Tea sommelier’s tasting advice
Hello, my name is Benjamin Sieuw, I am a tea sommelier and importer. For almost 10 years now, I have been following the way of tea with passion and devotion every day.
In 2015, I visited Japan for the first time and decided to specialize in this terroir by traveling there every year.
In 2017, I founded Curiousitea, an educational project about tea aimed at making it accessible to as many people as possible.
In 2020, my partner Margaux Morelle and I opened our online tea shop to offer rare and exclusive teas sourced directly from producers.
Our meeting with Kumiko Matcha this year marks the beginning of a wonderful collaboration between Japanese matcha tea enthusiasts.
In this item, the Curiousitea team is pleased to break down the flavor profiles of no fewer than nine matcha varieties sourced and selected by Kumiko Matcha, so you can discover the matcha tea that suits you best.
There are also blends, i.e., combinations of different varieties or origins that allow the same signature taste to be reproduced each year, as well as single origins, i.e., matcha teas from a single plantation and often realised from a single cultivar (tea variety).
Aromatic registers
As reference points, we will use two intensity scales from 1 to 5: one for the umami flavour—the long-lasting, addictive flavour that characterizes matcha—and one for astringency, the sensation in the mouth that dries the palate and makes us salivate. We will also rate the aromatic notes present during the tasting.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of these terms:
Vegetable: All plants, dry or fresh, all vegetables or aromatic herbs.
Fruity: Relating to fruit or citrus fruit.
Lacté: Anything reminiscent of milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, or cream.
Floral: Refers to all types of flowers, fresh or dried.
Woody: All types of wood, dry or wet.
Telluric: Mineral, earthy, peaty, undergrowth, mushroom, mold, potato, beetroot...
Marine: Anything that evokes the sea, whether plant, mineral, or animal.
Gourmand: Includes sweet ratings, confectionery, nuts, cakes, chocolate, vanilla, etc.
Profiles
We will then specify the typical profile of drinkers for whom each of these matcha teas is intended, to better guide you. A beginner drinker is just discovering matcha, an experienced drinker drinks it fairly regularly, and a confirmed drinker drinks it very regularly and/or has known and practised matcha for years. But it's up to you to develop your curiosity by stepping out of your comfort zone and gradually discovering the entire selection, regardless of your original profile...
Smells and flavours
Finally, we will share some notes on our impressions with two key steps: first, the aroma of the matcha tea in its powdered form, then what the whipped tea gives us to savor.
Keep in mind that these observations reflect our own subjectivity and that every matcha drinker is capable of drawing their own conclusions, even as an enthusiast. Trust your senses!
Preparation
For the preparation method, we recommend the following parameters, which can be adjusted according to your preferences and tastes: 1-2g / 8-12cl with water between 80 and 90°C.
For measuring matcha, it is best to use a matcha spatula or chashaku, as this allows you to easily measure out approximately 0.5g, unlike a matcha scoop, which is less reliable. You should use between 2 and 4 chashaku of matcha for each serving. The emulsion should take around 15 to 20 seconds and should only be made using a bamboo whisk or chasen in a suitable bowl or chawan. For the water, always start with a base of 8cl. If you prefer a matcha diluted to 12cl, dilute it after whisking by gently adding 4cl of additional hot water so as not to break the froth. The more water there is, the more difficult it is to froth. Similarly, if the water is too cold, emulsification is more difficult for a novice. Finally, the water cools very quickly between the time it reaches the ideal temperature and all the handling that follows, so it is preferable to heat the water a little more.
In Japan, as part of the chanoyu tea ceremony, water is drawn from a kama kept at boiling point. It is customary to add a ladleful of cold water to cool it slightly before drawing again from the kama and then pouring the water over the tea. This ensures that the water reaches 80°C in the bowl at the moment of emulsion.
Type: blend or assemblage
Astringency: 🍵🍵🍵
Umami: 🍵🍵🍵🍵
Aromatic notes: milky, fruity, vegetal
Drinking profile: beginner
👃🏼 Very fruity, with a distinct hint of cherry
👄 Vegetal and fruity notes, with a clear hint of cherries. A beautiful astringency, as well as a very long umami finish.
Ultra-premium organic premium matcha
Type: blend or assemblage
Astringency: 🍵🍵
Umami: 🍵🍵🍵
Aromatic notes: marine, mineral
Drinking profile: confirmed
👃🏼 Gourmand (white chocolate) and fruity (tropical fruits)
👄 Creamy and tangy attack, with a pronounced umami flavor, iodine and mineral notes, a pleasant astringency on the finish and a slight bitterness.
Type: blend or blend dominated by Saemidori
Astringency: 🍵🍵
Umami: 🍵🍵🍵🍵
Aromatic notes: milky, floral, fruity
Drinker profile: experienced
👃🏼 Reminder of hot milk and white chocolate
👄 Very sweet, floral notes, a fruity finish and lots of umami.
Organic matcha Ipponmatsu 2022
Type: blend
Astringency: 🍵🍵🍵
Umami: 🍵🍵
Aromatic notes: milky, fruity
Drinker profile: experienced
👃🏼 Milk caramel, warm, rich, and roasted notes
👄 Powerful, bitter, and tart lemon-like attack, with marked astringency and progressive umami.
Type: single origin or single source
Cultivar: Saemidori
Astringency: 🍵🍵🍵
Umami: 🍵🍵🍵🍵
Aromatic notes: vegetal, milky, floral
Drinking profile: beginner
👁️ A magnificent, bright green robe, revealing the cultivar.
👃🏼 A scent reminiscent of spinach and milk
👄 Vegetable flavor, similar to steamed green vegetables, with medium to high astringency, floral notes (poppy, lavender) and a lingering umami taste, accompanied by a hint of bitterness.
Type: single origin
Cultivar: Okumidori
Astringency: 🍵🍵🍵
Umami: 🍵🍵🍵🍵
Aromatic notes: floral, vegetal
Drinker profile: experienced
👃🏼 Buttery, rich, and floral
👄 Voluptuous texture with a powerful, astringent attack, followed by umami and a gradual sweetness, highlighting the floral notes typical of the cultivar.
Type: single origin
Cultivar: Yabukita
Astringency: 🍵🍵🍵
Umami: 🍵🍵🍵
Aromatic notes: milky, marine, gourmand
Drinking profile: beginner
👁️ Dull, greenish-yellow color, typical of the Yabukita cultivar.
👃🏼 Marble cake scent (vanilla and chocolate)
👄 Vegetal taste with marine and milky notes.
Type: single origin or single source
Astringency: 🍵🍵🍵🍵
Umami: 🍵
Aromatic notes: vegetal, marine
Drinking profile: confirmed
👁️ The palest tea in the selection.
👃🏼 Dry vegetal nose (straw, hay), with atypical herbaceous and woody notes.
👄 An impressive range of vegetal and marine flavours, with a very astringent side, reminiscent of black seaweed and vegetables, tannic and complex.
We hope this gives you a clearer view of Kumiko Matcha's flagship teas. There are still more matcha teas to discover now. Matcha, regardless of why you drink it, is a fantastic world waiting to be explored. Explore, try, practice, and challenge your palate; have fun! Curiousitea will be back soon to organise conferences around the Kumiko Matcha community. If you would like to learn more about tea, we also offer professional training courses in various "tea professions." In the meantime, enjoy the way of tea.
Without bitterness
🏆 Medalist
Without bitterness
Kyushu, Japan
Without bitterness
Kyushu, Japan
Without bitterness
Kyushu, Japan
