u/SweetReverie5

Preface:

It's been a good minute since my last one of these. Between getting some website things going, vacation (checking out the coffee, tea, and matcha scene in Hawaii), and work... finally getting back to it. This will most likely be my last post here. I wanted to save the Asahi cultivar for my last one in this series.

Products for today:

Chazoku Asahi (no longer available, it seems)

$25.90 || $0.86 per gram

Tezumi Uji Asahi

$64 || $3.20 per gram

Kettl Shirakawa Asahi

$90 || $4.50 per gram

Method: 3g powder, 15g room-temperature water for paste. 85g water at 80 °C for usucha. Sweet pairing for today was daifuku with shiro an filling.

Color:

Beautiful greens that were barely a shade apart. Tezumi's and Kettl's were nearly identical. Chazoku's had the slightest hint of the palest yellow that would be unnoticeable by itself. All had a vibrant, fresh green. Tezumi might be a touch deeper. Kettl might be a touch richer.

Swipe:

Chazoku was silky smooth.

Tezumi was equally silky and dew-like.

Kettl's was silky and velvety.

Froth/Microfoam:

These were a dream to whisk. Almost as amazing and fragrant as when I did my high-end matcha comparison.

Fragrance Notes on paste:

Chazoku's opened with sesame and a decadent macadamia note that brought along a cream-like fragrance. 

Tezumi's stayed true to a vegetal start that paired with raw cashews and a noticeably sweet cream ending note.

Kettl's started with a delicious white chocolate scent followed by snow peas and dewy grass.

Fragrance Notes on usucha:

Chazoku's Asahi added an additional note of a summer-like warm-day grass on top of its notes of sesame and macadamia nuts.

Tezumi's vegetal notes became more defined with steamed greens and moss. Nutty cashews became more raw peanut-like.

Kettl's deepened its complexity with peppery-like herbs and wilted spinach, finishing with edamame notes.

Tasting:

Chazoku's Asahi

An Initial medium but light bitterness. High umami and sweet, oceanic minerality. Silky with a medium body. Nutty. Vegetal throughout. Slight astringency with some floral undertones.

The sweet pairing brings the hint of florals a bit more forward with the oceanic umami. That hint of bitterness complements the sweet pairing well and allows the nutty notes to linger on the palate.

Tezumi's Uji Asahi

This was creamy and silky with a white sesame paste umami and nuttiness. Notes of cooked artichokes with oyster-like sweetness followed. Hints of bitterness and astringency provide balance to the richness of this matcha.

After having a daifuku, a milky sweetness becomes the first note, with edamame coming to complement and ground the matcha. The floral notes that subtly peek through make the pairing of the sweet treat and matcha quite enjoyable.

Kettl's Shirakawa Asahi

This medium-bodied matcha starts with a highly brothy umami with no astringency and no bitterness. Green bean notes with a shrimp-like sweetness round it out and end with a buttery, vegetal type of finish.

The sweetness of the daifuku intensified the brothiness. There is a sweet but not astringent type of floral note that became pronounced, while the oceanic notes with seaweed wrap it all together.

Final Thoughts:

It's been a year of matcha. Reacquainting myself with it. Relearning it. Finding new depths in it from when I previously used to drink it daily years ago. The Asahi cultivar is one I had been truly looking forward to. This tasting did not disappoint (even if I find myself moving it from first place to second place in my preference).

Chazoku provided an Asahi at a price point that plays well for those who want an elevated latte-style matcha. It happily doubles for usucha.

Tezumi's Uji Asahi from Rishouen and Kettl's Shirakawa Asahi from Tsuji are like two sides of the same coin. Both fantastic and decadent. Each is produced differently, with different philosophies. If I were to choose a favorite, it might ever so slightly be Tsuji's over Rishouen's, but that would only be if I had to pick. I would happily drink both and be equally content.

Preface:

I am someone who enjoys good food and drink. I am someone who will also search high and low for quality products, no matter the place of origin. I suspect this has a lot to do with my upbringing in Asia and seeing the luxury market manufacturing side/production side for what it is long before it became a bit more publicly known as it is today. (e.g., "made in Italy" does not truly mean made in Italy when most of the pieces are produced in Asia. Also, equal and sometimes better quality can be found outside the expected places once you pull back the curtain and see how things are truly produced.)

