type
status
date
slug
summary
tags
category
icon
password
No one should have any objections to listing matcha as an Internet celebrity in the tea industry, right?
A word that sounds very literary! The color is fresh and full, which is more attractive than any black tea, green tea, oolong tea. Not only beverages, but also snacks, snacks, dishes and even skincare products. As long as you combine it with matcha, you will immediately feel delicate and emotional!
China is the homeland of tea, and matcha originated in Japan, but it is not unrelated. Different from the modern way of drinking tea with tea leaves soaked in water, before the Ming Dynasty, Chinese generally drank tea in the form of tea powder, called "last tea". The "sencha" commonly eaten by the people of the Tang Dynasty and the "order tea" used by the people of the Song Dynasty are both cooking methods based on the "last tea". Sounds a lot like "matcha", right?
In fact, it was during the Kamakura period that the Japanese Zen Master Eisai went to the Song Dynasty twice to study Buddhism, learned the art of tea making tea in China, and completed Japan's first tea scripture - "Eating Tea and Maintaining Health", which laid the foundation for the Japanese matcha ceremony.
Japanese people have been drinking tea under the influence of China since the Heian Nara period, but after the 70s, when Japanese people loved carbonated drinks, and the 80s, when coffee was loved, matcha became popular only in the 90s and 20 years later.
However, after this epidemic, it became more and more uncontrollable. Matcha is becoming more and more popular in both bottled tea and brewed tea powder. At the same time, it also promoted the expansion of tea-flavored snacks in Japan.
In 1996, Häagen-Dazs launched matcha-flavored ice cream in Japan. In 2001, Starbucks launched the matcha cappuccino. According to the results of the 2010 annual survey of "consumers' favorite ice cream flavors" released by the Japan Ice Cream Association, matcha flavor ranked fifth. By 2015, matcha had risen to third place, with a preference rate of nearly 50%.
Not only Japanese people love matcha, but Americans also contract nearly half of Japan's matcha exports, and "MATCHA" has become a staple of coffee and ice cream parlors. In 2014 alone, retail sales of matcha powder in the United States increased by 54.9 percent, and sales of matcha ready-to-drink beverages more than tripled. Starbucks' matcha frappuccino is selling well in Europe and the United States.
However, an important question faced by the famous matcha is how to distinguish it from green tea. There are so many shops that offer matcha now, is it really matcha?
The so-called matcha, by definition, is an ultra-fine powder made from the delicate raw materials of tea leaves, which are steamed and cooled, dehydrated, compounded and dried, and combined crushed.
The biggest difference between it and green tea is that matcha is grown in the dark, so it is usually picked a month later than regular green tea. The color of matcha is more emerald green than that of green tea, and the brew is more. Ordinary green tea powder is called powdered green tea in Japan, and it is generally a powder made from not very good green tea leaves, and good green tea is brewed and drunk.
As a result, the price of matcha powder is higher, and usually a good matcha powder is several times or even more than ten times more expensive than green tea powder. It's no wonder that the whole tone of matcha makes people feel different.
Due to the high cost of matcha and the complexity of the traditional matcha ceremony, a really good matcha is considered a niche even in Japan. Strict Japanese people will distinguish matcha powder from green tea powder in the composition of the product, indicating whether it is matcha powder or green tea powder.
There are four places where good matcha is most famous in Japan: Nishio in Aichi Prefecture, Uji in Kyoto, Yame in Fukuoka and Shizuoka Prefecture. In particular, Uji, Kyoto, is regarded as a representative of Japanese tea. Let's take a look at where to eat authentic Uji matcha!
🤗 Gion Tsujiri
With a history of more than 150 years, Gion Tsuji Ri is a famous tea house in Kyoto, and the first head of the company, Riemon Tsuji, is a famous tea maker, and has a very high position in the history of Japanese tea. Its sub-brand Charyo Tsudo is also very famous, located on the second floor of the Gion Tsuji Rihon, and its products take the route of women and youth.
When I came here, I had to eat his parfait, which was just right to mix the bitterness and aroma of matcha with other desserts, sweet but not greasy.
Gion Tsuji has also launched two matcha lipsticks and skin balms, made with the highest quality matcha tea and with the highest taste and aroma. The all-natural ingredients are particularly moisturizing, and the packaging is made of bamboo, which is fresh and textured, quite "Kyoto" style, and is very suitable for personal use and gifts. The only downside is... I want to lick!
🤗 Nakamura Fujiyoshi
Founded in 1854, Nakamura Fujiyoshi has always pursued the true nature of tea, and its products are of outstanding quality, and were presented as tribute at the enthronement ceremonies of the Taisho and Showa emperors. In addition to tasting, you can experience grinding tea leaves into matcha with a stone mortar at the main store. The matcha that you grind yourself can be made into strong or weak tea in the Moto-ku-style tea room "Zuissun-an", and you can also make tea sweets such as fresh tea jelly. Even newcomers can easily experience it.
In February 2009, the Nakamura Fujiyoshi Main Store was designated as one of Japan's "Important Cultural Attractions" as a representative building complex of tea merchants' residences in the Meiji period, and the Nakamura Fujiyoshi Heidoin Store (former Kikuya Manbilou) as a remnant of the representative ryotei ryokan Kikuya from the Edo period. Currently, in addition to Kyoto, we have branches in Osaka, Tokyo, Ginza, and Hong Kong.
🤗 Ito Kuemon
It is a 300-year-old shop that is now in its eighth generation and is known for its high-quality matcha. Itohisa's teahouse is often full of long queues, from canned drinks to snacks like KitKat biscuits, to traditional Japanese confectionery. The overall design and layout are also antique, revealing a strong Edo style.
🤗 Matcha Republic
The reason why Japan's new Internet celebrity coffee shop has become popular is because of the matcha latte "Matcha Ink" in an ink bottle, which contains three flavors of drinks (matcha latte, matcha water, and matcha zenzai). Not to mention the fragrant taste, the main thing is that it can be carried with you and taken in different scenes in a low-key way. In addition, there are a series of matcha products such as matcha soda and matcha ice cream.
- Author:japan guides
- URL:https://japan-guides.com/article/diet-4
- Copyright:All articles in this website, except for special statements, adopt BY-NC-SA agreement. Please indicate the source!