUpSTsmwXPGAhUxANUye-uf57xg5G_a4dkeb25i4x9I_rcgnrW67L1NkX1xYKRMHa_oCnEg8Qv9I-f-j_wFyC6-GRvox0iYHevFATBzf9xWuEAooNh2iPH-iLSea4kDWn_BMyhqvyqz0jXK0APa0-92TiNZHSayPiqZ6fq1CcMFC8hZSyy7pKSyXuiBNSxXlXPgMDAw=w1000-h750-no" title="Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></div><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Note:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Apparently, this Matcha review has been in my queue for over two years and it was never published!</span><br /><br />This freezed-dried Matcha is really a good tea for lazy and busy people which don't really have much time for sifting the Matcha powder and boiling the water. It's refreshing and not at all bitter.<br /><br />You don't even have to whip it up, just swirl it in a glass. A perfect suspension on a warm summer evening.<br /><br /><h2 style="font-size: 40px; text-align: center;">Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en</h2><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yqjyvegDmtIxj3lDOjmQ3QkWrmeS7E-AeCke_Zuv-VtTbnMUplZFOKelSIBGxFGJUuTWlDc-MGplICrYxCUI5vUeRXWtsKxl5vCoeJmdbZa_SuWSnqpFjA-A3slQIULS_CIuRaQb7KZ5YKDSPZW9gvS_YwqGNipFKd4A307RrpiMFrQQdQyW2lJ3R4quCbuDABzBvWpX5RtQCRvKNK4U9-HILf4uCIXB8eVNWHundC4QRycApgOIP_gtbr3OsdsfISAqL4LAWx4lrWguXrvEXDBufpMv5yvc-ecHqJC7JejwjA_5W-hNdYSUXVp4931SjZtvJX8UeSO6-SiwoEkqqm00EZSimikbU899-UcgqfHJXoJUJo_cj6SI4HWPkmuUeh2T1tP74UAsNib8ZarjRhiGTzPHtf_xrQoBvSYDKuFjiveaz0vNDZc-es1rAhADtV1WbGqmHK3HnBi4CvvBftsm05IYUfYkOltwS3ef-_Lm-lNkjZ5sM6pQQ-7ohcdBhSBl_6bTbuwXzo7HUCpWAEFm-UdnvCgmrRnE9SKhTVo_AAcETKRWR27RWIBsknhKJgKUR_c6zPx8cW3nUb-JXFd-agjuLdg=w1000-h750-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en prepared as Usucha (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en prepared as Usucha</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">泡楽</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Name:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Awaraku</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Grade:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> -</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Origin:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Uji, Japan</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Producer:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Marukyu Koyama-en</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Shop:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Kogetsu-en</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Year:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 2014</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Packaging:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Tin without an inner bag, pull-tab can</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Weight:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 20g</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Price:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ¥ 900</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700;">Note:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic;"> Also available in a 40g Matcha tin 1,700 and stick-packs (5 × 1.5g) for ¥ 600</span></div><h3 style="font-size: 24px;"><br />Marukyu Koyama-en writes about Awaraku:</h3><blockquote class="tr_bq"><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li>This tea is freezed-dried Matcha and need not be sifted. It is [prepared] as Usucha, thin tea. Please whisk it with a chasen.</li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Source:</span> Varieties of Matcha. marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp. http://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/english/goods/goods_01.html (Retrieved 16.07.2015) </ul></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Matcha tin of Awaraku" border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PvR2K7NKVYNCsmcmdvWd2UHlYNQR0RbR3zPPbmGvxuvus1GsFwVHntff15KC2-MrrZEgRcL460ByuLmR7CagfKuEPFxicBvNbHEt2t7q3_mFbCnyExZyvRO0L9IFO8NOrKnIQ-0JxVXKoQe7hs2MdVtzAxxQQxpwqmUtoV-4zZD_2kwacZi-shymvXDhXyn6LIZTbCltA7xkvemvgsWNTZAxwmh_8jI3vQ4sXjjmynu2RDHuuaeU9_tyPGo1IPYUgt8F7C0Rjxx-9y4vpalYxjldC614AElgeRjH1kQ2CVd2uIxi9I_GAx9wnLHW7EcueA-6UFuYVfls8Ahwk2BXtVOv6XsSs869uJSjQh5ZG9nGmxVChmUtNm5C8Ao9Dld2-k-8e0idJ6hQLkbZYB3U6BX39wnp1tTsbUXI9HwL_JQ6TuBbBqmt2p82f0qNm3ca0p1IdEokFsq73oIz6VQ9FXY_neZf6moDi59aAYgfkug8B7J-Tz1kmdknGSyeR7kl9qnXpcjfwkhfa19QDkABTAPRoHTNXip01NwecG7y3KB_rvuc3phaMgj45JtSteV7V6MFvLiRh-TjM1Wr4v51VBHbo_GTnsc=w1000-h750-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Packaging of Awaraku (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matcha Tin of Awaraku</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Packaging:</h3><br />Awaraku is packed into an airtight tin and sealed with a pull tab, to maintain optimal freshness and to provide effortless handling.<br /><br />Once the pull tab is removed, the charakteristic sweet, vegetal smell, similar with seaweed aroma, is released.<br /><br />One of the first things I noticed when I opened it up was the apperance of the poweder: No lumps at all! <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Appearance of the Matcha powder Awaraku freezed-dried Matcha" border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/yyxKmnZPdliUnYHyoG9eEm4JIvXLhEm5WiwpHKa7ByD5h8HQ5g6oBew7z3W9sk6vxtOmSdTWlypQhAojNvzOR2zpJLPi7IMJEPC81q2Jyrh8yhldXFQEqFl9vEAGbErkxOU-6Gqdn5dd1EYgOg77W966oa8rM3VtGALX-km0h_dacg0NntabN-2_q0mkFhbkmviTl4MrscMae85Vqf1JloAZrgESqA7zO_K4adW_UhJBpM05v1FnI7HMJWxUMpmwDP6mZYXWbQe5sBwyXMhgJoEVCF31voDxk6mRV_lCmqmCB3Db-0ixHec3neYfEuOOlr47haA9cgI7hwW1CD9Ukz142jltSrzjlq7aiEFFZO5ZbzhG3mK8UVd0adz3Dr6NDSl7xCY3RstkTSwb-c_FSjwjTLlDEXnrM4v3yVqYs7RCpmXVGFMwmdNpPytPJt4nh2DcdJB4f0L8hCIZtjWFqs4cDYgVFTc89VIx6g-G1oP-6KTObIiJaoQntI9-ZQwPi-fIl35jqFQHWm0hyCZ57DkmWPeqclTBcUzz6Yw_S3xHXvVWbCYm8Ocl7wJyatMtjxMAbtTCgug7AIo3XRG3J7-c8PbYykE=w1000-h750-no" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Appearance of the Matcha powder Awaraku freezed-dried Matcha prepared as Usucha (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">non-sifted Matcha powder</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Appearance of the Matcha:</h3><br />From the dry appearance this matcha is deep green, but not vibrant at all. The powder is harder and drier, but also smooth with a finely textured appearance. <br /><br />The powder trickles like fine sand. This makes it difficult to scoop the freezed-dried matcha from the container to a tea bowl. It is therefore clear, that this matcha powder is not clinging to the Chashaku as is normally the case.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">One tip:</span> Use a <a href="" style="color: red">Mizuya Chashaku</a> which is often used at tea ceremonies with many participants.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" src=https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxTC0wxvEqo/VlrDMOpDjwI/AAAAAAAAJ0c/RtyIksGM9eQbSZ9YbJnBVDTQZ8tjeCJ7QCPcB/s640/Awaraku%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_Usucha.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en prepared as Usucha (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en prepared as Usucha</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Prepared as Usucha</h3><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Dry Powder Amount:</span> ca. 2g<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Amount:</span> ca. 70ml<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Temperature:</span> ca. 80°C<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Type of Whisk:</span> 120 thin pronged<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Preparation Method:</span> traditional<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Whisking Action:</span> rapid "w"-action<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Consistency:</span> thin with plenty of froth<br /><br />In thin vegetal suspension, Awaraku has a great nose with intense aromas of grass and moss.<br /><br />A subtle sweetness tinged with a complex vegetal taste.<br /><br />Great smoothness and an elegant warm long finish.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8iuFcjXB9ng/VlrDMKw6CmI/AAAAAAAAJ0Y/MM5OcxDxff0OsxF7RlNSwO4Oq1HrP88ZQCPcB/s640/Awaraku%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_chilled%2BUsucha.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en prepared as chilled thin tea (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en prepared as chilled thin tea</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Prepared as chilled Usucha</h3><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Dry Powder Amount:</span> ca. 2g<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Amount:</span> ca. 50ml<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Temperature:</span> 8°C<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Type of Whisk:</span> 120 thin pronged<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Preparation Method:</span> whipped in cold water<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Whisking Action:</span> rapid "w"-action<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Consistency:</span> thin with plenty of froth<br /><br />I have read somewhere that freezed-dried Matcha is the only tea powder that can be whipped in cold water and develops a lovely creamy foam on the surface.<br /><br />Well, that's not quite correct, but it is much easier with this type of Matcha.<br /><br />Awaraku prepared as chilled Usucha allows it to be appreciated even more for its aroma and sweetness. It is so delicious. The taste is pleasantly compact and refreshing. <br /><br />The whisked foam is very long-lasting. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PzGBb19QdVM/VlrDOq0mHWI/AAAAAAAAJ0k/8zyJ9x76fMoLshgDAO5U8boJjClO48ApQCPcB/s640/Awaraku%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_Matcha%2Bwater.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="swirled Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">swirled Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Prepared as swirled cold brewed Usucha</h3><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Dry Powder Amount:</span> 1 heaped teaspoon <br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Amount:</span> ca. 450ml<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Temperature:</span> ca. 8°C<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Type of Whisk:</span> -<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Preparation Method:</span> swirling<br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Whisking Action:</span> none <br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Consistency:</span> thin with little foam<br /><br />In the summer, I often enjoy a cup of Matcha on the balcony. But there are times when I return home exhausted after a long day at work and just swirl my Matcha in a glass, add ice cubes and drink the well deserved Matcha tea.<br /><br />What is good about this Matcha is that I don't have to worry about lumps. Because of the freezed-dried powder lumps cannot form.<br /><br />The swirling results in a Matcha with a very fine aroma and taste of a well-balanced vegetal sweetness. <br /><br />It has a generous structure and a smooth and elegant finish.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PAEWjxmzvww/VlrDQETox9I/AAAAAAAAJ0s/4XGA2mmeHFES9FOK2r7LI7JMj-olTWz5wCPcB/s640/Awaraku%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_Matcha%2BPowder.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Awaraku Matcha powder (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awaraku Matcha powder</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="font-size: 24px;">Summary of the most important points:</h3><br /><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li>best Matcha on the go (no special blender bottle needed!)</li><li>clumping is not a concern</li><li>good foam</li><li>light and refreshing</li><li>well-balanced nuances of taste and aroma</li><li>whisk into cold and hot water</li></ul><br />I became particularly enthusiastic about the appearance of the Matcha powder: Prepared in cold water the foam was even more fine than prepared with hot water.<br /><br />Awaraku is a great Matcha for warm summer days: It tastes well-balanced vegetal, slightly sweet and is simply refreshing and delicious.<br /><br />I prefered Awaraku whisked into cold water, because it increases the presence of the sweentnes and releases a wonderful aroma.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Recommended Matcha Green Tea Powder" border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en (2017 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.htmll" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YExJNmRRquI/VdukHivYpiI/AAAAAAAAIYU/1r4bijCoAMI/s369-Ic42/recommended_prot.jpg" title="Recommended Matcha Green Tea Powder"/></div><br /><h4 style="font-size: 20px;">How do you drink your Matcha tea in summer?</h4><br /><div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Lustria, Georgia, 'URW Bookman L', serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/matcha-reviews.