Calling all matcha drinkers!

(Stickin' with mammoth) #21

Ha! I’m learning new words today. I just got done practicing pronouncing “mamilhapinatapai.” It may need more work.

(jilliangordona) #22

I will have to try this! I don’t do dairy anymore so I need something to replace my beloved HWC

#23

Ha, indeed! I have very low-brow tastes, too, so we’ll see if can meaningfully tell and appreciate the differences. I’m always game to try something once, within reason, though $30+ on a tea product I never tried is a little much. That being said, I think of all the money I’m not spending on snacks, diet sodas, dining out (as much), desserts, beers, pizza, Chinese food, etc., that I tend to go easy on myself when I want to buy something like this (or Pili nuts…! :money_mouth_face: )

(Meeping up the Science!) #24

Skip the tea tools online and buy from your local Asian store instead - they will be 1/2 the price as online. A cheap frother works fine too.

Sometimes green teas have a wide variation in their heavy metal content. Normally the way it’s traditionally ingested means this isn’t an issue - matcha is usually drunk in very small amounts. I would probably not drink huge amounts daily. A cup or two is fine. Culinary grade in general is decent, I’d argue. It’s typically more bitter/tannin-esque, while ceremonial is more sweet. The ceremonial grade is specifically for chadō, when you are contemplating the pure nature of loads of stuff. The tea itself is a meditation. For everything else… eh. I am not impressed by it for daily drinking.

Also, avoid it at Starbucks as was mentioned, as their matcha only comes blended with a crapload of sugar. It also has waaaay too much matcha in it, and while I liked it years back, the first time I participated in a formal tea ceremony I was blown away by the difference. It is definitely much tastier in smaller amounts.

#25

Good stuff, @Donna. How would you recommend drinking it, based on your experience? (i.e., how much, cold/hot, etc.) I’ll likely try drinking this once a day instead of coffee in the morning, probably on the way to work. So, no meditation cushion! :grin:

(Meeping up the Science!) #26

Lately I just use 1/2 tsp, but I think it was two scoops with the small traditional “J” shaped scoop. I also use a frother now. It’s not as textured with a frother as a whisk. I do prefer ceremonial grade for plain drinking by a long shot. The culinary grade is quite astringent which isn’t necessarily bad, but it tastes just exactly like Starbucks heavy latte matcha.

Ceremonial matcha is…different. It tastes sweet and green, because it has huge amounts of L-Theanine in it. It should taste vegetal and not terribly bitter. I’m not sure how else to describe it. It’s definitely acquired to drink on its own, but it is satisfying in an odd way, too.

Culinary is usually a more golden color. Culinary is great for lattes or any other drink where you don’t want to taste just the matcha. The ceremonial grade is totally wasted on lattes, because the dairy and added sweetener masks the subtle flavors. I’ve never had ceremonial cold, but culinary cold with dariy makes a pretty awesome iced latte.

You could prolly do fine with culinary hot, too, even without dairy, particularly if you like super bitter/astringent stuff.

Culinary is also amazing with avocado and also in lemonade. Could probably recreate the latter with some crystal light. I also used to make panna cotta with it. It is a great savory ingredient, too. I used to roast chicken with it.

#27

Wonderful! Thank you very much for such detailed help. I’m going to start hot first to see if I can replicate a coffee routine. I’m not a big cream person and don’t use any sweeteners, so we shall see. I’ll start with the culinary grade first and go from there. It should be here sometime this week. :sunglasses:

(Doug) #28

:smile: I bought a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue for a scotch-loving brother-in-law, ten years ago. He said it was really excellent; it did nothing at all for me.

(Stickin' with mammoth) #29

I had the pleasure of attending a formal Johnny Walker tasting event in downtown Denver many moons ago. White tablecloths, fancy hors d’ oeuvres, the who’s who of Denver milling about, lying to one another while getting tipsy, the usual deal. We were seated in a great hall at long, elegantly set tables and an elderly gentlemen paced back and forth above us on a stage in a kilt (thank goodness the stage wasn’t set too high) and lectured us on the wheres, whys, and hows of four different labels of Johnny Walker as we sipped them each in turn from tiny stemware set strategically on a place mat map of Scotland.

I learned the stuff made near the coastlines was more sharp and peppery and that explained why I’d always hated Red Label. The stuff from the inland peat bogs had smoky, vanilla notes and that’s why I’d settled squarely on Black Label. I also learned you gotta pound those hors d’ oeuvres beforehand or you’ll get wicked drunk at these things. Frankly, the higher up the price range scotch went, the less interested I became. I didn’t need fourteen flavor notes to pick apart and debate, I just liked one good, smooth glass on the rocks.

(sigh) It was all for naught. After going keto, I can only tolerate silver rum. But I still like a Scottish accent.

(Tammy Watson) #30

I suspect I have the cheaper grade but it’s still lovely!
I make a kinda bulletproof matcha turmeric latte…

Matcha, turmeric, cinnamon, good salt, black pepper, butter and brain octane oil… add hot, but not boiling water and whizz it.
Probably a terrible sacrilage to the matcha but I love the taste.
:blush:

(Meeping up the Science!) #31

This one’s for you, @Aqua_chonk

(Jacquelyn Graham) #32

Laphroaig for the peaty, vanilla-y whiskey for me and Oban when I want a smooth, sipping whiskey. Usquebaugh drinker for life. :wink:

(Stickin' with mammoth) #33

Matcha update: As it is a suspension of particles rather than a steeped beverage, you really have to drink this stuff quickly or the green goodness all settles to the bottom. Also, it’s better served very warm rather than hot like coffee because the flavors are more subtle.

(Doodler for @KetoKailey) #34

So happy to find this thread. Ujido Matcha at Costco is a very good deal!

(sue) #35

i like mixing some matcha powder with mascarpone cheese and sweetener :slight_smile: absolutely delicious

(Doodler for @KetoKailey) #36

For me, with cashew milk and butter. Gave up coffee and HWC earlier this week.