Morning Kickstart: Matcha Magic

Do you get up and are all ready for your day, but when it hits 10am ( or 1pm) you want to curl up for a nap? So do I, after this happened so many times at work I needed a way to keep going. My favorite mid morning (or mid day) pick me up is Matcha with protein.
   When I do make this drink I try to use a culinary grade, that way I have all my ceremonial grades for straight drinking (yumm). It is very easy to make , so easy you can "mix it" while you are going out the door. This duo is great even in the morning when you pair it with some fruit separately or throw it all in a blender for a complete meal.
 

Matcha Magic

All you need is:

2-3 tbs of Matcha
4 tbs of Your Choice of Protein Powder (optional)
1 1/2 cups of Milk (or Substitute)
Ice
Large travel bottle with a large mouth


1.   Fill your bottle half way with ice (if you like less then go for it!) and top off with 1 cup of milk (or substitute.

2.   Mix together matcha and protein powder into the bottle. Close and shake till it looks well mixed.**

3.   Add in remaining milk, shake and enjoy!



**If you have problems with the matcha mixing then try this little trick before adding it to the bottle:

1.   Put matcha and protein powder in a small mug and add in a bit of the milk.
2.   Mix with fork (or old matcha whisk)
3.   Add to bottle, add remaining milk, shake. Enjoy

Keeping things fresh: How to store your Matcha

After spending good money on a match it is nice to know it will stay fresh till you are ready to use it. The easiest way to keep it tasting as it should be very simple and it's easy to do.

 The trick is to store sealed matcha in the freezer. Although the freezer can be the worst location if the proper preparation is not taken. We do not want our matcha to taste like the various foods in there do we?

   To prevent this, the first thing you will need is a tightly sealed container. This will protect your tea from absorbing smells in the freezer. Thereafter it's a simple matter of finding a place for it in your freezer. I tend to store mine on the door of a fridge freezer for easy access.
 
  If you need the tea, make sure you take it out at least 15-20 minutes before so it can adjust back to room temperature. Put the kettle on, it's tea time!
           

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Matcha: Taste is Everything 4

 We are now on week four and the conclusion to our taste experiment. The Fourth  in series of matcha tastings to see if taste, location and price equal up to a good quality tea. Kohei from Tales of Japanese Tea wrote  matcha is not about price or origin , which made me want to do this little experiment. The previous three posts can be found here, here and here. It's Christmas so let's have some tea (by the way the Doctor Who Christmas Special is on~)!
     

     This weeks tea is very unique. Maiko Tea was introduced to me during my Tea Sommelier classes earlier this year. Shortly after I was talking to Dr.Ralph Faerber who taught me many new things about matcha and  Japanese Teas. 
        This matcha I bought is called "Kyo Mukashi". The package depicts a Maiko on the box and tin with a double lid.  Maiko Tea is located in Uji, Kyoto, Japan. The cost was about $13.72 CDN, very decent cost for much a tea.
     
   It had a creamy thick foam sweet, Very smooth lingering taste. I did find a  slight sweet lemon taste behind it all, quite a pleasant surprise. Very vivid green and a tea that held together very well. 
   
   This tea was very different as it had a low cost, great taste and was from Uji. After these four experiments, I feel that you can find something that has a great taste for a low cost. You just need to try different ones to find it. Over all I feel that this tea is my favourite out of the four we tried together, but I still will be looking for new ones to try. After all there are so many different teas in the world and so little time to experience them all. 

Which matcha is your "go to" matcha and why?

Japanese Tea Books

   I have always loved a good book as I sip my tea. The books I would love to introduce you all to are all Japanese Tea themed in nature. Japanese tea and literature has always given me the feeling of a meditation, calmness and serenity. I hope these books give you the same peace as it does for me.