Today's three-way tasting is another Japanese matcha vs. Korean matcha vs. Chinese matcha. More in line with what we expect matcha to be than the last time I did this origin comparison.

Nippon Cha's Samurai will be the baseline and represent Japanese matcha.

Leef's Jeju Artisan Matcha is the entry for Korean matcha.

Purring Lotus's Matcha is the Chinese matcha for today.

Products for today:

Nippon Cha Samurai 

$49 || $1.63 per gram

Leef Jeju Artisan Matcha

$49 || $1.96 per gram

Purring Lotus Matcha

$22 || $.73 per gram

Method: 3g powder, 15g room temp water for paste. 85g water at 80 °C for usucha. Sweet pairing for today was a freshly vanilla sugar glazed doughnut from an artisan place by me (Rise Doughnut)

Color:

Lovely shades of green.

Purring Lotus had a creamy green with a slight yellow lean, like what a strong matcha latte/cortado would look like.

Leef was middle of the pack with a hint of yellow like a vibrant spring grass on a very sunny day.

Nippon's Samurai was a true, vivid green. Visually lively when put side by side with the others.

Swipe:

Pure, dry silk for all three.

The shortness of the tail and what might be too fine of a powder based on the texture of Purring Lotus make me think this might be ball-milled.

Leef's swipe was the longest. Marginally less clean than the others.

Nippon Cha's Samurai, while short, was solid and silky.

Froth/Microfoam:

All three were easy to froth and produce a microfoam, with Purring Lotus maybe needing a second or two more.

Fragrance Notes on paste:

Purring Lotus had a curious fragrance. On my tasting wheel, I figured I would never use the wedge for "fruity". But, here we are. The first note was overripe bananas. I thought maybe it was a fluke. I spent this entire week with this matcha. Even took a pause and had an usucha using the last of my open tin of Horii Shichimeien. When I came back to Purring Lotus for an afternoon cortado, overripe banana was still the first note.

The middle notes seemed to be of honeyed butternut squash. Then ending with the vegetal grass and wilted spinach.

For Leef's Artisan Matcha, I was not sure what to expect. And, I had thought my experience with Wild Orchard's "matcha" was a one-off with it smelling of squash. Nope. But, while Leef's started with a fresh butternut squash aroma, the backbone and structure of it leaned back into the known matcha realm of a creamy sage and raw green beans.

Nippon Cha's Samurai is what one expects from matcha and what today's taste seems to look for in matcha. Initial notes of a creamy chestnut wafted up and were followed by sweet peas and cool moss. Distinct undertones of umami and sweetness were highlighted in the aroma

Fragrance Notes on usucha:

Interesting evolution on fragrance once the warmer water was added to move from paste to usucha.

Purring Lotus became floral and mossy. Instead of the expected jasmine notes when floral hits matcha, osmanthus took its place. Vegetal notes of asparagus and spinach became more pronounced. Then, moss notes rounded out the fragrance.

Leef was a seaweed-like broth with more vegetal green notes in the front. Undertones of bean sprouts, clover, and dried hay filled out the aroma of the usucha.

Nippon Cha's Samurai started its initial savory notes with a light melted butter fragrance. A warm hay scent wrapped it all together with hints of seaweed. Comforting and familiar.

Tasting:

Purring Lotus Matcha

Soft and medium body. Floral forward with an umami backbone. Medium bitterness with some astringency makes this an obvious choice for lattes and sweet pairings. Final notes of florals mixed with a chalky sage and mineraly spinach.

When paired with something sweet, the florals add a freshness to the usucha while bringing out the grassy and bright notes. This seems to be a matcha that was blended for latte use.

Leef's Jeju Artisan Matcha

Creamy, buttery first note with a silky, medium body. Almond-like umami sweetness brings a hint of astringency and a hint of bitterness. White florals bloom on the back of the palate as the sip finishes.

Pairing with a sweet brings out salinity notes mixed with peas. Additional notes of seaweed and hay complement the contrasting sweet pairing. Cashew mid-notes bring back the nutty umami, with the white florals still wrapping up the overall tasting notes.

Nippon Cha's Samurai

Soft with a medium-light body. Nutty umami initial notes develop into a more defined edamame and overcooked asparagus that has a touch of bitterness and no astringency.

The sweet pairing enhances the nutty notes into roasted nut and toasted sesame notes. Light vegetal notes keep the matcha backbone as slight florals linger on the tail end of the sip.

