Tasting Notes
Sweetness and umami in perfect balance - with notes of popcorn and cereal milk.
Equally good with whole or oat milk, served hot or cold. The natural sweetness of the green tea is intensified in the milk with a gentle, round and very comforting unami finish.
Quantity
Use 0.1oz (2 scoops with a traditional bamboo Chashaku spoon) of matcha per 4.5 fl oz of hot milk (2g per 125ml).
Temperature
For the optimum infusion use milk below 181°F (83°C). Using milk above the scalding point will affect the "foaminess" of the product.
Time
Make a fine paste with a splash of milk. Add the remaining milk and whisk vigorously in a M or W shape until a fine foam is created.
Cost Per Cup
This can also be enjoyed as an iced tea, using either milk or water.
We recommend whisking to a smooth paste with a little bit of your liquid first, and then topping up with the rest. Full extraction takes about 1 hour, use 3g per litre of liquid.
I know, I know, at first we were a bit dubious too. Do we need to grind our tea, or add milk? Aren't the Japanese purists and traditionalists?
Japan does, indeed, place a huge emphasis on tradition, but also innovation. Sumo and Walkmans. Electronics and Zen.
Across Japan matcha has expanded and exploded - from the temple and the interminable geisha ceremony to the coolest street cafes, and is now very much enjoyed with milk and dairy alternatives like oat, nut and and bean.
Japan
Wahoken Tea Garden
The garden is on the southern tip of Japan’s most southerly Kyushu island. The farm is around 100 hectares and run by Yasuhisa Horiguchi - a great innovator and lover of the soil. Like all our farmers he believes that best soil produces the best tea that is best for us.
However the use of pesticides and herbicides in the growing of tea for matcha is extremely common practice. The shading of the leaf that takes place before harvesting to increase the amino acids, including theanine, enhances the flavour inestimably - but also increases the prevalence of pests.
He began using natural pests to counter the leaf eaters. Then in 2014 Horiguchi-san witnessed a hurricane pass over the tea and found that it removed all the pests and their eggs. He was so inspired that he created his very own machine, using high pressure air and water – to remove pests without chemicals. He calls it “the Hurricane King”.
He checks the tea every day to assess the amount of bugs that eat the pests that eat the leaf, against the amounts of pests that eat the leaves.
If the bugs that eat the pest out number the pests, then he just lets the ecosystem do its thing.
When the number of pests that eat the leaves is higher he uses the Hurricane King to clear the leaf.
The result is natural, sustainable and delicious tea.
Chashaku Matcha Scoop
Add a little ceremony to your matcha by using a genuine Japanese matcha scoop to measure your matcha into the bowl.
Rosemary Wilkinson White Matcha Bowl
Stoneware and white glaze matcha bowl, with a painted indent, handmade in London, UK.
Each bowl has been designed and handmade so you can whisk your lovely, frothy matcha and drink straight from the bowl.
Chasen Matcha Whisk
Made out of a single piece of bamboo, this traditional Japanese whisk will allow you to effectively whisk matcha into to the perfect consistency.