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Matcha Reviews</a><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/ceremonial-grade-matcha-by-marukyu.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Ceremonial Grade Matcha by Marukyu Koyama-en</a><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/tea-vendor-guide.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Tea Vendor Guide</a></span></div></div></div>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-49237986672468811612016-09-20T19:17:00.000+02:002016-09-21T13:18:29.676+02:00Tea Bowl Series: 油滴茶碗 - “Oil Spot” Glazed Tea Bowl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JV3xhRKyTVY/V8qVjkZL5HI/AAAAAAAAKl0/xBU-zmYn3m8WftviLpxwHc-iBB0FHQ6NgCLcB/s1600/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" 油滴茶碗 - “Oil Spot” Glazed Tea Bowl " border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: 油滴茶碗 - “Oil Spot” Glazed Tea Bowl (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/10/tea-bowl-series-oil-spot-glazed-tea-bowl.html" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JV3xhRKyTVY/V8qVjkZL5HI/AAAAAAAAKl0/xBU-zmYn3m8WftviLpxwHc-iBB0FHQ6NgCLcB/s640/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_1.JPG" title=" 油滴茶碗 - “Oil Spot” Glazed Tea Bowl (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For me there is nothing more beautiful and fascinating than the variability of Tenmoku glazes.<br /><br />Tenmoku glazes can be divided into many categories.<br />Oil spot glazes are one type of tenmoku glazes and include hare’s fur and partridge feather glazes. They are high-iron glazes and can range in color from dark plum to yellow to brown and black. <br />The essential sign of high-iron glazes is the metallic glow.<br /><br />Unfortunately you will notice at the first glance that the pictures cannot describe the powerful effects of high-iron glazes.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h2 style="font-size: 40px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Oil Spot” Glazed Tea Bowl</span></h2><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4lOjnol9oZM/V8qVmqvBr7I/AAAAAAAAKmM/_Ae-wgcWYrQ7xqGhHlCXpfT0BNHAPwPuACEw/s1600/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" 油滴茶碗 (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: 油滴茶碗 - “Oil Spot” Glazed Tea Bowl (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/10/tea-bowl-series-oil-spot-glazed-tea-bowl.html" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4lOjnol9oZM/V8qVmqvBr7I/AAAAAAAAKmM/_Ae-wgcWYrQ7xqGhHlCXpfT0BNHAPwPuACEw/s640/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_2.JPG" title=" 油滴茶碗" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oil spot glazes are high in alumina and silica and relatively high in potassium oxide and magnesium oxide. When fired in oxidation the oil spot glaze occurs, meaning that the natural spotting of iron and the resulting silvery iron crystals give the tea bowl its metallic glow.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gaeni-OzRmE/V8qVmV6HewI/AAAAAAAAKmM/1guU1S8VuF4XaM7ZOvQCgk2YIGwrAmt1wCEw/s1600/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="“Oil Spot” Glazed Chawan" border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: 油滴茶碗 - “Oil Spot” Glazed Tea Bowl (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/10/tea-bowl-series-oil-spot-glazed-tea-bowl.html" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gaeni-OzRmE/V8qVmV6HewI/AAAAAAAAKmM/1guU1S8VuF4XaM7ZOvQCgk2YIGwrAmt1wCEw/s640/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_3.JPG" title="“Oil Spot” Glazed Chawan (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><blockquote class="tr_bq"><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">[Put in simple terms,] [...] high-iron glazes [...] are applied in thick layers, which bubble up through one another and generate patterns [of small spots </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">that look like oil drops loating on water].</span></span></li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Source:</span> Oil Spot and Hare’s Fur Glazes: Demystifying Classic Ceramic Glazes. ceramicartsdaily.org/. http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramic-glaze-recipes/glaze-chemistry-ceramic-glaze-recipes-2/oil-spot-and-hares-fur-glazes-demystifying-a-classic-ceramic-glaze-2/ (Retrieved 12.09.2016) </span></ul></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more information I can recommend reading "The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes" by John Britt. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Kodai (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: 油滴茶碗 - “Oil Spot” Glazed Tea Bowl (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/10/tea-bowl-series-oil-spot-glazed-tea-bowl.html" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3H11lnoGz40/V8qVqRtGiAI/AAAAAAAAKmM/i6WVhI62Y3wRKGYSRJ8jXM3lEpjI1C30QCEw/s640/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_4.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Kodai" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iron glazes with oil spots are known as yuteki. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3H11lnoGz40/V8qVqRtGiAI/AAAAAAAAKmM/i6WVhI62Y3wRKGYSRJ8jXM3lEpjI1C30QCEw/s1600/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In sunlight this tea bowl gets a metallic radiance and shimmers charmingly. Very beautiful!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YdKfxrzjdrI/V8qVsOtEnvI/AAAAAAAAKmM/SUf5heoNENw2MkQ6tgS2oFpxwHF0NSDNwCEw/s1600/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Usucha made in an oil spot glazed Chawan" border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: 油滴茶碗 - “Oil Spot” Glazed Tea Bowl (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/10/tea-bowl-series-oil-spot-glazed-tea-bowl.html" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YdKfxrzjdrI/V8qVsOtEnvI/AAAAAAAAKmM/SUf5heoNENw2MkQ6tgS2oFpxwHF0NSDNwCEw/s640/Flat%2BTea%2BBowl%2Bwith%2BOil%2BSpot%2BGlaze_5.JPG" title="Usucha made in an oil spot glazed Chawan (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></a></div>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-78851422165781822022016-08-29T19:37:00.000+02:002017-07-17T19:44:24.227+02:00Tea Bowl Series: 刷毛目唐津 - Hakeme Karatsu-yaki<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lEX9M8-Xswk/V7_xhcN7eAI/AAAAAAAAKlU/sgBiq-Pl6IIX9WHtA8SDI8F8JLXlGHZ1QCEw/s1600/Brush%2Bdecorated%2BHira-Chawan_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hakeme Hira-Chawan" border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: Hakeme Karatsu 刷毛目唐津 (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/09/tea-bowl-series-hakeme-karatsu.html" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lEX9M8-Xswk/V7_xhcN7eAI/AAAAAAAAKlU/sgBiq-Pl6IIX9WHtA8SDI8F8JLXlGHZ1QCEw/s640/Brush%2Bdecorated%2BHira-Chawan_1.JPG" title="Hakeme Hira-Chawan (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like this brushed slip tea bowl with its unusual shape. Even if it is challenging to whisk the Matcha frothy.<br /><br />It is an excellent tea bowl for tea ceremonies in summer. Due to the flat shape the Matcha green tea cools down much faster, which makes a perfect summer tea - refreshing and internally cooling. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h2 style="font-size: 40px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brush Pattern Tea Bowl of Karatsu Ware</span></h2><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dvwBrFyuxK0/V7_xhJ-RbbI/AAAAAAAAKlc/y6nDJlb0qbwKgcFdAygu9tspQozNczaDwCEw/s1600/Brush%2Bdecorated%2BHira-Chawan_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hakeme Chawan" border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: Hakeme Karatsu 刷毛目唐津 (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/09/tea-bowl-series-hakeme-karatsu.html" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dvwBrFyuxK0/V7_xhJ-RbbI/AAAAAAAAKlc/y6nDJlb0qbwKgcFdAygu9tspQozNczaDwCEw/s640/Brush%2Bdecorated%2BHira-Chawan_2.JPG" title="Hakeme Chawan (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hakeme Chawan means brush pattern tea bowl in Japanese</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Hakeme style of pottery is a technique developed by Korean potters during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1897). The characteristic white slip (engobe) is applied with a stiff brush (hakeme) to the vessel before firing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bLel_EgNIT4/V7_xhDvw8jI/AAAAAAAAKlc/WMFE1a6PF9oU9PArU5l3Z6Eh_EruBCTfACEw/s1600/Brush%2Bdecorated%2BHira-Chawan_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Tea Bowl of old Korean Style Brush Pattern" border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: Hakeme Karatsu 刷毛目唐津 (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/09/tea-bowl-series-hakeme-karatsu.html" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bLel_EgNIT4/V7_xhDvw8jI/AAAAAAAAKlc/WMFE1a6PF9oU9PArU5l3Z6Eh_EruBCTfACEw/s640/Brush%2Bdecorated%2BHira-Chawan_3.JPG" title="Tea Bowl of old Korean Style Brush Pattern (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The brush work is beautifully done.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then, the Chawan is covered with an ash glaze.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><blockquote class="tr_bq"><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are three procedures. First, brushing slip inside and out after scraping; secondly, with same clays, this may be done before scraping; thirdly, brushing slip inside the pot immediately after swabbing with water, if this suits the nature of the clay.</span></li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Source:</span> Kodansha America, Inc; The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty; by Soetsu Yanagi and Bernard Leach; 15.07. 2013; paage 176, line 6 (Retrieved 27.08.2016)</span></ul></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KKs9nQhnpdI/V7_xiaz25jI/AAAAAAAAKlc/DPrrjQBeTac77DvqkGOgWzrwz-tCAUX7gCEw/s1600/Brush%2Bdecorated%2BHira-Chawan_4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Hakeme Chawan with Niju Kodai (double foot) " border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: Hakeme Karatsu 刷毛目唐津 (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/09/tea-bowl-series-hakeme-karatsu.html" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KKs9nQhnpdI/V7_xiaz25jI/AAAAAAAAKlc/DPrrjQBeTac77DvqkGOgWzrwz-tCAUX7gCEw/s640/Brush%2Bdecorated%2BHira-Chawan_4.JPG" title="Hakeme Chawan with Niju Kodai (double foot) (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The signature of the potter is carved on the bottom.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hakeme tea bowls are with its sobriety and simple elegance very popular in the Japanese tea ceremony.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is said that after years of intensive, but careful use the white slip inside the Chawan is going to change its color from grey-white to shades of purple (?).<br /><br />When I look at my images, I have to use this Hakeme Karatsu Chawan more frequently in the months of summer ^.^</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--iY27ewpb-g/VlrDDbR4AXI/AAAAAAAAJz8/Ib9TeKLtr4kg9EXiHuk44PCxPZMINaC8QCPcB/s1600/Awaraku%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_thin%2Btea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-pin-description="Tea Bowl Series: Hakeme Karatsu 刷毛目唐津 (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/09/tea-bowl-series-hakeme-karatsu.html" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--iY27ewpb-g/VlrDDbR4AXI/AAAAAAAAJz8/Ib9TeKLtr4kg9EXiHuk44PCxPZMINaC8QCPcB/s640/Awaraku%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_thin%2Btea.JPG" title="Awaraku by Marukyu Koyamaen prepared as chilled Usucha (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.de/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" target="_blank" style="color: red">Awaraku by Marukyu Koyama-en</a> prepared as thin tea in Hakeme Chawan</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-12149019797936944542016-03-02T16:32:00.000+01:002016-03-02T16:34:54.554+01:00Matcha Review: Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en" border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2-eajt9js3U/Vlq_wcuWVJI/AAAAAAAAJyM/VRxAdeAnIoU/s640/Organically%2Bcultivated%2BMatcha%2BGold%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen.jpg" title="Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/03/matcha-review-organically-cultivated.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marukyu Koyama-en is one of my favorite tea vendors for many years already but I never bought one of their organic Matcha green teas until now.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matcha Gold is a solid high quality Matcha, but doesn't stand out from the crowd of organically cultivated Matcha green teas.