Final Thoughts:

After writing this up, it might have been a better idea to do a mid-to-high-tier Japanese matcha with a cultivar focus after doing the high-end tasting... instead of diving into blends from three different regions. But, oh well.

Purring Lotus's matcha reminds me of another Japanese matcha I wrote up back in the winter (Shizune). Seems to be intentionally blended for latte use instead of something straight like usucha. Neither good nor bad. Intention matters. This matcha may be better suited for someone who enjoys a more floral-forward matcha instead of the nutty matchas that currently dominate. I have only been able to drink this with milk (I've also learned that cow's milk is not the way to go for this particular matcha as it overpowers it. Oat milk seems best. Macadamia nut milk neutralizes everything to the point of tasting... nothing.)

Leef's Jeju Artisan Matcha is what I expected from a Korean matcha if they wanted to truly compete against Japanese matcha. Enjoyable and clean. Usucha worthy, but I would probably put it in lattes/cortados.

Nippon Cha's Samurai is one of their pinnacle offerings. Enjoyable. Tasty. If I lived in the Brooklyn area, I would have no qualms about picking up a tin from Nippon Cha if I were avoiding the crowds at Kettl. This tin is highly enjoyable as usucha. I respect Nippon Cha's transparency, criteria for their tea, and obsessiveness for quality.

My final takeaway when opening these and making the tea is.. my goodness. Packaging matters. The satisfying "pop" from a sealed tin vs a vacuum-sealed bag is incomparable... also, it is just less messy. When dealing with powder in grams, every particle matters... and I detest losing any particles to my clumsiness.. or particles stuck to the pouch.

Preface:

Moving beyond the daily matcha options, I wanted to do a tasting of truly special matchas. Instead of doing similar blends (it was taking me far too long to find similar blends), these were closer in price per gram. These are also all blends and not single cultivars.

Doing this type of high-end matcha tasting was a great way to close out a stressful time of the year for me as we shift into the summer season.

These matchas are meant to be savored and enjoyed for everything they are... unmasked, pure, and delicious in their own characteristics.

One more thing to note - the one from Horii Shichimeien is made from award-winning tea leaves. This seemed nearly impossible to find, with the exception of The Good Liver having it. I would have preferred to pay the normal cost if I could have procured it directly from Horii Shichimeien because I would have purchased other teas as well.

Price per gram listed in USD.

Products for today:

Horii Shichimeien Choukou No Mukashi 

Good Liver $148 || $4.94 per gram

OR

$67.40 (before shipping and duties directly) || $2.27 per gram

Nakai Ju-Hachi (18)

$128 || $6.40 per gram

Kettl Gokasho

$150 || $7.50 per gram

Method: 3g powder, 15g room temp water for paste. 85g water at 80 °C for usucha. Sweet pairing for today was a creme brulee tart from a fantastic French pastry shop near me.

Color:

These were all beautiful shades of green. Horii's was the most vibrant and alive green. Nakai's reminded me of a scenic view of mature and leafed-out trees from a window with the summer sun landing on them (quite similar to the view from my computer). Kettl's Gokasho was the lightest of the three but still quite intense with soft green.

Swipe:

Pure, dry silk for all three, which hinted at the wonderful sipping textures to come.

Froth/Microfoam:

These all easily frothed with a room-filling fragrance emitting from each katakuchi as I whisked... each mirroring their swipe color to the froth. I was really amazed by the lively green color of Horii's Choukou every time I looked at the bowl.

Fragrance Notes on paste:

Horii Shichimeien's Choukou No Mukashi had intensely fragrant vegetal notes of green beans, moss, and earthy hummus with an end note of sesame paste. An amazingly comforting scent of umami that I could not wait to sip.

Nakai's Ju-Hachi (18) made me incredibly grateful to have done single-cultivar tastings previously. The tell-tale fragrance notes of white chocolate and roasted nuts from the Okumidori cultivar were easy to pick up. The hint of lemon brightness and alfalfa from the Saemidori cultivar elegantly wafted in for balance.

If Horii's Choukou was the elegant and luxurious elder sister of this trio, and Nakai's Ju-Hachi was the seductive and grounded middle sibling, then Kettl's Gokasho was the young and innocent of the group with its sweet, milky cream scent mixed with a fresh, dewy grass note that ended with earthy mossiness and toffee.