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The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura- Written in 1906, I found Okakura enlightening and gave a unique perspective of the time. He was brought up in Japan then was given a thorough Western education as opposed to the traditions of his own culture.  He then connects with the traditions and allows us to see and understand the traditions and his opinion of the changes in Japan at the time. Western education had become a priority households and traditions were left behind, this reminds me of  the many cultures around us. I am a big history fan, especially with tea and Japan, this book was very moving when he connects the development of tea to the development of art. Two of my favourite things in life together.                                                                                                                                                                                                     Tea Life , Tea Mind is written by the former Iemoto of Urasenke. Iemoto is like a father or head teacher of the tea school. He inspired me through his words in this book. He urges us to not only learn about tea but to live it through our daily life. By recalling memories from his life and tales from the life of Sen Rikyu's Grandson, Sen Soutan. With these stories he breaks them down from their Zen parable like wording to make the reader feel on the same level as him. This book inspired me to focus on the four virtues of Sen Rikyu. Wa (Harmony), Ka(Respect), Sei (Purty) and Jaku (Tranquility). I plan to get each character written down my back as I understand them through tea.                                                                                                                                                                                               The Simplest way of Japanese Tea Ceremony- Japanese Tea Ceremony can seem overwhelming but it does not need to be. This book comes with a DVD video to help you see the steps to making matcha in a very simple way. It takes the bare bones and allows anyone to prepare matcha in no time. I added this one to my collection as it is written in both Japanese and English for all text, it helps me recognize which kanji are for tea and learn Japanese from a unique angle.                                                                                                                                     The One Taste of Truth caught my eye while looking through the Philosophy section at Chapters. One could say that it should have been in the religion section as it deconstructs Dao and Zen proverbs throughout history. As both followings are very philosophical and dense, I will admit it is hard for me to follow the most of the stories with in the book. Although I hope that returning to it again after gaining some wisdom through life will allow me to read it with a new perspective in the future.

 Most books can be purchased through Chapters or Amazon, with exception of  The Simplest Way of Japanese Tea Ceremony. This one I obtained from Karen Hartwick of Stratford Tea Leaves. 

   All books are my own and were purchased to further my education of Tea and the traditions behind it.

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Matcha Tea Whisks: The Types

  Matcha whisks (Chasen) vary from school to school in some instances. I am going to focus in on Urasenke as I do not know much about the other schools.  For this school they keep to the classic bamboo colour as seen in these pictures, but can you spot the difference between them?

    First off the handle (jiku) thickness varies. I have small hands so I prefer the one with a smaller Jiku, but these are hard to find. The other difference is the thicker Jiku Chasen is made in China. You can get Japanese made ones but here in Toronto they are next to impossible to find, I have two Japanese ones and I still feel I need to stock up on more.

The second difference is the number of tines on the head (hosaki). The China made one has 100  and the Japanese made one has about 90-80, both perfect for Usucha (thin) tea.
   The weight of them is different when using as well. While I can quickly whip up a bowl with the 100 hosaki whisk, with the other one I need a little more time and muscle power.  This is something that I need to work on considering my preference in size and weight.

   I feel for the spring I will gift myself a good chasen. Nara, the place for the best chasen, is a type I would love to have these range in price from 35-60$ depending on where you look, sometimes more. The best advice is to try things out but always keep on hand what you are used to.

What kind of whisk do you have?

Matcha: Taste is Everything 3

If you just joined us today, we are exploring if there is a connection between taste, price and growing region for matcha. The first two parts can be found here  ,and here. The series started after reading a post by Kohei over at Tales of Japanese teas in his post Matcha is not about price, or origin. We are on our third matcha for the month. This one is by Morihan they are located in Uji within Kyoto, Japan.

 This tea is sold as a Tea Ceremony Practice quality, which is also good for baking. It has a good shade of green in the bag and a wonderful quantity of 100g. This one I purchased  for $14 CDN , approximately, on e-bay. Very good price when you consider how much is in it.

     Time to taste it! This one frothed very well and looked very smooth on the surface. It did not have the thickness that I look for in my matcha. Although, it did whisk very well and held together longer than matcha from Teavana.
  When tasteing the tea it had a slight vegetable taste, that most call a "green tea" taste. Along side of it there were notes of dark chocolate that came through the creamy-milky texture of the whole tea.

    Over all it was a great tea but I found a slight dryness that came after. This could be balanced perhaps with a sweet before drinking the tea, how it was originally meant to be enjoyed.

     Next week is the last installment for this series. All matcha teas for this series were purchased by me and all opinions are my own. I highly suggest to try them out as we all taste things differently.

Happy Holidays everyone!

What qualities do you look for in your matcha?

Matcha: Taste is Everything 2

  As part of my matcha taste tests that I mentioned last week, we are on tea #2. I talked to my good friend KingKoh about  different matcha and he brought up that hoarding matcha is not good. The reason for this is after it is open it starts to oxidize and loose its fullness. I try to keep this in mind when I am getting new matcha. With that right now I have three- four open right now and in room temperature. With that said I have been trying to drink them all up. Once they are done I have a closed can of Camillia Sinensis' Matcha Sendo in the freezer waiting. 

    Just a note on keeping matcha a bit longer, put the tin in a zip lock bag or sealed tupperware to protect it from smells. With that said, on to this weeks tea.
 Aoarashi from Ko no en (Marukyu Koymaen), the lowest ceremonial grade they have on their website.  This tin is 40g of delicious matcha. I got this one from e-bay from a seller who lives within Toronto somewhere. 

