As an omotesenke (Japanese tea ceremony) student, for comparison the whisking you are seeing is not at all like the ceremonial. We whisk at a 45 angle and most of the tines don’t touch the bowl much and definitely not pressed downward like you are seeing here. Also the goal is to have well mixed soup without a lot of foam. This way you have a very direct tasting of the actual tea. We also pass our whisks down from generation to generation so this kind of whisking here is really only for mass production matcha making and not part of the elegance and meditational practice of the traditional Japanese ceremony. As for taste, the same matcha can change taste from day to day, from brew temperature to temperature, and then of course changes depending on what you’ve had to eat previously (we usually have a little sweet beforehand) or even if you’ve had a previous matcha. So it’s definitely an interesting journey. My favorite matchas are very complex. When I first started I liked the smooth, nutty, sweet, but now that’s a little flat and boring. I like an adventure on my tongue with a multitude of layers. Lastly, some matchas are made for usucha only and some are made for koicha only and often do not cross over well at all. So the art of matcha making is quite refined, especially at the higher levels.
loved this...just like doing a coffee cupping is a great way to find the contrasts in flavours....has really amped up my respect for your great channel as well as my intrigue to investigate more matchas
Okay, you've convinced me to try out matcha. I, too, have only had "okay-ish" experiences with the stuff, mostly from Starbucks, so I'm really intrigued by the idea of a GOOD matcha. Thank you! Cheers!
Your Brother has an interesting grip technique with the whisk: The small and ring fingers are kind of on one side. And the index finger is on the opposing side. There's definitely some Matcha Kung-fu involved here, I'm sure!
Ah, Matcha. It took me a long time to actually try it. The tea is expensive, people tell you it is hard to make and will taste very bitter. I was then surprised when I tasted it the first time. It was bitter, yes, but also had some sweet taste and interesting texture.
High quality matcha is not bitter! I like Mei Leaf loose leaf teas but not their Matcha at all.I will continue to buy directly from a Kyoto based company
@@haikou3062 Yep, I must admit, I tried a medium quality Matcha. I did not want to spend a fortune on something I don't like. And that one had a slight bitterness. I have also, honestly, never ordered anything from Meileaf. Even though I was tempted quite a few times, I tend to prefer to buy the tea locally. I live in a harbour city which is a hub for coffee and tea so it is convenient to do that. Unfortunately, my tea dealer has closed due to health reasons :/...
