Customer Reviews

Matcha Green Tea Powder - 10 Oz

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This product is called "Hunmatsu-RyokuCha," in Japanese, and not the same as "Maccha" or "Matcha."
The translation for Hunmatsu Ryokucha and Maccha are actually the same, green tea powder.
However, the ingredient for Maccha is a special kind of tea called "Tencha," in Japanese, and has unique "Umami."
"Tencha" is grown in the shade in order to prevent the final product from developing certain astringent bitterness, called "Shibumi," in Japanese. There are many kinds of bitterness. i.e. For Maccha, it is not necessary true that bitterness is bad. Actually, the first grade Maccha is more bitter than the low grade Maccha, given you are comparing amongst REAL Maccha powder.

The process of producing REAL Maccha is much more complicated and painstaking than Hunmatsu-Ryokucha.
Hunmatsu-Ryokucha is ground regular Sencha Green Tea that are casually served all over Japan in regular household. (Sorry, I am struggling with English.) But one must understand that the kind of tea plants, the way they grow the tea plants, the way they process the tea leaves, are all different, not only in Japan, but also in any countries.

(If you can read Chinese Characters...) Hunmatsu-Ryokucha consists of 4 Chinese Characters, Hunmatsu means powder, Ryokucha means green tea; however, Maccha sonsists of two Chinese Characters. Maccha means special green tea powder intended for tea ceremony. And we, Japanese, don't drink Maccha regularly. Most Japanese don't know a lot about tea ceremony either. (As most Japanese are not martial artists....)

In the United States, Asian Grocery Store sells both Hunmatu Ryokucha and Maccha. The real Maccha is usually in a nice tiny tin can, and the amount included is about 28g (about 1 oz), priced about 9 - 10 dollars each. I don't think that any country but Japan produces Maccha, but I might be wrong. However, if the green tea powder is produced in Taiwan, China, Korea,and other Asian countries, it is most likely to be Hunmatsu Ryokucha, NOT Maccha. The same product sold at this vendor is much cheaper at Asian Grocery Store since you don't have to pay for S/H.

The advantage of Hunmatsu-Ryokucha over Maccha is that the former has higher nutritional value, which I don't want to discuss in this site. But the cancer preventing effect in this cheap powder is higher than more expensive Maccha.

The disadvantage of Hunmatsu-Ryokucha over Maccha is of course, "Shibumi" (the closest direct translation is astringency.) That's why you may feel it is more bitter than Maccha. The powder is probably coarser than the Maccha.

You may use Hunmatsu-Ryokucha for baking and dessert making, in the same way as you use Maccha. But the flavor and taste are definitely different.

I have not tried Starbucks Maccha Latte. But I assume that they use the low grade Maccha powder since, amongst real Maccha, the low grade Maccha is less bitter than the premium quality Maccha for tea ceremony, I heard.

To conclude, if your purpose is to enjoy REAL Maccha flavor, you should not purchase this product.
But if your purpose is simply for your health, this product is better than Maccha. However, you should research availability and cost comparisons of Hunmatsu-Ryokucha products by actually going to the Asian Grocery Stores. You may get better price than this. (Actually, I am pretty sure that you get better prices locally.) Most Vietnamese owned grocery stores have Hunmatsu-Ryokucha in stock, not to mention Japanese and Korean owned grocers.

Also, Hunmatsu-Ryokucha is popular in Japan, too. Thus not all green tea powder imported from Japan is "Maccha."

If you want to buy the quality Maccha, you should find the Japanese Grocery Store (owened by Japanese) and ask specifically "Maccha" for tea ceremony. And if you are not satisfied, sign up for tea ceremony class taught by a tea ceremony master.

For the seller, one must not include "Matcha" or "Maccha" in the descriptions or titles, if the product was just "Hunmatsu-Ryokucha." As I wrote earlier, these two products share the same English Translation. So you can say, this is green tea powder, grounded green tea, powdered green tea. However, you must not even hint this is the same green tea powder that can be used for the formal Japanese tea ceremony. Simply, if you call this "Maccha" or "Matcha," you are lying. And you can be actually sued, and you will lose. Not only this seller, but I find many sellers are falsely including "Matccha" or "Matcha" for non-MATCHA GREEN TEA POWDER. So I believe this is just the innocent mistake. I encourage the sellers to correct their mistakes, though.