</span><br /><h2 style="font-size: 40px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en</span></h2><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qYmSwls9q3I/Vnw4e_B7XAI/AAAAAAAAJ_Y/twHecShO8YI/s640/Organically%2Bcultivated%2BMatcha%2BGold%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_thin%2Btea.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/03/matcha-review-organically-cultivated.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en prepared as Usucha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">有機栽培抹茶 金印</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Name:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Organically cultivated Matcha Gold</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Note:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> JAS Certified Organic</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Grade:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Gold</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Origin:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Uji, Japan</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Producer:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Marukyu Koyama-en</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Shop:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Kogetsu-en</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Year:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 2015</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Packaging:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Tin without an inner bag, pull-tab can</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Weight:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 20g</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Price:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ¥ 1,800</span></span></div><h3 style="font-size: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Marukyu Koyama-en writes about organically cultivated Matcha:</span></h3><blockquote class="tr_bq"><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matcha grown without use of any agricultural chemicals and artificial fertilizers at all is very limited. However, please drink our other teas without any anxiety, as we strive to use only natural fertilizers for our regular tea leaves.</span></li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Source:</span> Varieties of Matcha. marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/. http://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/english/goods/goods_01.html (Retrieved 02.02.2016) </span></ul></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha tin of Organically cultivated Matcha Gold" border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dg8rL7yPJBo/Vlq_wJUcV0I/AAAAAAAAJyQ/tkkHx0arrTk/s640/Organically%2Bcultivated%2BMatcha%2BGold%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_Packaging.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Packaging of Organically cultivated Matcha Gold (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/03/matcha-review-organically-cultivated.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matcha Tin of Organically cultivated Matcha Gold</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h3 style="font-size: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Packaging:</span></h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Matcha tins by Marukyu Koyama-en are characterised by an easily recognizable design: The green screw-on lid with silicone sealant inside the lid, the black font on white ground and the information boxes framed in grey create a fresh appearance.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The JAS logo is shown on a certification label, found on the right side of the Kanji characters for Matcha. Next to this on the left side is a golden sticker which stands for the name and quality of this organic Matcha green tea.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Appearance of the Matcha powder Organically cultivated Gold " border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PlVpikqwaSI/Vnw4e-YMivI/AAAAAAAAJ_Q/y3oRIAZ4pY8/s640/Organically%2Bcultivated%2BMatcha%2BGold%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_Matcha%2BPowder.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Appearance of the Matcha powder Organically cultivated Matcha Gold prepared as Usucha (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/03/matcha-review-organically-cultivated.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">non-sifted vs sifted Matcha powder</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h3 style="font-size: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Appearance of the Matcha:</span></h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The non-sifted intense green-colored Matcha powder is barely lumpy and sifted very easily. It has a fine powder texture and the aroma is lightly sweet-vegetal.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Organically cultivated Matcha Gold prepared as Usucha" border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ahOkopDIFnA/Vnw4e_unt7I/AAAAAAAAJ_U/xGI52DxENYU/s640/Organically%2Bcultivated%2BMatcha%2BGold%2Bby%2BMarukyu%2BKoyamaen_Usucha.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Organically cultivated Matcha Gold prepared as Usucha (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/03/matcha-review-organically-cultivated.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Organically cultivated Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en prepared as thin tea</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h3 style="font-size: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prepared as Usucha</span></h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Dry Powder Amount:</span> ca. 2g</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Water Amount:</span> ca. 60ml</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Water Temperature:</span> 85-90°C</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Type of Whisk:</span> 120 thin pronged</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Preparation Method:</span> traditional</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Whisking Action:</span> rapid "w"-action</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Consistency:</span> thin with plenty of froth</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matcha Gold is light and delicate in the mouth and has a mild, but full-bodied and vegetable-like taste which is almost completely void of astringency.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sweetness is present, but too light for my taste.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The finish isn't too long on the palate but smooth with a shade of umami.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h3 style="font-size: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summary of the most important points:</span></h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vegetal and full-bodied</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">subtle sweetness</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a harmonious overall taste</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">good foam</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">best suitable for mild Usucha</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">whisk at higher temperatures for fuller flavor (!)</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can't really go wrong with Matcha Gold by Marukyu Koyama-en. Even if the lack of sweetness is a minus when considering the price.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Personally, I like to drink this Matcha on a regular basis, because to me it is everything that a good bowl of Matcha should be.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h4 style="font-size: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is your most favorite organic Matcha these days?</span></h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 25.92px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/matcha-reviews.html" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.92px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.25s, 0.25s; transition-timing-function: ease, ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Matcha Reviews</a><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.92px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/ceremonial-grade-matcha-by-marukyu.html" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.92px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.25s, 0.25s; transition-timing-function: ease, ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Ceremonial Grade Matcha by Marukyu Koyama-en</a><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.92px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/tea-vendor-guide.html" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.92px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition-duration: 0.25s, 0.25s; transition-timing-function: ease, ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Tea Vendor Guide</a></span></div></div></div>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-34612165580964565172016-03-01T23:00:00.000+01:002016-03-01T23:00:06.337+01:00look up, look down, look all around... matchaenthusiast got a new look<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="new blog design" border="0" data-pin-description="New Blog Design (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/03/matchaenthusiast-got-a-new-look.html" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FTo_-EXV0tM/VrHWnfaIAbI/AAAAAAAAKNQ/Fq_EiXq0BjU/s640/Before_After_BlogDesign.jpg" title="new blog design (2016 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></div><br /><br />I can’t believe it’s been so long since I last wrote a blog! Part of the reason for that is I've been very busy. With that said, I can't guarantee to post frequently during the coming months. So please don't be surprised if I will post my new year's Matcha review in april ^^<br /><br />If you've stopped by the blog in recent weeks, you've probably noticed that it looks very different around here!<br />I liked the minimalistic design but whilst the winter was cold and grey there was a need for a more colorful design.<br /><br /><h4 style="font-size: 20px;">What do you think about it? I’m looking forward to your comments and constructive criticism.</h4>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-50352031019181878922015-10-01T15:51:00.000+02:002016-02-02T10:24:19.749+01:00Matcha Review: Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien" border="0" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/10/matcha-review-gracious-of-court-2011-by.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sSQAzkucoso/Vk_FGZmlc1I/AAAAAAAAJdQ/NyS6hHe4QSI/s912-Ic42/Gracious%252520of%252520the%252520Court_2011_by%252520Kaburagien.JPG" title="Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Tencha leaves for this Matcha powder are being stored since 2011 already. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, a closer look reveals that Gracious of the Court (2011) is not a real enriched Kuradashi Matcha. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But nevertheless it has a pleasant taste with surprising sweetness.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><br /><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center; font-size:2em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien" border="0" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/10/matcha-review-gracious-of-court-2011-by.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fnHji4qtXLs/Vk_FdBLPgKI/AAAAAAAAJdY/atat2KvueFc/s912-Ic42/Gracious%252520of%252520the%252520Court_2011_thin%252520tea.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien prepared as Usucha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 800;">第64回関西茶品評会 入賞抹茶 “宮廷の雅”</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Name:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Gracious of the Court</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Grade:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> -</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Origin:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Ayabe, Japan</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Producer:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Keiko Nakata</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Shop:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Kaburagien</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Year:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2011</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Packaging:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Tin with an interior bag</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Weight:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 30g</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Price:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ¥ 1,550</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: left; font-size:1.5em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kaburagien writes about Gracious of the Court:</span></h3><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both;"><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[...] Matcha by grinding the winner Tencha of the 64th Hand-rubbed Sencha Competition in Kansai [...]