Matcha Sample Results

   Multitudes of days later I'm finally getting to this yay! Sorry for the delay to anyone reading this. This post is meant as an accompaniment to my previous one, flushing out the previous reported results of my Matcha tasting experience. One thing to note is that all of these are culinary grade which is probably by the results were pretty low on most all of them. Culinary grade is used more in cooking and usually isn't used all by itself like in a tea. Ceremonial grade is the best kid for regular standalone tea usage.

Sample #1
It's Color was olive green and when samples reminded me of steamed veggies. This matcha was mostly bitter with little to no sweetness.

Matcha was from "Matcha Organics" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OJMI0CK

Sample #2

This one had a lighter olive green color and when sampled I noted a light grassy flavor. Overall this tea was bitter.

Matcha was from "Tradition" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T5GHUM

Sample #3

This sample was a bit brighter of a green and also contained a light grassy flavor. This matcha was less bitter but still had a bitter edge to it.

Matcha was from "Doctor King" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MBITN2A

Sample #4

This sample had a similar light olive green color to sample #2. The matcha was less bitter than previous samples and had a light sweetness to it.

Matcha was from "One Organic" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O41OKEI

Sample #5

This sample had a similar olive green color to sample #1. The matcha had a very strong cooked grass like scent and flavor. This matcha was almost unbearably bitter with no sweetness anywhere to be found.

Matcha was from "Enzo" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NYYVWFQ

Sample #6

This sample had a light green color accompanied by some light green notes. This matcha was less bitter with a slight sweetness to it.

Matcha was from "TerraVerve" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LE120X4

Sample #7

This sample had a very light olive green color and when tasted reminded me of paper pulp. It was very bitter with no sweetness at all. Definitely would not recommend this one!

Matcha was from "Kazu Foods" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MC40UDY

Sample #8

This sample had an olive green color and reminded me of steamed asparagus when tasted. This was quite bitter with no sweetness anywhere. Also would NOT recommend this one!

Matcha was from "Matcha DNA" found here: http://www.amazon.com/Matcha-DNA-Certified-Organic-Green/dp/B00BG0ZJ0Y

Sample #9

This sample was a nice bright green color with light fresh grass notes which were quite pleasant. This matcha was less bitter compared to it's rivals. It also had some light sweetness. I would recommend this matcha for culinary uses.

Matcha was from "Kiss Me Organics" found here: http://www.amazon.com/Matcha-Green-Tea-Powder-Antioxidant/dp/B00DDT116M

Sample #10

This sample was olive green in color and it's taste reminded me of steamed asparagus just like sample #8. This seems to be a death knell for matcha as far as I'm concerned. Matcha was very bitter with no sweetness what-so-ever. Would not recommend this matcha!

Matcha was from "uVernal" found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KHXESLC

Sample #11

This sample was a light olive green color and had a vegetal scent. It's taste reminded me of paper with a chemical aftertaste. In other words this was not at all pleasant. No sweetness to be found in this one. Not my least favorite one on this list but not in my top 3 by any means.

Matcha was from "Red-Leaf Tea" found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/starter-matcha-en.html#.VXcQkkYf5v0

Sample #12

This sample was light green and had an almost floral type scent. This one was quite different from the rest. It was bitter but had a slight sweetness too. Might be one to try to see if it suites your pallet.

Matcha was from "Red-Leaf Tea" found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/deluxe-matcha-1lb.html#.VXcQ9kYf5v0

Final Thoughts

Over all I would say that color seemed to have a huge bearing on how good/bad a matcha was. The brighter and more vibrant the green color was the better it tasted. By contrast the more olive green the matcha looked the worse it tasted. Some of these samples were almost unbearable to try and I only got a few sips down before having to toss the rest of the cup. Overall I was not a fan of drinking culinary grade matcha thought and I question why we sampled it plain versus in it's intended use in culinary endeavors. Someday in the future I'll have to get my hands on some good ceremonial grade matcha which is actually meant for drinking and see how that compares to this. Until then I'll keep my matcha in my food ;-). Speaking of green tea products in food have you tried Chobani's green tea yogurt? It's limited time and very delicious! I would highly recommend getting your hands on some before it's gone! And no Chobani in no way sponsers my blog haha [i wish] http://www.chobani.com/products/blended#green-tea.