Fragrance Notes on usucha:

Whisking up all three of these provided the room with such a delightful and savory green tea scent.

Horii's Choukou maintained its fragrant green notes as it evolved into a more delicate scent with light milk notes.

Nakai's Ju-Hachi leaned into those sweet umami notes that developed into roasted cacao and sweet kettle corn with malt while keeping its vegetal backbone.

Kettl's Gokasho unfolded with initial notes of heavy, wet leaves that were quickly brightened up with a sage-like herbaceous scent wrapped in nutty almonds, then came full circle and ended with steamed spinach.

Tasting:

Horii Shichimeien's Choukou No Mukashi

Incredibly silky and creamy with a medium body and amazing umami backed by a noticeable sweetness that I tend to chase in other green teas. Zero bitterness and zero astringency. Notes of well-cooked green beans and earthy peanuts that end in the back of the palate with an almond finish.

Pairing with a sweet, a slight note of jasmine peeks through the vegetal notes to bring a refreshing and decadent contrast to the sweet pairing before returning to the umami notes of toasted sesame.

Nakai's Ju-Hachi (18)

Wonderfully silky with a medium and slight lean towards a light body. No astringency or bitterness. Immediate and intense umami lands on the tongue from roasted and nutty notes that were uplifted by an aloe-like clean sensation and delicate sweetness. 

The sweet pairing brings out the buttery, vegetal green notes of seaweed and asparagus while intensifying the nuttiness with hints of salinity. 

Kettl's Gokasho

Equally slick on the tongue with a medium and slight lean towards thick body that comes with an almond cream and sage tasting note initially. Develops some herbaceous, parsley-like notes and lingers at the back of the throat with a milky-like sweetness.

After having a sweet treat, the herbaceous and savory notes shift towards equally enjoyable notes of sweet ocean and cashew butter.

Final Thoughts:

Like all tasty consumables, there are your daily go-tos, then there are your special-occasion splurges that are meant to be savored.

These three, while characteristically different but also luxurious in their own right, are those special treats. Each one enjoyable. Each one for a different palate and/or mood. Just like there are some rare nights I would break open a 2024 Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir vs a 2022 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir, it depends on the flavor profile I am looking for and a very good reason to open these.

Getting that chance to acquire each of these is truly amazing. I am grateful to the producers and dealers who made it possible for me to taste these. It's difficult for me to name a favorite from this trio.

As a NYCer, I have always enjoyed Kettl's offerings and am finally at a place where I can try one of their top-tier offerings less painfully. Gokasho teases me with thoughts of drinking it as koicha, even though I prefer a bit more volume in my cup.

Nakai's Ju-Hachi (18) highlights my recently found love of the Okumidori cultivar and blends that utilize it. Highly satisfying and comforting to my soul with its chocolate-like aroma and taste, produced by those who are equally, if not more, nerdy about the science of matcha and tea and who have an overwhelming love of it all. This speaks to me in more ways than one.

Horii Shichimeien's Choukou No Mukashi is a showcase in why top-tier ingredients matter by their use of award-winning leaves. Extremely fragrant from the moment I opened the pouch, to making the paste, to whisking, to sipping. This was an amazing experience. It is one that I am saving to truly sit down and savor this weekend while I unwind. I assume this is what some people mean when they say that a great cup of matcha is "alive."

Preface:

(As I work out final details on a website to lessen posting here, you'll notice in the slides a possible format I will use for carousels)

One year of going from "just drinking a daily matcha during spring to help manage my allergies" to "what is causing the matcha shortage that my local cafe sometimes cannot give me my dirty matcha latte due to lack of product" and "what exactly AM I DRINKING?"

My year-long fixation on grasping a basic understanding of the matcha world has led me here... where packaging and brands mean less to me... and the product itself is what I am delving into. Just like coffee isn't just coffee, like Folgers isn't the equivalent to Starbucks, which also isn't the equivalent to a local roaster in Hawaii sourcing Kona-grown coffee. Much like how Liberica coffee beans are different from Arabica beans.

Prior to this year-long journey, I was happy with my occasional purchase from Ippodo or MK... 1 tin would last me 2 weeks. At most, I would purchase 2 tins per allergy season... sometimes never finishing the second tin... only to find it months later oxidized and in my tea tools and coffee-filters paraphernalia box.

