Green Tea

[sharpeslass]

I picked up some matcha powder at the asian grocery over the weekend but am having ratio issues. All the instructions are in an asian language which I do not read. Does anyone have tips on the water/powder ratio or tricks to proper mixing?

Comments

[sharpeslass]

I am trying to make green tea, yes. You have to make a paste first? My first pot was muddy and swamp like...

[jinxaire]

I think the paste she's referring to is if you don't have the bamboo whisk (chasen). They recommend the paste if you don't have a chasen so you're less likely to get lumps.

[jinxaire]

If this is the brand you bought, I doubt you'll ever get it to not taste swamp-like. If this is the same brand you have, save it for baking or sprinkling on ice cream and find yourself a better one.

[sharpeslass]

A tablespoon is too much for a pot with this brand!!

[jinxaire]

Good luck! I bought a little matcha kit last month and found it tasty with the little bit of tea they included, but when it ran out and I picked up a can from the Japanese grocery, the new can was clearly an inferior brand. It was much more bitter and and almost seaweedy.

I ended up buying a different brand online because I was spoiled from the tea they included in my starter kit.

[jinxaire]

From the DoMatcha site:

Using a traditional bamboo whisk:
Put ½-1 teaspoon of DōMatcha™ in a large cup or a drinking bowl and add a small amount of hot water. Whisk in a quick, light zig-zag motion until a layer of green froth appears on the surface. Add more water if desired. DōMatcha™ can be used for ‘thin’ or ‘thick’ Matcha.

Using a spoon:
Simply blend ½-1 teaspoon of DōMatcha™ and a small amount of hot water with a spoon to make a smooth paste. Add more water and sweetener as desired.

The ideal water temperature for DōMatcha™ is between 65 and 85 degrees Celsius.

***Most sites I visited said about 70-80 degrees C was best. Boiling water is too hot and will make your tea bitter.

If you have a tea sifter, use it to prevent clumps in your tea.

[sharpeslass]

Thanks. What I made wasn't at all bitter, it was just a bit too murky looking. I diluted it down a bunch and it did taste a lot like the tea at the restaurant I was talking about but with maybe a slightly more seaweedy smell...

[7veilsphaedra]

It's a different growing method. Green tea which is grown under special row covers which protect it from UV rays is not bitter. Green tea which grows out in the open is. I'm not sure what the different names are for these two distinct types of green tea.

[biggshowprod]

Trader Joe's (the home of all wordly goods and needs) has a matcha powder. Maybe try there? Of course, so far as green tea goes, I usually just go with their unsweetened bottled stuff. I'm a Phillistine.

[sharpeslass]

I looked there and couldn't find it. I'll look again. I found a "matcha tea" at world market, but it was tea bags.