Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Chigi No Shiro Matcha


This tea is the third from the bottom from Marukyu-Koyamaen. One found these notes from Korea and thought they were worthy of a publish…

The powder smells green, fresh, and, well, quite typical for a newly opened can of matcha, not that one would ever get tired of that invigorating scent. Actually, when more time and a clearer mind is spent with this powder, a faint underpinning of berries and potato were detected- a weird combination indeed.

One whisks slow, faster, then slower once again. Ones eyes enjoy the resulting bubbly froth. This time the tea is exquisitely produced. When consumed it presents a creamy body under dry woodiness, very subtle berries. Bitter berries like wild American choke cherries. A mouthfeel is present that dries up the mouth and lips. A mild tart taste is left in the mouth. Very nice.

When this tea isn’t made as good, it flaunts greenness with a slight smokiness that is found in the lower grades of Marukyu-Koyamaen. These sensations interrupt its full fresh green tea taste.

If you’re up for the challenge, this tea can really impress.

Peace

6 comments:

Wojciech Bońkowski said...

Dear Matt,
thank you for this review.
Your deep respect for the tea is inspiring.
I read all your comments about Marukyu matchas on the blog, and was wondering whether you have any experience with their other teas (gyokuro, sencha) as I was considering placing an order with Marukyu.
Best wishes, Nerval

Matt said...

Nerval,

Marukyu matchas are by far the most popular matcha brand in Korea (and maybe Japan), that’s why you see so many reviews here on this blog. One has never even seen gyokuro or sencha from this company but would imagine the quality to be quite high.

Peace

Bret said...

What in the world is a "wild American coke cherry"? Ive never heard of them.

Matt said...

Bret,

Ahhh… ‘choke’ not ‘coke’. One patched in a wikipedia link to “wild American choke cherries” just for fun. One actually had some wild American choke cherry syrup on some pancakes a few days ago… Mmmmm.

There must be someone out there thinking, "That’s how they make Coca-Cola!”

Thanks for keeping one on their toes.

Peace

mangaka said...

Hi Matt!

So great to see a fellow Canadian tea lover blogging! I've recently started a blog as well here .

I'm new to matcha (and many other teas, having been mostly exposed to chinese greens only) and want to buy from Marukyu-koyamaen too. It seems like you've had so many pleasant experiences with their matcha. Is the ordering procedures simple enough? I'm wondering if you need to have a min/max order limit and if the shipping is reasonable to Canada?

Thanks for any insights! :)

Matt said...

Mangaka,

One has never ordered directly from MK but usually gets product shipped from friends in Korea.

Your new tea blog looks like a lot of fun.

Peace