I purchased the matcha powder in hopes to replicate the green tea lattes at starbucks. Starbucks matcha powder contains more sugar than matcha, so i thought Id try creating my own. This product is amazing and tastes exactly like the green tea lattes. I chose not to add a syrup, but it would work very nicely. To have a similar green tea latte like starbucks i use this recipe:

1 cup of hot milk separated (I use skim)
1 teaspoon of matcha powder
3 tablespoons of hot water.
Sugar/Splenda (optional)
Choice of Flavored Syrup (Optional)

First disolve and mix the hot water with the matcha powder. Get all the clumps out before continuing. Then add about 3/4 cup of the milk to the matcha water mixture and mix to completely blend. Using a frother, froth the remaining milk until it resembles a foam. (I also purchased a small travel frother from Amazon) Add it to the top of the latte.

Add sugar/spenda if desired.
Add syrup if desired.

I did my research and found the Matcha Green Tea Powder and how well this product will help with my health concerns. I read and have proof that it has improved my health and will improve anyones health that will incorporate this fine product into their life. I like a small amount of honey in my tea. Others can find many ways that they will like it. It is worth every penny and more!!! And a plus...I have been drinking it once or twice a day, for alittle over a month and I have lost weight drinking it, feel more alert, no caffeine buzz,(I can't usually tolerate caffeine), my skin and hair has improved and I feel that I have more strength. My husband is now drinking it because he sees the improvement in me and he is starting to feel the difference in his health. We both think we found the green tea that is the best and the one that will make a big difference for the better in our lives. K. 10/29/08

I'm a green tea lover...having been to Japan 4 times and growing up with many Japanese. I've been ordering this brand now for 3 yrs..it is excellent.

This is good stuff. It is basically just the Matcha powder only. There is no sweetner in it so if you make a frappe you can add your own honey, agave or other sweetner. This tea has a nice flavorful delicate taste. It is great Hot or Iced. I put a tablespoon of powder, 1 cup skim milk, 1/4 c frozen raspberries with a couple of ice cubes in my magic bullet blender... pulse it a couple of times and have a nice antioxidant rich treat!

I use to go to Jamba Juice every morning and spend at least $2.95 on my matcha drink. Then I learned about this product on line, thinking that it couldn't be as good I thought that I would try it anyway's.Well to my suprize this product is as good if not better than Jamba and ounce for ounce I use to pay $59.00 a month at jamba now I pay 20.00 for 3 months worth!!!! Just a suggestion try it mixed with pineapple juice, Yum!!!!!!!Matcha Green Tea Powder (1/2 lb.)

I bought the Taiwan tea and DoMatcha 2nd Harvest at the same time to compare. After mixing with hot water, I tasted them and was worried and disappointed because this Taiwan tea was very bitter. However, after mixing with sugar and milk to finish the latte, it was ok. Some of the even cheaper teas, like Culinary Teas brand, I could not stand without adding vanilla as well.

This comes in a nice hard decorative cardboard box, and they even have a long plastic spoon. The color is paler than the DoMatcha (see photos). Given the price for 10 times as much, it is a good deal and I would not mind buying again.

Tip: If your matcha clumps, try adding the tea to cold water, stir, then heat. Be careful as it can boil over easier. As with flour, if you add it to hot water there is risk it will form a lump. The bamboo chasen really helps to stir up the tea. They are 10 times better than a spoon.

This tea is listed in several spots by VitaLife, Green Tea Powders, Simply Beautiful, Pier Mall, etc. It is really confusing having all these different companies selling the same product with same product images but different ratings and review pages.

This is made in Taipei, Taiwan.

Cheaper and in larger quantities than any other seller I'd found. Prompt and well-packaged delivery. The Green tea is as delicious as I'd hoped it'd be. Thank you!

The flavor of this matcha is a little bitter. It's completely acceptable, and I'd say good for the price. But having tasted some really fine-quality matcha, this matcha does not compare. It mixes very well, makes *some* lasting bubbles (with effort), and is otherwise still enjoyable to drink.

I give this product 3 stars because I've tasted better matcha teas, and I wouldn't be doing them justice to give this product a higher a rating.

Wrote a review several days ago about the bad packaging and the deceptive photos. The seller contacted me and now, to all my surprise, my previous review is GONE! Absolutely outrageous.

The taste is just average, not paticularly good nor bad. I have to be honest about this. But there are things that are just as important as taste when it comes to food.

The green tea powder arrived in a small aluminum bag with a print-out label sticking to the back. The label looks like it came out of a home-printer. Not enough information are there on the lable, at least not the nutrition information which btw is required by USDA. What's even worse, there is no tin coming with the bag, while the photos clearly show a little green tin. I'd call it deceptive and misleading.

Nevertheless, I would've given it 2 star if the aluminum bag was re-sealable, but unfortunately, it is not. I had to pour all the green tea powder into another tin. Not worth the $$$ I paid.

All are my honest opinions. And please do save this one as my last review magically disappered somehow.