Tag: Matcha

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Whisk Premium Matcha’s Everyday

Everyday by Whisk Premium Matcha
Green Tea (Matcha) / Straight
$25.00 for 30g

First Impressions

Everyday was a purchase from the Vancouver Tea Festival, and I somehow haven’t talked about it yet (!). It was the matcha that was ‘on tap’ at their table for samples, and I loved it so much that I ended up buying a bag to take home. And honestly, at that point the idea of whisking it up at home gave me a sense of anxiety because it’s a) not an inexpensive matcha, and b) what did I know about whisking matcha anyways? Nevertheless, I’ve gained some whisking experience since then and here we are.

Everyday is a first harvest matcha, it comes in a sealed, resealable pouch with some information on the front and the back of the packaging. Everyday is described as being a first harvest matcha that comes from family-run tea farms in Uji, Kyoto, Japan. This is a 100% pure organic matcha. The powder itself is a nice bright, spring green colour. I find it has a bit of a light grassy aroma to it.

Preparation

If you need any matcha preparation tips, Whisk Premium Matcha provides information on their website that I find to be highly informative. (I also go through it a bit on One More Steep as well, but in less technical detail.)

I sifted 2 teaspoons worth of Everyday into my matcha bowl and poured in 175°F (79°C) water. I whisked it using a bamboo whisk, using a W motion back and forth until a thin layer of bubbles frothed up on top.

First Taste

Everyday whisks up to a light green layer of bubbles, followed by a dark, almost hunter-green matcha. I found the aroma to be grassy and floral. The flavour was a pleasant mix of umami, grassy, and vegetal notes that remind me of asparagus. There is a slight bitterness to it, but I don’t find it off-putting because it balances well against the other flavour notes.

A Second Cup?

No second cups because matcha is a suspension.

My Overall Impression

I loved Whisk Premium Matcha’s Everyday. I can definitely see why it’s a fan favourite. Everyday has a lovely flavour profile in an affordable matcha while coming from organic farming practices that Kimmy (the owner of Whisk Premium Matcha) can trace back to specific family-run tea farms. I quite enjoy it, and I’ve also had this matcha both straight and mixed up in a latte (which was also delicious, and a great way to temper down the bitterness if you’re not fond of that aspect of matcha).

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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DavidsTea’s Matcha Matsu

Matcha Matsu by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Straight
$17.98 for 50g

First Impressions

Another Monday, another matcha! It’s been making for a great regular cup of matcha at home, and this was a matcha from the Matcha Discovery Kit previously mentioned. The matcha comes in a coloured foil pouch that’s sealed, and resealable. Surprisingly, this isn’t a matcha I haven’t tried yet from DavidsTea because I feel like I’ve needed to try them all.

Matcha Matsu has a pistachio green colour, with a light grassy aroma. The matcha comes from Nishio, Japan. I do like the colour, and think it’s a lovely shade.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends whisking Matcha Matsu in 75°C (170°F) water. I opted to have this drink hot, and used my variable temperature kettle to heat the water to 175°F and allowing the water to cool for a few minutes prior to whisking (and the matcha was sifted prior to whisking!).

First Taste

Matcha Matsu whisks easily and is a bright green colour. The matcha whisks up an easy layer of bubbles on top of the matcha. There’s some grassy and umami notes, with bitter undertones with each sip that lingers. The salty-umami flavour is stronger than the grassy notes, but the bitterness can be a bit overwhelming compared to the rest of the flavour profile.

A Second Cup?

No second steepings with matcha!

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Matcha Matsu was just okay. I just found it to be more bitter than I had hoped. It might be a good matcha option if you’re looking to make up a cup of matcha latte because some sweetener and frothed milk would help temper and cover up those bitter notes from the straight matcha (this is likely how I’ll use up the rest of the matcha!). But for those who enjoy the bitter qualities of matcha, you might like this one. The grassy notes are pleasant, but the bitter notes need to be toned down for me.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

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DavidsTea’s Vanilla Matcha

Vanilla Matcha by DavidsTea
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$9.98 for 50g

First Impressions

What’s this? Another matcha post on a Monday? I’m impressing even myself! This week’s #matchamonday review is DavidsTea’s Vanilla Matcha, which is a flavoured matcha drink mix that came in the Matcha Discovery Kit (first discussed in my review of Pumpkin Pie Matcha). In a familiar green-tone foil pouch (it comes sealed, and is resealable!) with the information about the ingredients and steeping instructions on the back.

Vanilla Matcha has a bit of a dull olive-ish sheen to it. The aroma is primarily that of vanilla. The packaging mentions that there is coconut in it somewhere, but I don’t smell anything that reminds me of coconut. Vanilla Matcha consists of: coconut nectar, matcha green tea, and natural vanilla flavouring.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends whisking Vanilla Matcha in 85°C (185°F) water. I opted to follow the preparation instructions.

First Taste

Vanilla Matcha whisks to a bit of a dark green. It’s not as bright as I’m used to when it comes to matcha, but nonetheless it has a strong vanilla aroma to it. The taste of the matcha is primarily vanilla and sweet. I don’t really taste coconut still, and the flavour has a bit of grassy quality to it. The tea is was smooth, and the flavour is pleasant. I find that the vanilla and sweetness overpowers the grassy notes from the matcha base.

A Second Cup?

As matcha is a suspension and all of it is drunk on the first go-around, there are no second cups.

My Overall Impression

I thought that DavidsTea’s Vanilla Matcha was just okay. There was just something about it that didn’t speak to me as a personal preference. While I found the sweetness and the vanilla flavour was good, I wasn’t that fond of the grassy qualities in the blend because the vanilla flavour overwhelms the matcha base and it wasn’t the most enjoyable. I can see this blending easily as an iced matcha latte and it did whisk easily, so using a blender bottle would be easy if you were making matcha on the go.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.