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Country of Origin: Japan
Leaf Appearance: bright green, powdered
Water Temperature: 170 degrees
Preparation Method: traditional whisking
Liquor: foamy, jade green
Naoki Matcha kindly shared their Fragrant Yame Ceremonial blend with me last year. This review took far too long but I am still quite backlogged when it comes to publishing reviews. Their matcha is sourced from tea estates, blenders, and factories across Japan but they are based in Georgia. They are one of the few companies selling matcha on Amazon that I would actually buy from.
Leaf
This tea came packaged in a mylar bag inside of an attractive tin. It was really unique looking compared to the standard plain silver tin used by many companies. The grey label was a bit hard to photograph so I don’t think I quite did it justice. The Fragrant Yame Ceremonial Grade Matcha was finely ground with a nice texture. It wasn’t a super vibrant green but its appearance was certainly acceptable. I always opt to whisk my matcha straight up whenever I can so that is how I prepared this tea.
Liquor
Fragrant Yame Ceremonial Blend whisked up a somewhat frothy jade green. It took quite a bit of vigorous whisking to get the froth level to where I wanted. The taste was creamy and sweet with a subtle hint of umami. Naoki Matcha’s website describes it as a floral but I didn’t really experience that during any of my sessions with this tea.
The gentleness of this tea makes it a good starter matcha. It is well balanced and not overly vegetal or marine leaning. It is a versatile tea as I enjoyed it both traditionally whisked, shaken with ice, and in an experimental cocktail. At less than $30 for 40g, it is also affordably priced.
Some matcha froths without a ton of effort and others take more elbow grease. It is important to keep in mind that the classic forthy bowl is the Urasenke style of making tea. Although it is the most prevalent, other tea ceremony schools do not froth their tea in the same way.
Don’t just take my word for it! Here are some reviews from other bloggers:
Tea is a Wish Your Heart Makes
Have you ever tried Fragrant Yame Ceremonial Blend? What matcha should I try next? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Fragrant Yame Ceremonial Blend provided for review by Naoki Matcha.
