Comments on: Roasty

By: Jason Truesdell

Jason Truesdell — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 04:48:18 +0000

It's not quite mine, but I offer matcha-genmaicha on YuzuMura.com... My colleague Eugene Levy (not an actor) imports it under the brand name MyGreenTea.

In Seattle, you can get it at Uwajimaya and Central Market, among other places. It is certainly more expensive than Yamamotoyama, but tastes a lot better when made correctly, and still works out to pennies per cup if you make it loose.

By: mamster

mamster — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 03:58:14 +0000

I didn’t know there was such a thing as matcha-genmaicha, and I really don’t mind if you mention yours.

By: Jason Truesdell

Jason Truesdell — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 21:26:01 +0000

You can make matcha without a chasen (bamboo whisk), but the chasen will do a better job of elminiating the beads of the want to form, and since the shape is unfamiliar you'll probably be able to retrain your whisking habits to make the W-like pattern that's preferred for whisking matcha, instead of the "big circles" more common by home cooks armed with a whisk.

You might go to an introductory lesson at the Urasenke school in Madison Park to get a feel for it.

The chasen range from $15-40 in the US, priced by how many teeth they have. The more teeth, the better they do at breaking up those beads. (I do sell them from time to time, so add any required disclaimer)

I don't drink ceremonial types of matcha at home often, but I do like matcha-infused gin. For more everyday consumption, I like a good matcha-genmaicha, which is genmaicha dusted with matcha. My recommendation for a brand would be self-interested, so I'll refrain from specifics.

By: mamster

mamster — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:58:09 +0000

I have a good stick blender. I will give it a try. Although I guess then I’d have to make the Big Gulp size.

By: Neil

Neil — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 02:28:16 +0000

I think you can make matcha without the little bamboo whisk thing (although they are beautiful and very effective, and can be had cheaply from a couple Asian shops in the U-district). If you have one, a stick blender or even one of those battery powered milk foamers would work really well. The idea is to quickly disperse the powder in hot liquid and whip up a little froth on top.

By: Lore

Lore — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 00:03:06 +0000

Thanks, Heather and Mamster! I’ll check out those sources.

By: mamster

mamster — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:34:57 +0000

Lore, if you don't mind ordering from Amazon,this is the exact box of tea I've been drinking. Be forewarned that as one reviewer put it:

"I have tried this tea and was disappointed. The taste of green tea was there though. I was looking forward to actual tea leaves AND actual roasted brown rice to nibble on."

By: heather

heather — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:32:07 +0000

itoen.com is the website for ito en (duh), which is allegedly the most superhappyfun popular tea in japan… i know they have a brewed, unsweeted green genmaicha tea in bottles, but i’m not finding that on their site. they have a loose genmaicha, and a pretty sweet green tea sampler gift, and they ship… if’n that helps.

By: Lore

Lore — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 16:04:55 +0000

... and now I'm all itchy trying to find genmaicha around here. There has GOT to be an Asian grocery store SOMEWHERE in Amarillo.

Curse you, Mamster! :-)

By: mamster

mamster — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 04:37:05 +0000

Neil, I love drinking matcha, but I’ve never made it at home because it costs a bundle and I don’t have one of those little whipper things. Do you need one of those things or can you use a regular whisk?