But, enough of my tangent. The point being that this three-way comparison is a comparison of 3 brands and their blends of Okumidori and Yabukita cultivars. I find this type of blend to be quite a crowd pleaser for the current populace's tastes.

Fun thing to note: Ikkyu's Matsuko Matcha is what Yves Saint Laurent has branded for themselves to carry.

Products for today:

Ikkyu Matsuko

Offday #02 Sen

Daylight Matcha Morning Light

Method: 3g powder, 15g room temp water for paste. 85g water at 80 °C for usucha. Sweet pairing for today was some apple cider donuts from the local farmer's market.

Color:

It's important to note that not all matcha will be a deep, emerald green, nor will they be an intense jade green. Some will lean into a summer-ish green... bright, slightly pale like sunlight on spring grass, where the smallest hints of yellow may come through.

All three were quite similar in color. However, I will say that in person, Offday's #02 Sen was a touch lighter, as if a small drop of white mixed in. Ikkyu's Matsuko was slightly deeper in green than the other two, like a forest moss in the morning. Daylight Matcha's Morning Light was that shade in between the other two. This is not something noticeable to the average viewer. But, possibly more perceptible to those who look at colors for a living or are unintentionally trained in color differences, like I am.

Swipe:

Tactilely, all three felt the same. Like dry silk. Smooth and soft. Offday's #02 Sen had the cleanest and shortest. Interestingly, Offday's #02 Sen also had the cleanest swipe on the grindometer -- fading at 4 vs 10 for Matsuko and 11 for Daylight.

Froth/Microfoam:

These all easily frothed up with a mild fragrance emitting from each katakuchi as I whisked... each mirroring their swipe color to the froth.

Fragrance Notes on paste:

Offday's #02 Sen gave probably the earthiness fragrance of the trio with notes of toffee, milk, and fresh butternut squash.

Daylight's Morning Light was the greenest scent in the comparison with notes of fresh grass, alfalfa, and forest floor mixed with a fresh cream.

Ikkyu's Matsuko was, perhaps, a wonderful middle between Sen and Morning Light. Green Pea notes mixed with milk, then followed by a malt scent, then chestnut. 

Fragrance Notes on usucha:

The addition of warmer water always brings out the vegetal notes, no matter how hidden it seems.

Sen was still earthy with chestnut in the forefront and seaweed and green beans following.

Matsuko was bold with the vegetal notes in the front, while earthy notes like hummus and moss gave the structure, with a milk note rounding it out.

Morning Light lived up to its name, starting with fresh asparagus and hay, fresh milk being the second note as opposed to the last, as moss came on the tail end to weave it all together.

Tasting:

Offday #02 Sen

Sen hit my tongue with a mineral and oceanic note first before I grasped onto the medium body mouthfeel. Mild, but leaning towards a medium astringency with a touch of bitterness. That astringency and mild bitter note was similar to a mix of osmanthus and jasmine notes, then softened with notes of creamy sage and green beans.

Pairing it with a sweet, this became super floral and almond-y (to me). Bitterness fades into hints like pure vanilla extract and malt. Summer grass comes in as the vegetal notes, with all of it wrapped up with a final fresh milk hint that lingers at the end.

Ikkyu Matsuko

This was quite a bouquet on my taste buds at first sip. Medium body with bold yet soft grassy, mossy, bean sprout notes. The low bitterness made the notes seem clear but not sharp. A mild yet present astringency gave way to hints of vanilla and nuts. The final notes of milk and malt rounded this out and happily showcased how tasty this would be as usucha.

The sweet pairing brings out the white chocolate, cream, and nutty notes that Okumidori is known for. The formerly found astringency evolved into lavender notes, while keeping the moss backbone with a sweetness similar to high-quality ama ebi.

Daylight Morning Light

Morning Light was similar to Sen, but different enough to be its own thing. Soft, creamy, medium to light body with a mild astringency and a mild but noticeable lean towards medium bitterness. The astringency and bitterness notes came with the tasting notes of almond extract and jasmine. The overall tasting structure is held together with green bean notes and a nutty umami. This seemed bright and refreshing, and perhaps much like its namesake, a great first cup of tea to start the day with.

Combining this with a sweet treat, the jasmine floral and almond backing notes become more pronounced. The sugars from the treat play well against the initial astringency to develop into a silky mouthfeel while holding onto those green and floral notes to keep it refreshing. I could see myself enjoying this often as an iced usucha.

