Organic Yame Matcha from Yuuki-cha in Japan
From the cultivators Okuyutaka & Yabukita comes 1st harvest Matcha out of Yame, Fukuoka, Japan. Here is what their website says about Organic Yame Matcha:
“If you’re looking for a great tasting affordable matcha, or an alternative to matcha from Kyoto, look no further! This organic matcha green tea from Yame provides a tasty, vibrant, and aromatic bowl of matcha! Okuyutaka, the main breed used in this organic matcha, produces the creamy mellow mouth-feel and excellent appetising aromas, while the addition of Yabukita breed adds a touch of richness. A wonderful organic matcha cultivated on the one farm in Yame, Fukuoka, Japan!”
One of the interesting things about Yuuki-cha is that they package their Matcha in 50 gram bags instead of 40 or 29. (There are 28.35 grams in 1 ounce by the way.)
So, you are getting over an ounce and a half for the money. Consider this when you look at their prices. Right now Yame Matcha is $13.60 USD on the website, so add $2.00 shipping as usual per item and you are looking at about $16.00 for 50 g. Again this beats the pants off of most all other Matcha that you will find imported for you then repackaged with the mandatory $20-30 tacked on. It will be fresher as well. Often times I will not be able to get the particular tea that I want from this place because they will sell out between grindings. So, quiet… It’s our little secret OK?
Another great thing about Yuuki-cha for those of you that are rightfully paranoid about radiation, chemicals, fertilizer, and overall nasty junk that may be going into your body is that they provide certificates of both the organic nature and the levels of radiation for their teas.
Here are growing area’s furthest away from the March 11, 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
It still is like asking to sit in the “non-smoking” section of a restaurant that allows smoking if you ask me, but if you want to at least get tea furthest away from Fukushima pick the prefectures in western Japan. I usually do this when I can. I also have tested my teas with a home use Geiger counter and have never found any appreciable levels. Every time we have a man-made disaster like this the whole planet is effected. There is no real containment area. America simply raised the allowable levels of radiation found in our U.S. produced milk when this happened in Japan.
The Review:
Cocoa Powder. I can clearly remember the very first time I opened the purple pouch from Yuuki-cha of Yame Matcha. It was about one year ago from this very time of writing I opened up the bag, took a deep breath in and said, “wow.” Then Rachel smelled it and said, “wow.” Then Owen Wilson popped his head in and said, “wow.” Seriously though, this was the first Matcha that really made an impression on me and remains one of my absolute all time favorites. It has a pervasive initial smell of powdered cocoa. I now believe that a lot of good quality Matcha has a chocolaty aroma to it when you first smell the powder, but this was the very first time I had ever detected this note in Matcha. After the chocolate notes come a definite gyokuro tea aroma like you just made an iron kettle full. It is a beautiful bright green like a light shade of emerald in color and has a delicate sweet and mellow aftertaste.
Yame Matcha is also very creamy with a nice solid froth that never gets bitter in the least even after sitting awhile in the bowl. 2-3 grams always provides an easy to whisk latte-like head in the Chawan.
Souce: www.dailyo.in
Any bitterness is more akin to the mildest taste of walnuts after you have eaten a handful. But only in the very slightest hint of that walnut skin mouth feel. The greenness is there like summer grass that has been cut just a few minutes earlier. It is a liquid green note however, not as dry as the walnut reference may lead you to think of.
Yuuki-cha also has some of the coolest Matcha tea ware out there as well. I plan on reviewing some of these later on.