     I will admit this tea I have been hoarding and it is not in its best state. Even still I can not pass up this tea when given the chance. 

 The taste in the mouth and lingering after taste were the similar , just a touch weaker. Notes of dark chocolate  develop after tea has been swallowed. The taste reminds me of the dry sweets that go with Japanese tea, higashi. 
   As you can see it would not whisk properly. This is a good reason not to let matcha sit around for too long. Although unlike our previous tea from Teavana, this one held together very well. This means it mixed well but just could not create a froth.
  Ko no En's tea is from Uji, Kyoto. Ko no en is a distributor of Marukyu Koymaen tea here in Toronto. I am lead to believe that the e-bay seller may be part of Ko no En, but they do not say so.  
    With Kohei's post in mind, I still prefer Uji matcha. The taste is far more complex in the mouth and lingers for a long time. This tea although is fairly cheep on e-bay, it goes for $16.00CDN. Going back to Kohei's post price does not determine quality. This one has similar notes to Yugen from the same company but is much easier on my wallet.  Let's see what our next tea has to offer, join me next week for part three. 

                                                            How do you store your matcha ?

Seasonal Depression: Tea Solutions

     
    Every year around this time of year there is a percentage of us that suffer from Seasonal Depression. I will admit I am one of them. It's hard to tell as I will be all smiles around people but when I am alone, with my cat, its hard to think of anything to do or even find the energy.
   I decided to let you all know this because I feel that tea helps me get through by pushing through these feelings.  I will admit to laying on my bed for long periods of time but those moments I get up to make a cup of tea just help push through down moments..
    The teas that help the most are those with a good amount of caffeine. I feel that the reason behind this is due to it giving you energy to move and also l-Theanine calming effect.
    For this reason I like to have a nice warm bowl of matcha to keep me going and focused. My favourite Matchas are:
-Yugen from Kono-En
-Kan no Shiro from Ippodo
-Matcha Sendo- Camellia Sinensis

Drink up and stay healthy!

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Secret Teatime:Tea Bowl Making

       In October I went over to Secret Teatime's studio in Scarborough. I had signed up for their fall Chawan workshop and was eager to try my had my ceramics. We started with an overview of the history of tea ceremony up till present day and covered the shapes of a tea bowl. Helen treated us to seeing her perform
       It was another great Saturday with Secret Teatime. Our group each made a chawan (tea bowl) the first day. Before we met the next Saturday, Helen and Sorlie glazed and fired the works. They were then presented to us during tea ceremony.
      For the first section we had usucha (thin tea). It was very interesting to see the difference between Urasenke and Omotesenke, the latter being what Helen was using. The biggest for me is the "snapping" of the fukusa before folding. The whole style was beautiful and had little intentional sounds that were absent from Urasenke.
        Back to our bowls, I was very pleased with how my chawan turned out with the glaze I choose. I depicted a buddhist flame on the shoumen (front of the bowl) and a fox inside it. I choose these two symbols as I find them together in images from shrines in Japan. Also, Inari's symbol is a fox. To me these fit together and worked very well as a piece.
       As Sado is a life long learning process and I have been enjoying practice with the new piece. I enjoyed my time at the studio and the company of Helen, and Sorlie.


       If you were to make a chawan what would it look like? Would you use any imagery? There are so many possibilities out there, What would you do? -KAT

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Matcha: Taste is Everything 1

 What is your favorite tea?  Mine is matcha, I first tried it in 2010 when I got a can of Kono-En Kirin Matcha from David's Tea. They had a small amount which went fairly quickly. Now they have their own brand of Matcha.

 In September Kohei over at Tales of Japanese Tea posted about how matcha is not about price or origin. Which you can check out by clicking the link in the previous sentence. After reading his post it made me think about how I was trained to think that Uji matcha is the best. After some thought I started to try a few differnt matcha's. Once a week  for the month of December I will be sharing my notes on various matchas I have encountered. 

  For my first subject, I will be tasting Teavana's Matcha. This one is from  Nishio, Aichi Prefecture, Japan tea. They carry two sizes, 40g and 80g. The latter is the size I have on hand.

    After warming my winter tea bowl (Chawan), its time to whisk! This tea whisks well with a nice foamy froth.The colour is a beautiful vivid green that stands out well from the interior of the chawan.

 Time to taste! The taste makes my mouth salivate and moves the taste throughout my mouth. I am surprised to find that there is a slight citrus fruit taste, that dissipates in to a light vegetal flavour. The typical chocolate taste is barely there. the final lingering taste is sweet. it reminds me of mandarin oranges.

