Ceremonial Matcha - Yū (excellence)
Ceremonial grade matcha for enjoying as a morning wake-me-up drink, or with sweets in the afternoon. Sourced from the famed Uji tea region in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The name of this ceremonial grade blend is Yū (優 - meaning "excellence" in Japanese). It is an A-grade ceremonial matcha and is ideal for a light matcha drink, using a small bamboo scoop of tea, or to prepare a darker matcha, using more than one large bamboo scoops of tea. Since it is smooth and flavourful, with very little bitterness, you can adjust the strength to your taste and you can use only water. This is ideal for a special private tea ceremony, or to introduce guests to the delightful taste of quality matcha.
- Packaging: Sealed in foil in a tin with lid
- Matcha contents: 30g
- Origin: Uji region, Kyoto prefecture
- Grade: A-grade ceremonial
- Cultivation: Conventional
Matcha is finely powdered green tea, which is mixed into water, as opposed to sencha, which is steeped and served without the leaves. This means that with matcha the whole tea leaf is consumed. Matcha requires careful cultivation and preparation techniques, including shade growing, hand picking, de-stemming and de-veining of the leaf, as well as fine grinding.
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How to prepare matcha:
- Scoop a small amount (the capacity of a bamboo scoop - 2g to 4g depending on personal preference) of matcha powder into a tea bowl or wide cup. Ensure it is wide enough to whisk the tea. To remove any clumps of powder, use a sieve to sift it.
- Pour 150ml of boiling water into a separate container to cool it down to 80°C.
- Once cooled, mix the water with the matcha and whisk vigorously, ideally using a chasen (bamboo whisk) using a zig-zag (W-shape) motion for up to 60 seconds, or until a fine froth has formed and the tea is bright green.
- Drink the matcha straight from the tea bowl or large cup.
- Matcha is wonderful when paired with something sweet - select your favourite small sweet snack as an accompaniment.
If you prefer matcha as a latte, start with making your matcha paste, then stir that into a bowl with hot milk and whisk as usual.
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TAKADA TEA HOUSE CHANOKA was established in 1900 by Tsunekiti Takada, who at the time established his first tea garden. Masahiro Takada, the current 4th generation tea master behind the family brand, was born and grew up in Uji, the birthplace of Japanese tea and continues to expand the family business to new markets.
The Takada family have dedicated their life towards growing and marketing innovative tea products. Not only does the family respect old traditions and ways of preparing Japanese tea, but it also actively seeks to introduce new types of tea products to incorporate into modern lifestyles. Using the highest quality tea remains a cornerstone of Takada Tea House Chanoka approach, to ensure each product offers something unique.