Final Thoughts:

All three were enjoyable in their own ways. Ikkyu's Matsuko was a wonderful reminder as to what made me decide to essentially drink through most of Ikkyu's tea catalogue. Their teas, both matcha and non-matcha, are delicious and complex. Evolving on the tongue with each sip (and for their loose leaves, evolving with each steep).

Daylight's Morning Light is a wonderful daily drinker, especially for the first cup of the day. Bright, refreshing. Enjoyable from the first sip to its last as it cools.

Offday's #02 Sen - enjoyable and comparable to others. It stands on its own. Wonderful and bold enough for mixing with milks. Another showcase of how Chinese-grown and produced matcha is comparable to Japanese matcha.

Preface:

Matcha Day was spent with video games and breaking open some new matcha to compare. (For those wondering how I happen to go through so much matcha every 2 weeks, I usually end up taking one of them to the office and leaving the other two at home. My husband actually asks for matcha-tados (sometimes, I do a flat white ratio instead of a cortado ratio)... and I tend to do a 5g matcha serving for each of us. It's my only high caffeine of the day as I switch to some roasted teas and other teas for the rest of the day. Also, caffeine has never kept me up. It tends to put me to sleep. The caffeine via matcha sort of calms me if anything)

I have been highly curious about Ashu's Matcha for a while as they lean on the more premium end at more than a $1 per gram across their whole line. Happen to see that a store somewhat near my office was stocking some of their matcha, so I grabbed one.

Chazoku and Momi's are two brands I have reviewed previously. Considering how well their quality showed in their products in the prior comparisons, doing this comparison was somewhat high on my anticipation list.

All three are AAPI-owned. All three are sourcing in ways that speak to my purchasing ethics. I think Chazoku even has and runs their own farm now. Their pivot from the gym and wellness brands to something a little more serious in the matcha world is something I am glad to see.

Products for today:

Ashu's Matcha No. 4 Gokou

Chazoku Gokou

Momi's Matcha Gokou

Method: 3g powder, 15g room temp water for paste. 85g water at 80 °C for usucha. Sweet pairing for today was this delightful Sabadi 50% chocolate bar with hints of mandarin. (I upped the water in the paste as recommended and reminded by another user for use in Sanko's grindometer)

Color:

All three had beautiful greens, with Momi's being the most vibrant and fresh-spring-like green of the three. Ashu's leaned into a slightly more mature green like a dry spring day grass green. Chazoku had a green like a spring just about to welcome warmer summer days with its every so slight lean into yellow, only noticeable because of Momi's vibrant and verdant green next to it.

Swipe:

Ignoring the second tail of the swipe under Ashu, these were all beautiful swipes. Freshness from the grind, perhaps perceivable by the touch I did when I swiped these. Momi's was slightly more velvety with Ashu's and Chazoku's having the dry silk feeling. All smooth. All wonderfully milled.

If you skip to the foam shot, you'll see what it sort of looks like on the grindometer. Momi's had this perfect swipe. I wish I understood why. But, I guess I'll be dialing in my paste/koicha making to be even more precise. I have hunches as to why.. and I'll test those after I pick up even more tools.

Momi's had the noticeable fade at the 7 - 8 mark of the grindometer. Such a clean line.

Chazoku had its fade around the 10 - 12 mark. Which, I am ever so grateful that they post their lab reports. the 10 - 12 ppm mark is exactly what their lab reports say (I'm not a complete screw up in using the grindometer!)

Ashu's is harder to see in the photo, but it also started its fade in the 10 - 12 mark.

Froth/Microfoam:

The more I do these, the more often I see that the swipe color will also closely mirror the microfoam color. Should be expected. It's just water hah. But, look at those colors! All easy to whisk up with fragrance wafting up to my nose and bringing anticipation to my tongue for the tasting. 

Fragrance Notes on paste:

Ashu's brought a different type of intensity to its high fragrance notes. Butter joined with soft greens and raw edamame and maybe hints of chestnuts weaving in and out of the scent notes.

Chazoku's was highly fragrant when making the paste with notes of sweet cream butter being in the front with raw cashews and an almost white chocolate scent following behind. Its vegetal notes at the end were reminiscent of cold gazpacho bringing in those umami and savory notes.

Momi's fragrance immediately came forward with a fresh cream scent with nut butters like cashew paste and edamame supporting it. Dewy and fresh cut grass lingered strongly at the end.

