Review: Ippodo´s Matcha “Horai-no-mukashi”

Well, Matcha, right….i didn´t have any good Matcha for a long time, although my love for greens started with a matcha kit. The tea that came with it was Keiko´s “Kabuse No.1″ which i prepared totally wrong…and then was forgotten forever, in some kitchen cupboard.With my knowledge on tea growing and having had loads of sencha cups the past year, I brought the very same matcha back to live. Mmmh, not excactly, but i tried to. As you might figure, there wasn´t much going on any more…the tea was way too old…lacking mostly everything you´d normally expect it to taste like.

So i scraped my last pennies together and bought a new Matcha from Ippodo´s Webshop…recently i was kind of broke, having spent quite some money on two brilliantly handmade Raku Chawans. The only stuff i bought from Ippodo so far were some nice Senchas, and a Gyokuro tea i really liked.

Got to say it again, it´s so much fun ordering from Japan. Everything seems to be treated with a lot of care, beautifully wrapped…so many nice little details. And it´s even cheaper than buying my teas here.

Matcha “Horai-no-mukashi” is one of Ippodo´s Premium Quality teas.

Vendor description:

“For the matcha lover who likes a rich umami flavor with slightly less aftertaste, Horai-no-mukashii is a good choice. Attractively priced, this premium matcha is also an excellent choice for preparing the thicker koicha. This matcha was named by Jimyosai-sosho XIV, the grand master of the Omote-Senke family of tea masters.

This grade of matcha is the same as that used for Sayaka-no-mukashi, which was named by the Ura-Senke family of tea masters.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matcha preparation might seem tricky for beginners, maybe it is…but take your time…don´t rush, and you´ll succeed soon.

First thing i do, is to preheat my Chawan (bowl) and Chasen (whisk). Place some boiling water in your bowl and put the whisk in there. That helps the water to cool off and the Chasen brushes to soften. 

It´s useful to sift your Matcha before putting it into the chawan. So all the lumps can be removed. You could use a special Matcha sifter for that. Instead I use a steel tea filter basket from my old Tetsubin (iron tea kettle), and it just works fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After you´re done with that put the Matcha powder (1 teaspoon)  into the Chawan, pour about 60 cl. cooled-off water over it, then start whisking your tea. First slowly, than brisk. Always triying to whisk the letter “M”. Don´t go in circles. There are lots of videos and descriptions all over the web, on how excactly to do it. When you´re done, your tea should be frothy on top…without any big bubbles.

And….Wow! What a cup. What a difference to my old matcha! But even compared to a fresh one, this would be a lovely tea. It´s sweet, no bitterness at all, lingers in your mouth for a long time. A very thick matcha, smooth an elegant. But most dominant are those, let me call them, “maritime” flavours. There is “Nori”, grassiness…aromas you could also find in japanese food. 

I´m really glad i found this tea, and i´ll definately prepare it as Koicha one day. 

Feel free to give me some feedback. And ´til then enjoy your teas!