OK. @Ikioi, I’m going to go to Tokyo this summer. Where should I get some? Consider that I will have two not super well-behaved children with me.
Do you want to experience the tea ceremony or simply drink some good matcha in a casual setting?
The latter, I think. Didn’t even consider tea ceremony. Do they just have those on the reg for tourists who show up? Is that a worthwhile experience? You think a typical 8 and 10 year old could sit through it without ruining it for everyone else there?
You might wanna try something with matcha in it first before shotgunning straight koicha in Japan for the first time lol. To put it mildly, it’s an acquired taste.
I’ve had matcha flavored Kit Kat. Does that count? It was fine, but I prefer the traditional chocolate.
I’ve only had matcha Meltykiss and not Kit-Kat but it’s only like 10% of the intensity if that. Maybe try a green tea latte next, and if you don’t like that then chances are you aren’t going to like pure matcha. There are a lot of videos on YT and TikTok of Basic Karens saying “oh I love matcha” and then turns out it’s matcha frappucinos with tons of milk and sugar, and when they finally try straight matcha they barf. It’s basically umami flavor turned up to 11.
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The tea ceremony is NOT recommended for small kids, and can even be quite tedious for adults. And moreover, the matcha used for tourist-oriented tea ceremonies isn’t always the best. So maybe skip the tea ceremony. I’ve taken part in a few and even learned it when I was an exchange student, but they’re more exhausting than enjoyable IMO.
As for places to enjoy matcha, you have options. For starters, matcha-flavored cafe drinks and sweets are everywhere. If you’re flying into Haneda, there’s a good Itoen cafe right there:
Another good option is Nana’s Green Tea, which is a chain with shops all over. Here’s a menu to give you an idea.
Another cool option is you’re in the area is Nanaya just beyond the famous Sensoji temple. This place serves straight matcha but is famous for its matcha gelato with 7 intensity levels. Always a fun place to visit.
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Thanks, that’s great. I’m sure I’ll be spamming you with plenty of Japan-related questions in the coming months.
All right, I’ll try some before I go. I do love umami flavor, but I’m not a huge fan of standard green tea.
Happy to help where I can.
If this is the case you may want to start with some sweetened cafe drinks before you attempt the straight stuff. It can be an acquired taste.
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Thanks!
This is getting to be quite the project. I think I’ll try one USA#1 sweetened matcha drink. I’ll be in LA next week so there has to be a decent option there. Regardless of how much I like it, I’ll get one cup straight up in Tokyo.
There’s a Klatch in Terminal 7 at LAX. Dunno if they’d have the matcha latte there but it seems to be a standard drink at their other B&M locations. Of course, just about any Slavebucks in America can make you one. I’ve had it and would say it’s a decent indicator of the flavor profile to expect while taking some of the edge off with the sugar and steamed milk.
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I won’t be using LAX, but it looks like there are a number Klatches around so, maybe I’ll give that a shot. Starbucks if that fails.
In that case, just go to wherever is most convenient. Klatch uses Rishi matcha but it’s sweetened just like whatever Starbucks is using, which is probably lower grade but it’s sort of like differences in well liquors you’d never drink straight.
I’ve noticed a marked difference in quality between Starbucks matcha lattes I’ve had in the U.S. and those in Japan. That said, I’ve had some decent matcha lattes at various cafes in the U.S.
Nowadays, 99% of my matcha consumption happens at home. Just matcha and water, nothing else added. And paired with a good single-origin dark chocolate.
Little Tokyo has a couple matcha cafes.
I get this at Costco. It’s not fancy but is a good starter matcha.
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Not sure we’ll actually spend much time in LA proper, but I guess Little Toyko seems as good a place as any.
I’m sure the Costco stuff is solid, but 225 servings seems like bit too much of a commitment.
The Costco matcha is what is known as culinary matcha. It’ fine when combining it with lots of sugar but on its own it’ll taste awful.
Had matcha at a Japanese restaurant in Prague.
Not a fan. Love Japanese food but they can keep that one.
This is Happy Mug’s ceremonial matcha which is really cheap ($18 / 100g). Not sure if this is first flush but probably not given price (says early harvest). Got a nice creamy foam preparing as usucha. No chawan currently so had to make it in a bowl then transfer to cup which isn’t ideal. It’s fairly smooth overall, especially the foam and initial mouthfeel, but then reveals its bitterness more in the finish which is where I suspect the S tier matchas would really shine. This isn’t bad though and I’ve definitely paid much more for lower quality in the past. It’s been a while since I’ve had matcha, so I’ll establish my baseline with this bag and then try one of the highly-touted super premium cultivars next.