  Over all its a great tea. I found out that this tea was from Nishio, a few months after acquiring it. This initially prevented me from drinking it, but after Kohei's post I am glad I gave it another chance. My only problem with this tea is that you need to remember to drink it quickly. The reason is this tea likes to separate on you.  Other than that, this tea is actually really great for daily use or even Sado practice. 

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 Have you tried this matcha before? Please feel free to comment below with your experience. I would love to hear from you~ 
Till next time- Kat

Matcha: What is it made of?

As many prize pu-er and start collecting them, I have a habit of collecting matcha. When its the right quality it has beautiful chocolate notes that vary from make to make. I was lucky enough to have Kono-en as my first matcha. David's tea had opened their first shop on Queen Street here in Toronto and they had it!
 I was a poor student at the time but I quickly grabbed my first whisk (chasen) and asked for a can. Then got out. The first sip of this Jade brew changed how I feel about tea and pushed me to try different kinds, meet other tea people and learn more. I would not be where I am without this experience.
 
Recently I have been coming across posts stating matcha is made from Gyokuro. Another fine Japanese tea that was my push to try matcha. Even a company handbook I read stated the same thing. This I mentioned my previous post.
   The truth is that this tea is made from "Tencha". This is made by first shading tea bushes for thirty days, this concentrates the theanine amino acid (to put it simply, its one of the many antioxidants). It gives the tea its full bodied flavour.

   
 Once Hachijuhachiya (88 days) after spring has begun harvesting begins. This marks the beginning of the first harvest which lands in early May.
   When the leaves are taken back to the factory, they "kill the green". This is a great process that will prevent the leaves from oxidizing and (oh noes!) become a different kind of tea. For this the leaves are steamed for 15-20 seconds within the first 12-20 hours of plucking.
    My favorite part is drying, because the leaves get blown around in a multi-chamber air machine. Before they completely dry they pass through a special drum like machine where stems and veins are removed. The tea is now "Tencha", aka. pre-matcha.
   The fun part starts, the leaves are ground by a stone grinder, but before that the tea is aged. The leaves are packed up and stored for 6 months to a full year. The taste over time rounds out to become smoother and develops the harvests unique taste for the matcha being made. Then in the stone grinder,once its time to take the leaves out,  the slight heat created from the friction of the stones grinding together give the tea its unique smoothness.

 
 Matcha is a wonderful tea with a very unique practice for creating just the tea  to be used to brew. I enjoy learning and making this fabulous tea because of the process involved, that may be due to my being an artist. If you have not tried matcha before I highly advise you give it a whirl. Keep an eye out on my youtube and here for a simple step by step matcha making video. Till next time, keep steepin' on~


 Photo credit to: Mr.Randazzo  also Thank you to Dr.Ralph Fareber for answering my questions and allowing us to become friends.

Surprise at my door!

Thursday, I went outside to get some fresh air after watching a lot of Chinese dramas, I set up The Sorcerer and the White of Snake(白蛇传说) to load and went out the door. Upon opening it I found a box at my door which the customs label stated there was a tea cup inside. At first I thought I had forgotten about an e-bay or Yuuki-cha purchase I had made perhaps over my vacation. 
    Once I finally opened the box I came to realize this was the package from KingKoh who also sent me incense.
    This tea cup is a beautiful chawan. I am still in shock that I have this piece of art. Strangely enough I had just purchased a cast iron pot to use for chanoyu practice this very same day. Since opening it I have been starring at the bowl, picking it up and feeling the unique textures it has. 

     Koh left me a note inside of it, " I put this tea bowl in that I made as a suprise. It has a white Shino glaze with a white oak ash on the outside that turned green. The inside has crawled and stayed white. I also infuse my bowls with reiki energy. I hope you enjoy it."

 On a smaller green note says" Shinorei", which I believe is this bowls name. I am curious as to which kanji is used to write it's name. On another note, I am glad that this came when it did. I have been working on an assignment for Tea classes which I am to create a Problem-free-contemporary tea service. I choose Chanoyu to use as a basis, which I am slowly studying. The tea bowl, I am sure, will inspire such assignment. This gift made my week much better after having an Asthma attack on the way to work Tuesday, I am fine now though as I am taking various medications. I am off to grab a few things so I may work on an art piece this afternoon (after going to Tao Tea Leaf~). 
   I can not thank my friend King Koh enough for this amazeing surprise!

Holiday Gift Guide

Click the image to see the GUIDE

     As we are getting closer and closer to December I found it time to inform my readers about this guide. Inside there is a full and complete list of all the new products Teaopia has obtained for your holiday needs. Everything from hostess gifts to teacher gifts and at every price point.  As one of the many employees for this Canadian company I am very proud to help everyone who comes in gift hunting or even looking for a little something for themselves. 