</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[...] held in Nagoya Wink Aichi [on] 7th September 2011.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[...] 190 Tencha exhibits [...]</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tea is produced [...] by the Ms. Keiko Nakata in Ayabe city Kyoto prefecture.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Participation in the competition starts from fertilizing the soil [...]</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, the farmers enrich the soil with organic fertilizer. After two years, when the soil has become rich enough, they plant cuttings.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They rear the plants for about three years. When young leaves sprout, they pick the leaves.</span></li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Source:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Matcha(The winner in the 67th Hand-rubbed Sencha Competition in Kansai)(Tencha category) named Gracious of the court. kaburagien.co.jp. http://www.kaburagien.co.jp/english/lineup/g0909_14.php (Retrieved 28.09.2015) </span></ul></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more information about the 64th Hand-rubbed Sencha Competition in Kansai <a href="http://www.kaburagien.co.jp/english/sp_1110/index.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="color: red">read here</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Packaging of Gracious of the Court (2011)" border="0" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/10/matcha-review-gracious-of-court-2011-by.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qdH8CWh6EJc/Vk_IGYNUU6I/AAAAAAAAJd4/G8ExiwKonVY/s912-Ic42/Gracious%252520of%252520the%252520Court%252520%2525282011%252529_packaging%2525282%252529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Packaging of Gracious of the Court (2011) (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matcha Tin of Gracious of the Court (2011)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Packaging:</span></h3><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sealed Matcha tin arrived in a small gift box which was nicely packaged in brown paper.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After cutting the metallic pouch, there is no additional protection between lid and container for the Matcha powder.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my opinion, a lovely packaging with a lot of packaging waste.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Appearance of the Matcha powder (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" border="0" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/10/matcha-review-gracious-of-court-2011-by.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VpYd7gW40KY/Vk_GdrafGRI/AAAAAAAAJdg/gNJ3ZlG5XRA/s912-Ic42/Gracious%252520of%252520the%252520Court%252520%2525282011%252529_Appearance.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Appearance of the Matcha powder (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">non-sifted vs sifted Matcha powder</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Appearance of the Matcha:</span></h3><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dry powder is vibrant in its greenness with a moderate formation of clumps. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scent has intensive imprints of vegetal nuances, accompanied by an aromatic and slightly sweet scent.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very pleasant. Very stimulating.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gracious of the Court (2011) prepared as Usucha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" border="0" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/10/matcha-review-gracious-of-court-2011-by.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-POYgW034zHM/Vk_G7L9FV9I/AAAAAAAAJdw/Y3NhFX1e7Pg/s912-Ic42/Gracious%252520of%252520the%252520Court%252520%2525282011%252529_Matcha%252520foam.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Gracious of the Court (2011) prepared as Usucha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matcha Froth</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Prepared as Usucha</span></h3><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Dry Powder Amount:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ca. 2g</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Amount:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ca. 70ml</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Water Temperature:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 80°C</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Type of Whisk:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 120 thin pronged</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Preparation Method:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> traditional</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Whisking Action:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> rapid "w"-action</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;">Consistency:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> thin with plenty of froth</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the characteristic Matcha scent in the nose, hot water is poured over the sifted Matcha powder and an intense bouquet of fresh, sweet and vegetal aromas is the result.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gracious of the Court (2011) is smooth with a creamy texture. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The taste is fresh and fragrant with a rich body. A slight bitterness is present as well as intense vegetal notes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Balanced and sustained full-bodied on the palate.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The finish is long, sweet and clean.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Gracious of the Court (2011) prepared as thin tea (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" border="0" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/10/matcha-review-gracious-of-court-2011-by.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Gracious of the Court (2011) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X_dRNUXY1sI/Vk_G5pUJPfI/AAAAAAAAJdo/nNhCbhwpnr4/s912-Ic42/Gracious%252520of%252520the%252520Court%252520%2525282011%252529_Usucha.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Gracious of the Court (2011) prepared as thin tea (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gracious of the Court (2011) prepared as Usucha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="clear: both; font-size:1.5em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Summary of the most important points:</span></h3><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ceremonial grade Matcha</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">vibrant green in color</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">froths up great</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">intense aromas</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">refreshing sweetness</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mellow umami</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">perfect for everyday drinking</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">made from aged Tencha leaves</span></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A high quality Matcha is characterized by a sweetness that lingers in the aftertaste.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And even if I think that Gracious of the Court (2011) is not suitable for a really good Koicha, I really enjoyed this Matcha prepared as Usucha with its balanced and mellow, delicious flavor.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With this in mind, Gracious of the Court clearly shows, that it is always worth tasting.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">What's the last Matcha powder that surprised you positively?</span></h4><br /><div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Lustria, Georgia, 'URW Bookman L', serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/matcha-reviews.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Matcha Reviews</a><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/ceremonial-grade-matcha-by-kaburagien.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Ceremonial Grade Matcha by Kaburagien</a><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/p/tea-vendor-guide.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Tea Vendor Guide</a></span></div></div></div>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-81945033343621571232015-09-21T19:00:00.000+02:002016-01-02T17:07:13.414+01:00Peach Slush with Matcha<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Peach Slush with Matcha" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-txFuNFLzuMY/VlNaiwadh5I/AAAAAAAAJos/kjVB5U3yBZk/s912-Ic42/Peach%252520Slush%252520with%252520Matcha.JPG" title="Peach Slush with Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/peach-slush-with-matcha.html" data-pin-description="Peach Slush with Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></div><br /><span itemprop="description" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A refreshing and healthy summer drink made with fresh, ripe peaches, ice, lemon juice and Matcha powder. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slush beverages are made in special slush machines to semi-frozen soft drinks. Unfortunately, there's often a lot of 'hidden' sugar in these icy drinks. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And although the summer season is coming to an end, the harvesting season is not yet over and has still many sweet fruits to offer. So that sugar is not needed to make this treat sweet. </span><br /><br /><h2 itemprop="name" style="text-align: center; font-size:2em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Refreshing Peach Slushy with Matcha (sugar-free)</span></h2><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Ingredients for Peach Matcha Slush" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j-ld-iJ4D-w/VlNak-I1S9I/AAAAAAAAJo0/By57KGqKGT4/s912-Ic42/Peach%252520Slush%252520with%252520Matcha_Ingredients.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Ingredients for Peach Matcha Slush (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/peach-slush-with-matcha.html" data-pin-description="Peach Slush with Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">amounts of ingredients depend on the ripening degree of fruits</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Ingredients:</span></h3><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li><span itemprop="ingredients" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ripe peaches</span></li><li><span itemprop="ingredients" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">freshly squeezed lemon juice</span></li><li><span itemprop="ingredients" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">high quality Matcha powder</span></li><li><span itemprop="ingredients" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ice cubes</span></li></ul><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Level of difficulty:</strong> simple</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><time datetime="PT5M" itemprop="prepTime"><strong>Prep Time:</strong> 5min</time></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><time datetime="PT1M" itemprop="cookTime"><strong>Cook Time:</strong> 30sec</time></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Directions:</span></h3><div itemprop="recipeInstructions"><ul style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peel the ripe peaches carefully as to not lose too much of their sweet juice</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cut the fruit from the stone and fill into the blender. Add Matcha powder and blend it.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slowly add the ice cubes. Blend until the ice is crushed and it is as icy and thick as you wish.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serve it as either a dish, like an ice cream or with a straw as a slush style!</span></li></ul></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Peach Slush with Matcha" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lhc1URvjn7g/VlNamQhu6wI/AAAAAAAAJo8/q5g5YRQqHD0/s912-Ic42/Peach%252520Slush%252520with%252520Matcha_Matcha%252520Powder.