Thanks for the warm welcome
DC seems like a very friendly place!
Drinking matcha is one of those healthy 'I should do that' things that keeps getting forgotten about, so I'm grateful to have stumbled across Snip 13's post.
I think you're right roadfix, it's not thought of as your everyday household tea. I think I'll pick some up though and see if it makes a good replacement for my morning coffee ceremony
Michael
Much welcome Michael. I'm still newish myself, and I have found that this is a friendly place.
I'm gonna chime in here, just because I am kind of serious about tea, and I am kind of envious about your experience with matcha in Hiroshima. You got a chance to do a tea ceremony with a master of it? You can color me green with envy, I guess that is why it is green tea
.
So matcha is a very fine grade of Japan green tea, powdered and generally used for tea ceremonies. As Michael knows, preparation of tea with this is highly ritualistic, and structured.
I will say this, and I hope nobody takes umbrage and offense, but due to demand Japanese green teas are often far too expensive to buy. Most of the production is consumed in domestic demand, and you are paying an import premium.
And I know we were talking about health benefits, right? So I like Upton Teas in Massachusetts. I don't work for them or anything, but they have been my go-to tea people for like forever, and they somehow get the first and second flush Darjeeling before anyone else (that might be a different tea post).
I would suggest, if you are looking for a Japanese style green tea in the states, not spending an enormous amount of money for imported matcha, but looking in to a higher quality gunpowder green tea (called such as the tightly rolled leaves looked like gunpowder)
http://www.uptontea.com/store/
I tried to make a link to a particular page, but the link looked like a mess. If you go to Upton, and search 'gunpowder green' you will get a lovely range of teas, which at about ten bucks for 125 oz, are much more achievable than matcha powder.
We drink green tea all the time, and some of the cheaper, when we get it, even gets made into green iced tea. (which is really awesome, with a little bit of lime, and I should post the recipe).
My feeling is that matcha powder is designed for tea ceremony. And it tends to be rather pricey. If I'm gonna make a cup, I throw some gunpowder greens in the pot.
Anyway, as a two thermos (at work) or two 12 cup chatsford pot (at home) tea drinker, that is my thought.
Best,
TBS