Kimberley's Kyusu

Just over nine years have passed since I started this blog and throughout all of that time, I have been able to sip my way through many a matcha, the majority of which were single cultivar matchas sourced from many different locations throughout Japan.

Those experiences have been able to help me learn about the characteristics of different cultivars and how they perform, as well as helping me narrow down which cultivars were best suited to my taste. Over time, I have discovered that the cultivar best suited to my taste is undoubtably the Gokou cultivar and ever since I came to that conclusion, I have made it my mission to try a Gokou cultivar matcha from as many different producers as possible.

This is why when I came across Tsujiki Tea Garden’s – Heritage Grade , Uji Matcha (Gokou) while putting together an order on the Yunomi website, I added it to my basket without hesitation, because I was intrigued to see how it compared to other Gokou matcha I had previously tried.

In it’s dry form, this matcha is a beautiful mix of different greens in colour, including olivine, sap and forest, with a fantastically complex, creamy & sweet aroma that included notes of lemon zest, buttery pastry, crispy cakes (made with super creamy milk chocolate and cornflakes) & seaweed rice crackers.  There are certainly umami notes present too, but they are subtle.

Upon the addition of water, the aroma changes quite drastically, with those umami notes becoming a lot stronger than they were initially. The most prominent notes now being that of nori, butter and grilled onigiri, as well as a newly added sharpness. Some creaminess remained and was amplified upon frothing.

I was able to whisk this matcha to a delightfully creamy consistency in next to no time & upon taking a sip of it, I was initially hit with a bright umami. It sweeps over the tongue and takes on a  buttery quality as it goes and there is some sharpness present, but it is not strong. If left to cool at all, the texture becomes creamier and a touch sweeter, so I can see this matcha also being delicious iced.       

For me this has the perfect level of bright umami, that is superbly balanced by notes of cream and roasted cacao. Savoury notes of creamy French butter and seaweed rice crackers are also present. Stand out qualities are without a doubt centred around those creamy notes that were present from start to finish.

This matcha starts on the sweeter side in aroma and takes on a slightly more savoury quality when it comes to taste, then returning back to a sweeter pouring cream-esque taste as it cools further and you come to the end of the bowl. It has a remarkably long lasting finish with that buttery umami lingering on the sides of the tongue with a touch of sharpness, further transforming into notes of green apple skin after a while.  

Art Pairing: ‘Farshadow Gardens’ – by Rosie Holding, 45 x 60cm (28mm canvas depth), Oil (including metallic gold oil), mixed media on canvas.

I came across Rosie’s work and this particular piece maybe a day or so after I had my first session with this matcha and I knew as soon as I saw it that there was no other option for this pairing. I hadn’t really planned to look for a pairing for this tea at that time and wanted to wait a few more sessions before deciding, but I don’t believe any other painting could pair as perfectly with this matcha as this one does, because it not only evokes the same tranquil and serene feelings, but also because it encapsulates all of this matchas best qualities within it.

With it’s colour palette primarily being composed of greens being the most obvious connection to this matcha, which is only strengthened by the use of soft, creamy buttery yellows and the use of creams & whites throughout. The buttery, creamy qualities of this matcha are such an interaural part of it’s character, in the same way that they are within the painting, in order to create that ethereal light and evoke a sense of dreamlike tranquillity across the entire canvas. Both are just as exquisitely balanced as each other which is why they make such a perfect pair.

Should you want to try this matcha for yourself you can find it here on the Yunomi website & if you want to explore more of Rosie Holdings art you can do that here. When checking out on the Yunomi website remember to use my code INFKKYU to get 1000yen off an order of 5000yen or more.

Until next time, Happy Steeping – Kimberley