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Peach Slush with Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/peach-slush-with-matcha.html" data-pin-description="Peach Slush with Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note:</span></h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also delicious with other fruits such as honey melon or green grapes.</span></div>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-62937971141312802732015-09-14T18:16:00.000+02:002017-10-30T20:32:08.005+01:00合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="合成樹脂茶筅 Chasen made of synthetic resin" border="0" data-pin-description="合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/chasen-made-of-synthetic-resin.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sQylLayQwVo/VeyERxcfGtI/AAAAAAAAI1Q/oVRy3RqxbaQ/s912-Ic42/Resin%252520Chasen.JPG" title="合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></div><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Developing takes time. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />More than 900 years ago, Japanese monks brought tea plants, tea bowls as well as tea whisks back from their study trips to China. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />With the work on further development and refining, the traditional tea whisk made of bamboo is now also available as a tea whisk made of resin. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Six month ago I bought myself one of these robust and modern tea whisks. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Now let me share my experience with you.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><h2 style="font-size: 2em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Can the resin tea whisk be a competitor to the traditional bamboo tea whisk?</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chasen, the Japanese tea whisk, is traditionally made of bamboo and is an essential element for preparing Matcha.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />It should be considered that the bamboo tea whisk is one of the utensils that needs to be replaced regularly.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Usually, the price range is from ¥ 800 up to ¥ 20,000 in Japan.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Replacing the bamboo tea whisk can therefore become an expensive matter in the course of time.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How often the bamboo tea whisk has to be replaced, depends on its quality, climate conditions and how well it was taking care of. Especially broken tines and mold are the main reasons for buying a new one.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />If you're a regular Matcha-drinker, you've probably noticed that a bamboo tea whisk needs a rather long time to fully dry. By knowing that, a Chasen for practicing purposes and daily uses would be nice.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />About one year ago, I discovered tea whisks made of resin on Rakuten. At the beginning I was skeptical, but also curious, mainly about its whisking performance. And so I bought one.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="合成樹脂茶筅 Chasen Resin tea whisk" border="0" data-pin-description="合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/chasen-made-of-synthetic-resin.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8pNFMQlMd4c/VeyESxzHuDI/AAAAAAAAI0o/oNdHmI2coRc/s912-Ic42/Resin%252520Chasen_Packaging.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="合成樹脂茶筅 (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shipped in a hard plastic box which was difficult to open</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The tea whisk comes with a whisk holder. Both items are made of resin, also called ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), which is a common thermoplastic polymer.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Its special properties include, among others, its resistance to temperatures up to 100°C, its good resistance to oils and fats, its weather resistance and its high stability against ageing. Furthermore, ABS is recyclable.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Chasen Resin disassembled" border="0" data-pin-description="合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/chasen-made-of-synthetic-resin.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-92LW4A2TJhU/VeyER-WwqZI/AAAAAAAAI0c/W6kXJJq8mag/s912-Ic42/Chasen_ABS.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="disassembled parts of the resin tea whisk (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The resin tea whisk can be disassembled into three parts.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />When unpacking, it was a pleasant surprise to discover that there was no smell of plastic material!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Another positive aspect is the cleaning. The durable material ABS can easily be cleaned with water or dish soap and a sponge. However, it is not suitable for dishwasher.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Available in four colors: ivory (bamboo color), pink, green and brown.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The price varies between ¥ 2,700 and ¥ 3,200 - depending on the shop.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><h3 style="font-size: 1.5em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chasen made of resin vs Chasen made of bamboo</span></h3><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2014/11/frothing-matcha.html" style="color: red;" target="_blank">Whisking</a> and kneading the Matcha is an art that requires a Chasen.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />"Chasen" is a general term. There are not just different kinds of designs, but also different types.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Traditionally, the Chasen is made of bamboo. It can be made either of fresh, dried or smoked bamboo.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Carving a Chasen out of one piece of bamboo is a tradition that should be preserved.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The question is thus asked as before : <em>Can the traditional Chasen be replaced?</em></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />For this experiment, I bought a new Chasen, because I've never used a 70-pronged bamboo tea whisk before.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />May it be forgiven me that I did not buy a Japanese Chasen, but the cheaper Chinese version.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Chasen resin bamboo tea whisk Matcha" border="0" data-pin-description="合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/chasen-made-of-synthetic-resin.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AErUHrmk7wI/VeyEUagQDQI/AAAAAAAAI08/IRVkw3-NB6k/s912-Ic42/Resin-Chasen%252520vs%252520Bamboo-Chasen.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Chasen made of resin vs Chasen made of bamboo (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Both tea whisks nearly have the same number of prongs.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">¥ 2,700 vs ¥ 975</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><h4><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em;">1. Preparing Usucha</span></h4><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Matcha:</strong> <a href="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2017/07/matcha-review-awaraku-by-marukyu-koyama.html" style="color: red;" target="_blank">Awaraku</a> (泡楽) by Marukyu Koyamaen</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>My parameters:</strong> 2g of Matcha powder per 60ml of hot water (80°C)</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Preparing style:</strong> <a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/02/preparing-usucha.html" target="_blank">the semi-traditional way</a> (whisking)</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Preparing tools:</strong> resin tea whisk vs bambo tea whisk (Kazuho)</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After pre-wetting, the new bamboo tea whisk unfolds its bristles.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To make the tines soft and flexible, they are soaked in hot water. This prevents them from breaking off while whisking.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When using the resin tea whisk this step is not necessary.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Personally, I like the part of pre-wetting. It gives me time to focus on the next steps.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The increased practice with the resin tea whisk during the past few months made it really easy to create a nice froth with a 70-pronged bamboo tea whisk.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was surprised.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have always believed that besides <em>the Matcha to water ratio</em> and <a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2014/11/quality-of-matcha.html" target="_blank"><em>the quality of Matcha</em></a>, <em>the number of tines</em> is important. Maybe I should reconsider this opinion.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Chasen Resin Bamboo" border="0" data-pin-description="合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/chasen-made-of-synthetic-resin.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eHcdddH0tDo/VeyET9IddrI/AAAAAAAAI00/vwXvyNC8EwY/s912-Ic42/Resin%252520vs%252520Bamboo%252520Chasen_Matcha%252520Froth.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Frothing Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is possible to create a nice rich foam with both Chasen, just by thoroughly whisking.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>The resin tea whisk is intended to be used for practicing</strong>. And you will definitely have some minor issues in creating a fine froth at the beginning.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />While whisking, the mass that has to be moved, feels heavier. It turned out that flat Matcha bowls and small Matcha bowls are sub-optimal. To prevent spills, it is recommended to use tea bowls with higher walls.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The picture above shows the froth results after whisking with the <strong>resin tea whisk (L)</strong> and the <strong>bamboo tea whisk (R)</strong>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Even if I had to slow down the speed of whisking in order not to spill some of the Matcha tea, I have not yet been able to create a really fine froth with the resin tea whisk.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><em>In brief summary</em> this means, the resin tea whisk is good for practice, but creating a fine froth is not as easy as with a bamboo tea whisk.</span><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br /><h4><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em;">2. Preparing Koicha</span></span></span></h4><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Matcha:</strong> <a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/11/matcha-review-eiju-by-marukyu-koyamaen.html" target="_blank">Eiju</a> (永寿) by Marukyu Koyamaen</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>My parameters:</strong> 4g of Matcha powder per 35ml of hot water (90°C)</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Preparing style:</strong> the semi-traditional way (kneading)</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>Preparing tools:</strong> resin tea whisk vs bamboo tea whisk (Chuaraho)</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />One does not necessarily need a special Chasen for preparing Koicha. (→ Omotesenke)</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />But from my experience it is better to use a Chasen that is exclusively designed for preparing Koicha - not least because the kneading performance puts more weight on the tines.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">80+ pronged Chasen have very thin tines and will break off more easily while kneading. And you can believe me that drinking a piece of bamboo is not a very pleasant experience.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Varieties of Chasen" border="0" data-pin-description="合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/chasen-made-of-synthetic-resin.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K1C4SQBfwQs/VeyEU__MtYI/AAAAAAAAI1E/LTxhVVWHUjo/s912-Ic42/Varieties%252520of%252520Chasen.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Varieties of Chasen (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rough- and fine-tined tea whisks<br />Chuaraho-type Chasen (2yr) - Resin Chasen (6mth) - Kazuho-type Chasen (2mth) - Unge-type Chasen (5yr)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Preparing a delicious bowl of Koicha definitely requires more practice .