                    I have included images of the new additions to our gift collection, these are but a few of the new pieces we carry.    Starting from the far left we have the Kids Tea Set. This set has an adorable small tea pot with a built in filter and four cups with saucers. I love the fruit design that was chosen to accent them all.  Next, the new Matcha Set.  It comes with raku made chawan (tea bowl) and whisk holder, a 100 pronged bamboo whisk (chasen) , beautifully illustarated instructions and a bamboo scoop (chasaku). I have had the pleasure to meet someone who purchased the set in Alberta, she loves her lattes. Finally, The Hostess Gift. Really great for newbies or seasoned tea drinkers. It has card with instructions, rock sugar, basket infuser and four teas. Marrakesh Mint green tea, Burbon Vanilla black tea, Plum Oolong, and Solie De Provence white tea. 
 The best thing about these three are you can use them anywhere; office, home or even outside. Just add water~ Till next time.

Matcha Set

Hostess Gift

Kids Tea Set

Prepareing for Spring

　As most of you know by now I have been studying tea for quite some time now. With my full lessons (George Brown program and  Chanoyu lessons) I have come to the point where I want to invite my followers or anyone else for that matter to join me for a cup of tea (Or a few).
     By taking these Chanoyu lessons I hope to come up with a date(s) and time(s) I will serve tea to whom ever may wish for a cup. Whether this takes place at High Park at the peak of Cherry Bloosom Viewing or on the busy streets, I am still working out. The meanings behind each location and the tools I will use need much thought. Will I dress in Kimono, my usual attire or perhaps "change" to something else? Questions questions questions.  Much learning on my part as an artist as I have only done Performance art a few times. Once I wore my modern kimono down town to class (it was black with an IPod design on it) and the other was cosplaying as my ego for a large school project.
   Anyhow I just wanted to put that out there for people to look forward to.  On a side note I plan on sending out postcards for Christmas/New Years, if anyone wants to be on my mailing list before I get any of these printed feel free to e-mail me. Till latter~

Ceremonial Matcha - Majesteas

                       Recently I have been starting each day with matcha. I set aside enough time to quietly prepare it in a meditative way. I quickly ran out of my matcha and went out to get a new one to try. This one is from Majesteas.  I noticed it in the shop about a week before I ran out. The kanji on it captured me as I sought to translate it, but failed.
      Getting it home I eagerly waited till the next morning (Friday) to enjoy the tea. Although it was not until Saturday evening I decided to write about this brew. Earlier I had visited a Man I had met over a year ago at Allen Gardens who I over heard taught Japanese Tea Ceremony. I contacted him and I enjoyed a ceremonially prepared cup of match with him. We discussed the utensils he used, the historical aspects of ちゃのゆ, and he began to teach me how to fold the ふくさ(fukusa).
       Starting in November I will begin learning 盆略手前 (bonryaku temae), tea prepared on a tray. It is quite different from how he served me which was 立礼 ( ryūrei) which he used a table like structure and I sat at my own table as a guest. As an artist I am eager to learn more about ceremonial styles as I can. Especially with my tea series taking over my usual women dominated work.                                                 
        Anyhow enough of my ramblings and back to this tea. When I opened the package inside the tin I was welcomed by a very vibrant green powder. I eagerly filled my kettle with spring water from Muskoka.  After letting it cool in my glass pitcher for a while I sifted the powder and whisked it. Vibrant green with  fine foam greeting me. I quickly drank it. It was like milk chocolate with 40% Dark mixed in. Very smooth on the tongue. I decided to accompany this with a mini sponge cake with apricot filling, they complimented each other very well. I can not wait to learn more about matcha preparation from my new sensei, and perhaps I can get my Japanese sensei to help me translate this tin some time. 

Finished Polluck

Polluck and tea

Matcha or Macca?

For some time now one customer has been referring to out Matcha latte as a "Macca" Latte ( I tried to spell it how she says it). After much debate between us all at work a few of us looked it up.
She sound an herb by the same spelling. As for myself I stumbled across a web page talking about how "Matcha" is the Canadian way to say it.
After much debate, it makes sense. Ma-ccha is the only way the Japanese can say this variety's name. The "t" is purely our own invention.
On another note, perhaps I am wrong. I am going to be starting regular Japanese lessons in April, I hope to be able to bring this up with Taka-Sensei. Till then, what do you think of these two ways of writing the name of this tea in the American/English language?

Happy St. Patricks Day~

This small sketch is painted with matcha, a little test I have been working with recently. I am going to start my swatches quite soon, perhaps even tonight <3