Good to Know: The Matcha - Achieving Zen
We have had this sudden interest of Matcha recently. It was something that really inspired me to research and eventually made the Matcha Crepe Cake that I shared with you almost a week ago.
Matcha Crepe Cake: Link
But despite knowing for a fact that it's green, it's yummy, and may have come from Japan. I am really unsure about all the other details about it. And so, this is the time for all of that, a time to get to know what Matcha is really about despite making food green and yummy.
The Matcha
If you guys don't know it yet, Matcha is a fine ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves. It's main purpose is really to enjoy it as tea and celebrating the calm or zen feeling that it gives with every sip. With that, the matcha tea can definitely be regarded as a way to cope with stress, giving you the peace of mind you need on a very troublesome day.
Here are some of the benefits you could get from matcha: Source
Grading System
While those are definitely true for matcha in general, they are actually being classified into different variants according to their quality. There currently are 3 grade qualities that matcha is currently placed into namely: Ceremonial Grade, Premium Grade and Culinary Grade.
• Ceremonial grade:
This is the highest quality used mainly in tea ceremonies and Buddhist temples. Ceremonial is characterized by subtle tones of “Umami”.
• Premium grade:
High quality matcha green tea that contains the full nutritional content which is considered as the best choice for daily consumption as it still contains the full range of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. This quality is characterized by a fresh, subtle flavour. Usually perfect for both new and everyday matcha drinkers alike.
• Culinary/Cooking grade:
Cheapest of all. A grade suitable for cooking purposes. You would be able to taste the slight bitter notes due to it, using leaves lower down on the green tea plant.
Judging from the price point and the bitter notes on the matcha powder we bought, I guess that really belonged to the Culinary Grade matcha which served right for its purpose - the crepe cake. But now that I have jumped into knowing the different qualities of matcha, I am dying to know what the ceremonial quality tastes like. Something we have yet to discover in the (hopefully) near future.
Must Make or Bake(For Me)
But before I get to have the chance to have the highest quality grade matcha, there are definitely other matcha desserts I've been wanting to try making. These are the top 2 I currently have on my list, hopefully something that is easy to make, even for a beginner like me.
1. Matcha Mochi
Definitely the first on my list is the Matcha Mochi. I just love looking at the Ooey Gooey Matcha Goodness in the mochi.
2. Matcha Tiramisu
Oftentimes, we are faced with very conflicted choices. One of those situations would be when you are going to have to choose between a cup of coffee or a cup of matcha tea. Why not choose one of those drinks and have a slice of matcha tiramisu and enjoy the best of both worlds?
Finish Line
This is definitely something I really learned a lot from, and am very very happy to share with all of you guys out there. But essentially, the roots with which my love for matcha came from was from something I just discovered not too long ago. Something that sparked the love that I have for matcha now. The humble kit-kat.
This was my very first encounter with matcha, and the one that started it all. I owe it to kit-kat for giving me the opportunity to dig deeper and understand the vast sophistication that envelops the world of matcha. Be that as it may, I will definitely try a premium matcha in a tea ceremony someday.
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Good
Absolutely love matcha green tea. The real stuff anyway :-) Thanks for sharing!
When you say the real stuff, this is the ceremonial tea quality ones right? I have yet to try those.
You are very much welcome, and I thank you for taking the time to read through this post.
Wow! Interesting explanation and promoting this Matcha... And to be honest, first time here about this Matcha...
I've only heard about this fairly recently as well. Somehow, it was love at first sight. Maybe you can get to try it sometime. It is usually available in Japanese convenience stores or groceries I believe.
Hi @newkidintown,
I love Matcha, but always look where to get good quality here in Germany.
Any advice?
To be honest, it is actually pretty difficult to find here in our place in Cebu, Philippines also. My first bet would really be to go to a local Japanese Supermarket or a Convenience store. It's a long shot, but still, there is a chance you'd find it there. Good luck! I hope you get some good matcha in your area.
I tried looking it up online and saw this : https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Matcha+Green+Tea+Powder&find_loc=Berlin
As well as this: https://marumatcha.com/pages/about-maru
I am not sure how they go in your area though, but again, Good Luck in your quest!
Cool 😎 and you know what? I travel to Berlin tomorrow evening.... ;-)
I never realized this has been 3 days already. Were you able to find your matcha in Berlin?
Nope, had to much work and then this accident with some beers from Australia but will be soon again in Berlin.