Fragrance Notes on usucha:

Adding the warmer water to the paste on all three brought those vegetal fragrance notes forward.

Ashu's seemed to be like an instant bang for fragrance when making the paste as the usucha formation mellowed it all out with butter notes mixing well with the vegetal notes. It was similar to what creamed spinach is like minus the cinnamon. Roasted peanut notes followed and closed out all I could pick up when doing a deep inhale of the usucha.

Chazoku fragrance became muted with the addition of the water. Steamed spinach of pure vegetal scent as opposed to an earthy vegetal scent. Umami was still present but in the form of a vegetal broth with a dash of roasted nut milk.

Momi's had a steamed green bean scent to hold onto those earthy and savory notes tightly. Warm milk notes followed and bookended with dried nori and almost a forest floor scent.

Tasting:

Ashu's Matcha - No. 4 Gokou

Ashu's Gokou had a medium bitterness that quickly faded, followed with some nutty and slight astringency, some umami and hint of sweetness similar to the sweetness from nuts or edamame, but perhaps closer to a fresh cacao butter that gives a light cocoa but rich and slightly sweet taste. A rich but light mouthfeel is courtesy of the ease it provided upon whisking. 

Pairing with the chocolate, creaminess comes as the bitterness complements the sweetness. Buttery spinach notes come forward with an aftertaste as if there were pine nuts in a sauteed spinach dish. Astringency gave notes of thyme as opposed to the usual jasmine in prior matchas I had, but this being a more umami and earthy matcha as not a floral matcha, the ending subtle, vegetal thyme notes played well.

Chazoku - Gokou

Almond notes hit first bringing thoughts of a mint in a non-mint form, which is where the mild to medium bitterness and astringency come out. Umami forward with a creamy body, and a natural sweetness similar to cashews.

After having a chocolate piece, Chazoku - Gokou's milky notes come forward. Creaminess becomes more apparent as the sweetness from the pairing changes the bittnerness to something of the lightest unsweetnened chocolate nut milk. The matcha became velvety and rich in texture with a play on nutty notes. It was like an Okumidori with some bite.

Momi's Matcha - Gokou

Momi's was highly creamy in mouthfeel like a good nut milk. It had a barely perceptible bitterness and no astringency. Anchored by raw walnut notes along with a similar umami sweetness. Green notes of something like a mix of grass and seaweed keep overall structure of freshness in this matcha. This was extremely enjoyable as usucha.

Pairing with the chocolate, the matcha became nutty in almost a tahini homage. Some buttery notes come forward, along with sauteed bok choy lingering at the end. This is the matcha I want as a shot over cold frothed milk or a lightly sweetened ice cream. Its natural sweetness, earthiness, and umami balanced so well against the slightly bittersweet chocolate. This is the matcha I happily enjoy as a cooled usucha or a koicha shot over 1 solid ice cube.

Final Thoughts:

Three matcha brands. Three different marketing budgets. Three stellar matchas at this price point.

Ashu's Matcha is like the elegant, older sister, who lives in a sunny coastal city, in this group. Transparent in their sourcing. Unique in their labeling. Selective with their partners. Aspirational but still having substance. The one who cuts out the noise and presents quality findings.

Chazoku is definitely a brand I look forward to continuing to watch. I have not been disappointed in what I have tried so far. This is the second one from them for me. Initially, I was wary of their bro-like and wellness-themed marketing. But, they are taking a more and more serious approach. One of the few who post their lab reports. One of the few with their own manufacturing. One of the few who seemed to learn from some hefty missteps that cost them a lot of trust and goodwill in the matcha community. So, enjoying their matcha and seeing them grow more serious about it all. It's like a comeback story.

Momi's intentional sourcing and quiet presence seems almost to be the embodiment of matcha itself. It's not shouty or loud. It lets its quality speak for itself. My second matcha from Momi, but definitely not my last.

Non-comparison notes for those who made it to the end of this:

If you enjoyed this series so far, this is to note that I will be further winding down my Reddit postings (I have already taken a huge step back from participating here). I may do one or two more of these to wrap up what I have. Maybe drop the final post on a Chinese vs Korean vs Japanese matcha, a true comparison this time... before I migrate over to my own website for my own sanity. Launching my 4th website in my 4th decade of life is not what I expected to do, but here we are... and I need to fixate on something that is shareable to the world... lest I hole up with books and videogames.