Matcha Daimatsu (大松抹茶) is a premium grade Matcha specially made for Zhao Zhou tea from the Yoshida Mei tea garden. The name means "big pine".
Matcha (抹茶) is the pinnacle of the Japanese tea ceremony, a powdered green tea.
Like Gyokuro, the tea plants used for Matcha are also shaded before picking, as a result of which the leaves remain smaller, softer and juicier, with a sweeter and milder taste.
After harvesting, the leaves are steamed and dried like other green teas. After that, the meticulously selected leaves are ground into powder-like powder.
The finished Matcha powder is prepared using a bamboo chasen (茶筅, i.e. tea brush) in a specially designed chawan (茶碗, i.e. tea pot). The result is an emerald green liquid with an intense flavor and a light, sweet, jade-colored foam; the more foam, the more successful the preparation.
One of the oldest tea gardens in Uji, located around the Kōzan-ji (高山寺) temple, has been cared for and cultivated by the Yoshida family since the 16th generation, i.e. for nearly 200 years. This experience spanning centuries is also reflected in their teas.
Preparation:
Quantity: 2 grams for 80ml of water
Water temperature: 80ºC. Preferably fresh spring water, mineral water or filtered water