</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Rough-tined Chasen, that have thicker and fewer prongs, are best used for preparing Koicha. This includes among others also the Kazuho type.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And even if not explicitly stated, the resin tea whisk <em>can be used</em> for practicing Koicha. Its tines are flexible and thicker than the thin tines of the Kazuho-type Chasen.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Kazuho type is good for whisking as well as for kneading the Matcha. Though I prefer this type of Chasen for making Usucha.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Koicha thick tea resin tea whisk Chasen" border="0" data-pin-description="合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/chasen-made-of-synthetic-resin.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vePq3Y0-t4o/VeyER_SV-II/AAAAAAAAI1I/39ktBhnagkk/s1280-Ic42/Resin%252520Chasen_Koicha.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Koicha prepared with resin tea whisk (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">gently kneading the Matcha creates a smooth Koicha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The kneading performance of the resin tea whisk revealed that there is a general problem while preparing Koicha: Some Matcha accumulates and forms a ball in the inner ring of bristles (Uchiho - 内穂) and does not come away without the help of an additional tool.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See at lower right in the picture above! The picture was taken shortly after whisking the resin tea whisk in water to clearly show the accumulation of Matcha.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And although Eiju made a delicious bowl of Koicha. It seems to me that the consistency and the taste is not as good as with using a bamboo tea whisk. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><em>Conclusion:</em> For preparing Koicha use a bamboo tea whisk!</span><br /><br /><br /></span></span><br /><h3><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em;">Finally, a general summary </span></span></span></h3><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The following table provides an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of both types of Chasen.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div><table border="1" style="width: 100%px;"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" height="33" valign="top"></td> <td align="center" valign="top" width="33%"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Resin</span></strong></td> <td align="center" valign="top" width="33%"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bamboo</span></strong></td> </tr><tr> <td align="center" height="100" valign="top"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pros</span></strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• no mold-formation occurs</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• odorless material</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• price over long term</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• very good for beginners</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• no pre-wetting</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• stable in shape</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• four colors to choose from</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• pros of ABS</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• durable</span></div></div></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• inexpensive</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• different kinds of designs</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• different types</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• artistic beauty</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• carved from a single piece of bamboo</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• low weight</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• natural material</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• tradition</span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="1" style="width: 100%px;"> <tbody><tr> <td align="center" height="33" valign="top"></td> <td align="center" valign="top" width="33%"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></strong></td> <td align="center" valign="top" width="33%"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></strong></td> </tr><tr> <td align="center" height="100" valign="top"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cons</span></strong></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• appearance of the froth</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• whisking performance</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• kneading performance</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• there is only one type</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• price</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• material</span></div></div></td> <td align="left" valign="top"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• mold</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• cheap = poor quality</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• price</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• pre-wetting is a must</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• appearance after it begins to loose its form</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• broken tines</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• bamboo is a plant that needs plenty of water</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">• possibly bleached</span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Would I buy this tool again? Yes, simply because my whisking performance improved. And I can always take it with me on a trip without worrying, because its hygienic, doesn't go moldy and only a minimum risk of damage exists, if the resin tea whisk falls down. The perfect travel companion so to say.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I am confident for many reasons, that <strong>the traditional bamboo tea whisk cannot be replaced</strong> by the resin tea whisk.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To close, let me say that I will be interested to see whether international and local vendors will offer the resin tea whisk.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="resin tea whisk and bamboo tea whisk" border="0" data-pin-description="合成樹脂茶筅 - Chasen made of synthetic resin (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/09/chasen-made-of-synthetic-resin.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1R_BKj67HzY/VeyETL9bErI/AAAAAAAAI1A/RI4n7E-9WvQ/s912-Ic42/Resin%252520and%252520Bamboo%252520Chasen_bottom%252520view.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="resin tea whisk and bamboo tea whisk (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Would you be interested in a Chasen made of resin?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="clear: both; font-size: 1.5em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Would you choose a bamboo tea whisk or a resin tea whisk?</span></h4><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong>References:</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile_butadiene_styrene" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wikipedia. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Retrieved 24.08.2015.</span></a></div></div>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-85046963321015045192015-07-25T16:39:00.000+02:002016-01-02T17:53:29.032+01:00Blog Summer Break<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Matcha wine" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9bdIikvdpvI/VfA1sioNiiI/AAAAAAAAI2s/JvSOCUd1APU/s912-Ic42/Matcha%252520Water.jpg" title="Matcha wine (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/07/blog-summer-break.html" data-pin-description="Blog Summer Break (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h4 style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Hello Matcha Friends, </span></h4><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary</em> is taking a summer break for the next few weeks and will be back the week beginning 14th September.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a great summer!</span></div>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-4176023387406534412015-06-23T10:10:00.000+02:002016-01-02T17:58:57.648+01:00Matcha Review: Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Review Yunomi Factory Direct™ Organic Matcha Premium G3 by Yunomi" border="0" height="552" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I9IMbDE1EJ4/VdYSbf1bePI/AAAAAAAAGlc/68Qj9U01CRM/s800-Ic42/YUNOMI%252520Factory%252520Direct%2525E2%252584%2525A2%252520Organic%252520Matcha%252520Premium%252520G3%252520by%252520Yunomi%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.JPG" title="Yunomi Factory Direct™ Organic Matcha Premium G3 by Yunomi (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/matcha-review-yunomi-factory-direct.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last November, Yunomi called for a <a href="https://yunomi.us/23683/yunomi-photo-contest-yunomi-moment/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">photo contest</a>. The motto was "A Yunomi Moment".</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each participant received a 30g bag of Yunomi's Factory Direct </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matcha powder which was also an excellent opportunity to get their private label products seen and attract new interest.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are interested in my submitted photo please <a href="https://twitter.com/OcaOcani/status/542105594199830529" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span><br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:2em;">Matcha G3 Natural Green Tea by Yunomi</span></h2><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3" border="0" height="490" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hRzvkfYZIps/VdYS99kbC9I/AAAAAAAAGmU/J_3Bc6tTuXo/s912-Ic42/YUNOMI%252520Factory%252520Direct%2525E2%252584%2525A2%252520Organic%252520Matcha%252520Premium%252520G3%252520by%252520Yunomi_prepared%252520as%252520Usucha%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/matcha-review-yunomi-factory-direct.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yunomi’s Factory Direct Matcha prepared as Usucha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Name:</strong> Matcha G3 Natural Green Tea</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Note:</strong> JAS Certified Organic</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Grade:</strong> Premium; <strong>Update: (17.08.2015)</strong> Latte Grade</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Origin:</strong> Kyoto, Japan</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Shop:</strong> Yunomi</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Year:</strong> 2014</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Packaging:</strong> opaque bag</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Weight:</strong> 30g</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Price:</strong> a photo (standard price: US$ 17,00; <strong>Update: (17.08.2015)</strong> US$ 24,99)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Note:</em> also available as 100g, 250g, 500g, and 1kg bulk pack</span></div><br /><h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Yunomi writes about Matcha G3 Natural Green Tea:</span></h3><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Organic Matcha from Kyoto, premium grade is perfect for those who want a delicious tasting Matcha to drink daily, to mix into lattes, for culinary use, or to practice Japanese tea ceremony.</span></li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Source:</strong> YUNOMI FACTORY DIRECT™: MATCHA G3 NATURAL GREEN TEA, 30G {23684}. Yunomi.us. https://yunomi.us/shop/23684/matcha-powder/yunomi-factory-direct-matcha-g3-natural-green-tea-30g-23684/ (Retrieved 17.08.2015)</span></ul></blockquote><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Packaging of Yunomi's Factory Direct™ Organic Matcha Premium G3" border="0" height="358" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t7WZspNpT4M/VdYSyoJjlLI/AAAAAAAAGl8/KZFE24oVEaY/s1150-Ic42/YUNOMI%252520Factory%252520Direct%2525E2%252584%2525A2%252520Organic%252520Matcha%252520Premium%252520G3%252520by%252520Yunomi_Packaging%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Packaging of Yunomi's Factory Direct™ Organic Matcha Premium G3 (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/matcha-review-yunomi-factory-direct.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matcha bag of Yunomi's Factory Direct™ Organic Matcha Premium G3</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">packaging made from aluminum, paper and plastic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Packaging:</span></h3><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The design might appear simple, but is most suitable for international shipping.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yunomi’s Factory Direct Matcha comes in a resealable bag with an individual silver-metallic pouch.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Product and information label is in English.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And apart from the basic information like best-by date and origin, more printed information are added.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pouch material is firm and opaque. To open the packaging, a pair of scissors is recommended.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the front of the pouch there is a sticker with the Matcha grade: Organic Matcha Grade A. But without a classification system it's just a name. So instead of the name let's focus on the quality.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Appearance of the Matcha powder" border="0" height="236" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ILj3HMVn8Xg/VdYSWNnekzI/AAAAAAAAGlU/tQZ2kDBwwzg/s1105-Ic42/YUNOMI%252520Factory%252520Direct%2525E2%252584%2525A2%252520Organic%252520Matcha%252520Premium%252520G3%252520by%252520Yunomi_Appearance%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Appearance of the Matcha powder (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/matcha-review-yunomi-factory-direct.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">non-sifted vs sifted Matcha powder</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Appearance of the Matcha:</span></h3><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fine in texture and subdued green in color.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fragrance is rich, but not very complex. Basically it smells very <em>green</em>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hot water quickly produces a cloud of fragrance with a weak, but noticeable scent of umami that soars in the nose.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 prepared as thin tea" border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vmtORJ2oF0A/VdYTB7CyZGI/AAAAAAAAGmc/fLJ2oBrCQ00/s912-Ic42/YUNOMI%252520Factory%252520Direct%2525E2%252584%2525A2%252520Organic%252520Matcha%252520Premium%252520G3%252520by%252520Yunomi_thin%252520tea%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 prepared as thin tea (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/matcha-review-yunomi-factory-direct.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 prepared as Usucha</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Prepared as Usucha</span></h3><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Dry Powder Amount:</strong> ca. 2g</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Water Amount:</strong> ca. 60ml</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Water Temperature:</strong> 70°C</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Type of Whisk:</strong> 120 thin pronged</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Preparation Method:</strong> traditional</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Whisking Action:</strong> rapid "w"-action</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Consistency:</strong> thin with plenty of froth</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A smooth and mildly bitter tasting Matcha with components of vegetal green notes but without any complexity through the palate.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A medium body.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The finish is short with a medium to intensely bitter aftertaste.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha froth" border="0" height="480" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_mQh8nbYx_8/VdYShWXLG6I/AAAAAAAAGlk/2IncAOPjc60/s912-Ic42/YUNOMI%252520Factory%252520Direct%2525E2%252584%2525A2%252520Organic%252520Matcha%252520Premium%252520G3%252520by%252520Yunomi_Froth%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Matcha froth(2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/matcha-review-yunomi-factory-direct.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Yunomi Factory Direct™: Organic Matcha Premium G3 (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"/></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yunomi’s Factory Direct Matcha froths up great</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Summary of the most important points:</span></h3><br /><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">private label product</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">spring harvest</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">shaded for 4 weeks</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">froths up easily</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">short finish</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">very <em>green</em> tasting</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">intended for Usucha and culinary delights</span></li></ul><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously, the greater the expectations, the greater the subsequent disappointment.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Declared as premium Matcha, Yunomi’s Factory Direct Matcha failed to live up to expectations: Bitter and not suitable for Koicha.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is recommend for culinary use and for daily drinking, which is contradictory to premium grade Matcha.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yunomi’s Factory Direct Matcha is suitable for everyday use. And stands out by its good froth-ability.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make a long story short, that's really all you need to know about this organically grown "<em>premium</em>" Matcha.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah, and what is missing, is the JAS-logo on the packaging.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:1.5em;">Do you prefer your daily Matcha on the sweet or vegetal side?</span></h4><br /><div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: Lustria, Georgia, 'URW Bookman L', serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.de/p/matcha-reviews.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Matcha Reviews</a><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.de/p/ceremonial-grade-matcha-by-yunomi.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Ceremonial Grade Matcha by Yunomi</a><span style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> | </span><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.de/p/tea-vendor-guide.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; border: 0px; color: #cc3333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 25.9200000762939px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.25s ease, margin 0.25s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Tea Vendor Guide</a></span></div></div></div>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-852774288714345262015-06-15T01:48:00.000+02:002015-11-23T19:53:58.933+01:00Heidesand with Matcha<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Recipe Browned Butter Shortbread Cookies with Matcha" border="0" itemprop="image" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UgG_jYexrFQ/VlM_Ql4iOmI/AAAAAAAAJmg/V5vJ1St63eE/s912-Ic42/Heidesand_Matcha%252520Variation.JPG" title="Browned Butter Shortbread Cookies with Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/heidesand-with-matcha.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Recipe: Heidesand with Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heidesand are traditional German browned butter shortbread cookies. And are nowadays baked in many contemporary variations and tastes.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was young I could find this sort of baked goods with chocolate-marbling now and then in the bakeries in my neighborhood. They were larger than the palm of my hand and so delicious.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The great thing about Matcha is that it can be used like cocoa powder.</span><br><br></div><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/heidesand-with-matcha.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-13902684089311552962015-06-07T18:11:00.000+02:002015-11-23T19:57:05.254+01:00Matcha-O: Matcha with Orange juice<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Recipe 抹茶オレンジ" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Vz98YVpxrYw/VlNA6Q-hPWI/AAAAAAAAJnU/kpRsCYMABOA/s912-Ic42/Matcha-O_Matcha%252520with%252520Orange%252520juice.JPG" title="抹茶オレンジ (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/matcha-o-matcha-with-orange-juice.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Recipe: Matcha-O: Matcha with Orange juice (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><br><span itemprop="description" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mixing orange juice with Matcha powder has long been a popular way to enjoy food grade Matcha.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why is it necessary to write another blog-post about this easy recipe?</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Simply this:</em> The contrast between the yellow colored orange juice and the bright green color of Matcha tea is very pleasing to the eye.</span><br><br></div><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/matcha-o-matcha-with-orange-juice.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-84146639942079455062015-06-03T11:47:00.000+02:002015-11-23T19:56:22.755+01:00Iced Matcha Lemonade<div itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Recipe Iced Matcha Lemonade" border="0" itemprop="image" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--juWMMoxur4/VlM_7AxsuqI/AAAAAAAAJm4/bVnLgBpfqWA/s912-Ic42/Matcha%252520Lemon%252520Tea.JPG" title="cool and refreshing: Iced Matcha Lemonade (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/iced-matcha-lemonade.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Recipe: Iced Matcha Lemonade (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Summer is on its way - time to enjoy delicious lemonade with Matcha, which is super simple to prepare and very refreshing.</span><br><br></div><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/06/iced-matcha-lemonade.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-25991533684635408482015-05-24T19:26:00.000+02:002015-09-10T19:08:23.351+02:00Matcha Review: Iwai no Mukashi by Kaburagien<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Review Iwai no Mukashi by Kaburagien" border="0" height="544" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PP49dmU0jmM/VdZ70EYcAkI/AAAAAAAAGtU/x9XDUMYonMc/s720-Ic42/Iwai%252520no%252520Mukashi%252520by%252520Kaburagien%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.JPG" title="Iwai no Mukashi by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/05/iwai-no-mukashi-by-kaburagien.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Iwai no Mukashi by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><h4 style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello Matcha Friends, </span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's Matcha Review will focus on one of the four best Matcha from Kaburagien.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iwai no Mukashi is the most economical entry into Kaburagien's world of premium Matcha teas. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's take a closer look.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/05/iwai-no-mukashi-by-kaburagien.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-46884933350511861232015-05-23T00:16:00.000+02:002015-12-24T23:34:14.066+01:00Test your Eyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="High vs Low Quality Matcha" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nA4WtVEzIeI/VhjTM9J32ZI/AAAAAAAAJNQ/W2_NcBuJKwE/s912-Ic42/Iwai%252520vs%252520Kumo%2525201.JPG" title="High vs Low Quality Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/05/test-your-eyes.html" data-pin-description="Test your Eyes (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No other tea has recently been compared so often with itself. And most pictures show significant differences in color, as is clearly shown <a href="http://www.matchaorganictea.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/IMG_1398.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> in the picture from the <a href="http://www.matchaorganictea.com/high-quality-matcha-vs-low-quality-matcha/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">High Quality Matcha vs. Low Quality Matcha</a>-Article by Aiya..</span></div><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, there are not always such major differences in color, especially not when comparing Japanese Matcha.</span><br><br><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/05/test-your-eyes.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-7894599654310092692015-05-14T16:47:00.000+02:002015-08-27T18:20:07.470+02:00Matcha Review: Kumo no Shiro by Kaburagien<div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Review Kumo no Shiro by Kaburagien" border="0" height="506" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IZR1z6foFck/VdaEUBYMEXI/AAAAAAAAGx8/9N8vcpByLpQ/s912-Ic42/Kumo%252520no%252520Shiro%252520by%252520Kaburagien%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.jpg" title="Kumo no Shiro by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/05/matcha-review-kumo-no-shiro-by.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Kumo no Shiro by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><br><h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello Matcha Friends,</span></h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my opinion the two lowest ceremonial grades by Kaburagien are unsuitable for the pure Matcha pleasure. That is why I just use Kumo no Shiro for baking and cooking.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But for the sake of completeness I prepared Kumo no Shiro as Usucha and in the end I wasn't surprised by its taste profile either.</span><br><br><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/05/matcha-review-kumo-no-shiro-by.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-11046785322732417282015-05-10T12:40:00.000+02:002015-11-23T19:55:42.687+01:00Meringue with Matcha<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Recipe Meringue with Matcha" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Gb1lfSxBE6U/VlNB14JSllI/AAAAAAAAJnw/57bn07l4BnY/s912-Ic42/Meringue%252520with%252520Matcha%252520powder.JPG" title="Meringue with Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/05/meringue-with-matcha.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Recipe: Meringue with Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love sweets, but sweets with Matcha I love even more.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br>Unfortunately it is impossible to import all the delicious Matcha sweets from Japan because of customs regulations and postal service.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br>That's why it comes down to this: homemade Matcha sweets.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br>Meringue is one of my favorite recipes. It is simple, delicious and adorable.</span><br><br></div><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/05/meringue-with-matcha.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-64802948316874769512015-04-14T09:16:00.000+02:002015-09-10T19:09:35.454+02:00Matcha Review: Ureshino Kamairi Matcha by Chakouan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Review Ureshino Kamairi Matcha by Chakouan" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GLkOWmcg0KA/VdbMDDuflnI/AAAAAAAAG4A/ZtBLADhve3k/s900-Ic42/Ureshino%252520Kamairi%252520Matcha%252520by%252520Chakouan%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.JPG" height="508" title="Ureshino Kamairi Matcha by Chakouan (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/04/matcha-review-ureshino-kamairi-matcha.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Ureshino Kamairi Matcha by Chakouan (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello Matcha Friends, </span></h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were considerably differing opinions on whether this </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">unique</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matcha</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was a good buy, a bad buy or just a matter of taste.</span><br><br><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/04/matcha-review-ureshino-kamairi-matcha.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-65102981703108363782015-04-08T13:34:00.000+02:002015-10-25T21:35:39.787+01:00Blending - The most important step in the processing of Matcha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Blending Tencha" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8znfXoAIG3Q/VhmadylojXI/AAAAAAAAJOc/hrEZyydq5yQ/s912-Ic42/The%252520blending%252520of%252520Matcha.jpg" title="Blending Tencha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/04/blending-most-important-step-in.html" data-pin-description="Blending - The most important step in the processing of Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As has already briefly being mentioned in the article about the<a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.de/2015/01/growing-processing-and-production-of.html" target="_blank"> production of Matcha</a>, different kinds of Tencha leaves are blended to create well-balanced Matcha.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With this post I'm going to shed some light on the details about why and how Matcha is blended.</span><br><br><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/04/blending-most-important-step-in.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-46448444591646083702015-03-18T21:49:00.000+01:002015-08-21T11:15:31.730+02:00Matcha Review: Cha Ginza: Matcha Silver by Uogashi Meicha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Review Cha Ginza: Matcha Silver by Uogashi Meicha" border="0" height="372" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yPjCKx_bPo4/VdbpLmu03yI/AAAAAAAAHAI/5Lr6op16w3c/s900-Ic42/Matcha%252520Silver%252520by%252520Uogashi%252520Meicha%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.JPG" title="Cha Ginza: Matcha Silver by Uogashi Meicha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/03/matcha-review-cha-ginza-matcha-silver.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Cha Ginza: Matcha Silver by Uogashi Meicha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><br><h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello Matcha Friends,</span></h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is sometimes difficult to choose a Matcha from all stored Matcha tins in the freezer.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this time I went to the freezer and reached out for a Matcha tin with closed eyes. I grabbed Matcha Silver by Uogashi Meicha.</span><br><br><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/03/matcha-review-cha-ginza-matcha-silver.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-58533190663726581852015-03-12T18:50:00.000+01:002015-11-23T19:54:37.530+01:00The Taste of Japanese Spring<div itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Recipe"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Recipe Spring Matcha" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eYmPUVWVtQo/VlM8y2a-0GI/AAAAAAAAJmA/1GRjGytLVdg/s912-Ic42/pickled%252520Spring%252520Matcha.jpg" title="Spring Matcha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="https://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-taste-of-japanese-spring.html" data-pin-description="Matcha Recipe: The Taste of Japanese Spring (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></span></div><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The crocuses fought their way through the cold earth into the daylight and are already in blossom. And even when it is still cold outside early in the morning, it feels like spring has finally arrived.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to the calendar, spring does not begin until March 20. Well, but that's a week tomorrow.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The winter was very mild here in the northern parts of Germany but I am also pleased that, the days are becoming longer and the sun is out again.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With spring just around the corner, the selling of spring Matcha has already started. But why not welcome the spring with a self-made spring Matcha?</span><br><br></div><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-taste-of-japanese-spring.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-7430750909577538832015-03-02T21:22:00.000+01:002015-10-14T20:04:56.985+02:00Matcha Review: Shokei by Ippodo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Review Special New Year's Matcha Shokei by Ippodo" border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Special New Year's Shokei by Ippodo (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/03/matcha-review-shokei-by-ippodo.html" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oklkssDfFf0/Vhg3ElKzyPI/AAAAAAAAJLY/A9IEss7f0OM/s912-Ic42/Special%252520New%252520Year%252527s%252520Matcha%252520Shokei%252520by%252520Ippodo.JPG" title="Special New Year's Matcha Shokei by Ippodo (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>"A year is the orbital period of the Earth moving in its orbit around the Sun.<br>For an observer on the Earth, this corresponds to the period it takes the Sun to complete one course throughout the zodiac along the ecliptic."</em> <strong>Source:</strong> Year. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year (Retrieved 17.08.2015)</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br>The isolation of the many different cultures in remote times has created different calendars and some of them are still used nowadays.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br>In February we have entered the Year of the Sheep according to the Chinese zodiac calendar.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br>And already last year in the middle of December, the sale of Ippodo's New Year's Matcha teas began.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br>Besides Ippodo's standard label, the New Year's Matcha is also available with a cute sheep label.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br>Read on to find out if this Matcha was a good choice to welcome the Year of the Sheep.</span><br><br><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/03/matcha-review-shokei-by-ippodo.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-88677374241709379542015-02-19T00:06:00.000+01:002015-10-11T17:49:57.616+02:00Matcha Review: Gracious of the Court (2014) by Kaburagien<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Matcha Review Gracious of the Court (2014) by Kaburagien" border="0" data-pin-description="Matcha Review: Gracious of the Court (2014) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/02/matcha-review-gracious-of-court-2014-by.html" height="526" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TkMuXu8Aizs/Vdb6iHUeRVI/AAAAAAAAHH8/FIwc6mbRQ8g/s800-Ic42/Gracious%252520of%252520the%252520Court_2014_by%252520Kaburagien%252520copyrighted%252520by%252520Stefanie%252520Ohnesorge.JPG" title="Gracious of the Court (2014) by Kaburagien (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640"></span></div><br><h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello Matcha Friends,</span></h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact, even though, the raw material for this Matcha was an award-winning Tencha, the flavor wasn't outstanding.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This shows once again, that the taste of Matcha depends on so many different factors.</span><br><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/02/matcha-review-gracious-of-court-2014-by.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3300950600741395.post-4010058955255595102015-02-11T06:02:00.000+01:002018-03-11T09:02:57.625+01:00Preparing Usucha<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="A bowl of Usucha" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IFtsjyDSOEc/Vhg7iQx8PSI/AAAAAAAAJMg/4mqnzqGj6SQ/s912-Ic42/Preparing%252520Usucha.JPG" title="A delicious bowl of Usucha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)" width="640" data-pin-url="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/02/preparing-usucha.html" data-pin-description="Preparing Usucha (2015 © A Matcha Enthusiast's Diary)"></div><br><h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello Matcha Friends,</span></h4><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Usucha can be prepared in many ways: In a traditional way with a bamboo whisk, in a modern style with a milk frother or as a combination of the two with a <a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.de/2014/12/goodbye-milk-frother-hello-charaku.html" target="_blank">Charaku</a>.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below three</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> different methods for preparing a bowl of Usucha with a Chasen will be explored.</span><br><br><a href="http://matchaenthusiast.blogspot.com/2015/02/preparing-usucha.html#more">Read more »</a>Oca Ocanihttps://plus.google.com/104213592898596284903noreply@blogger.com0