Encha Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha Powder - First Harvest Organic Japanese Matcha Green Tea, From Uji, Japan (Organic Ceremonial, 1 Pound (17.6oz))

(WARNING- This is an in depth review of Encha matcha tea. I am writing this for those who like me are researching and wanting to buy the best matcha as an investment. I am purposely going into detail to provide information to help with buying decisions. If you prefer a short summary, see section marked THE BOTTOM LINE)THIS REVIEW WAS DONE ON PRODUCT PURCHASED AT FULL PRICE BY ME AS REGULAR CUSTOMER--------------I have to be honest with you, I really am not a green tea fan. I just don't like it. Flavored, unflavored, it did not seem to matter. I tried everything to make green tea just right and most of the time, I am just not a fan. There is a blend of green and white jasmine tea I do like, but that is not pure green, so probably does not count. So what am I doing trying matcha? Let me tell you.MATCHA EXPERIENCESome time ago I came upon a tea company who has teas I love. So, they had matcha on sale and it was STILL expensive. I decided to look into matcha. I researched and studied what to look for and made only trying Japanese matcha my goal.I tried a few here and there, but they were bitter, icky tasting, and made me wonder why anyone would bother spending money on that stuff- let alone a LOT of money. I found a little tin of PREMIUM organic GO MATCHA at a store on clearance, so I bought it. It was only $5 and the date was very fresh, and it was from Japan. No one in our area has a clue about stuff like this, so they did not buy it. Is that what matcha is supposed to taste like? Blech.WHAT IS ENCHA MATCHA LIKE?I am not one to let things lie until I have explored them to my satisfaction, so I continued to try matcha and more and more I was becoming turned off. I put the temperature between 170 and 160 and was careful to measure, and then I would froth it just right and drink it- blech. I only tried premium or ceremonial quality - if that was high end, I would hate to see low end.I decided to give matcha one last try and purchased the Encha. When I opened the package, I was greeted by what I had thought was a myth. This stuff is a beautiful spring green powder that borders on neon in color. Now THAT is what I heard matcha was supposed to look like! The powder is fine and the fragrance is actually wonderful. It is reminiscent of Japanese Green Magma and some other green drink supplement powders I used to buy from Swanson Vitamins over the years.HOW DOES THIS MATCHA PREPARE?First let me tell you how I prepared this matcha.- I heated water to 160 degrees-I put 1/4 tsp in a cup (I like matcha a bit weaker at this point than the usual 1/2 tsp)-I poured about 4 oz of water over the top of the matcha (no, I did not sift)-I used the Cafe Casa Milk Frother 2 Speed Handheld Drink Mixer - Stainless Steel - With 2 AA Batteries Included (Silver)-I sipped the tea rather quicklySometimes I pour a bit more water over top, sometimes not. It depends on my preference for weaker tea that day.This matcha is delightful. Because I tend to use a bit less powder than recommended, the foam on top is less, but still very nice. The tea itself is delightful. No lumps, no problems at all mixing with the water, and the flavor- WOW. I have to say that this matcha blows all of the others I have tried out of the water. It is amazing.WHAT DOES THIS MATCHA TASTE LIKE?This matcha has a flavor that is most reminiscent of Japanese Green Magma made from young barley leaves- the original Japanese powder in the glass jar. It has a beautiful balance between sweetness and green, but it is a good green, not bitter. In fact, there was absolutely NO bitterness at all in this tea. The balance of astringency and green is perfect. Absolutely PERFECT. When I was done, my mouth was not feeling like someone sucked the water out of it, and it did not linger in a bad way like so many matchas tend to do to me. It was more of a pleasant memory that brings a smile to my face.HOW DOES THIS TEA AFFECT ME?I have a problem with caffeine, which includes in tea as well as coffee. I tend to avoid it. It makes me hurt and sometimes buzzes me so badly that I just have to avoid it and only have it once in a while. This tea, however, has an interesting effect on me. It brings about an ability to focus all day and adds an extra boost of peace and grounding that is elusive much of the time. I know that it is the L-theanine, but this is the first tea that I have experience this level of balance with.I might not end up having it daily over time, but I sure am enjoying it now! The results are really nice.THE BOTTOM LINEI have to say that NOW I understand the reason why people go nuts over matcha tea. This tea is top of the line, there is no doubt about that. It turned me from a green tea resister to a green tea lover and that is HARD to do. The color is brilliant bright green, the aroma and flavor are perfect balance of sweet greens and astringency, and the powder blends into water perfectly. I have to say that the focus and grounding I get from this is amazing and I will probably keep buying this regularly. It is really amazing stuff.RATINGI would give this ten stars if I could. I will update if anything changes or I have any more to add about this amazing tea.

I'm new to matcha since giving up coffee 2 months ago due to ridiculous unexplained anxiety from having it. This is my first matcha purchase & never had it before purchasing this item so I couldn't compare it to others, but I know I am re-ordering since my current supply is finished & what I just replaced it with is just awful. I got a lower grade, cheaper item from China that was 'highly recommended'. Huge mistake!! Can't at all compare to this & not worth saving a few dollars for. I actually crave my morning lattes with almond milk every single day with this item. The taste is delicious, I get steady yet calm energy & I'm so happy with this product that I don't want to return to drinking coffee. I can't wait until the largest bag becomes available as I will be purchasing that. Thank you for being delicious!

I'm just so blown away by this tea!! Probably the best name for it is an antioxidant powerhouse!!I purchased this for it's detox and anti aging benefits. It's very popular in model circles for these reasons, as well as a way to prevent cellulite and treat existing cellulite. However, I wasn't expecting all of the added benefits that come with this powerful tea!For the longest time my mum's been drinking green tea (tea bags), which I avoided because of the bitter taste. I started with regular tea bags, but after some research I discovered that the tea bags only contain 26mg of antioxidants (egcg, catechins) and the leaves are lower grade/cheap, hence why buying tea bags is so much cheaper. Also some tea bags have been found to contain metals from the soils. The loose leaf green tea is a bit higher in antioxidants, but the most superior one I found was Teavana Green Tea Gyokuro, which contains 86mg of antioxidants, so that one is the highest you'll find of a loose leaf green tea. Well, guess what?!! This matcha powder contains 240mg of antioxidants!!! This is superior to all green teas you'll find, because the leaves have been ground into a powder, so you're actually eating them! This is like drinking 9 cups of green tea (bags)!! My mum has truly been wasting her time with the tea bags!I really can't say enough great things about this tea. This is the only Matcha powder I've tried, so I don't have anything to compare this to, but it works for me, so I don't need to try anything else. This truly is a miracle tea. It's a powerhouse of antioxidants, and I just don't know how I've lived so long without this.The first two days I was going to the bathroom a lot. I figured this tea was helping me to flush out toxins. Just letting you know that you may experience this, but it's normal, as you're feeding your body with a large dose of antioxidants which it's not used to. You will settle down and this will keep you regular. I'm on a high protein and low carb diet, so this has really helped me to stay regular because of my diet. You might want to consider starting this on the weekend to see how you react to it, so you're not rushing to the bathroom constantly at work.One instantly noticeable benefit from this tea is how much energy it gives me, and how calming it is. I suffer from anxiety, and this tea calms me and has such a big effect on my mood for the day. I wasn't expecting this at all. Very healing! But then this is a ceremonial tea, meaning that Buddhist monks (who only pick the best teas) use it in their ceremonies. They go for long periods fasting and meditating, so they need the best teas to energize and calm them, and this is one of those teas!I've noticed my skin is a lot clearer and healthy looking. Since I was about 15 I had some small bumps on the backs of my arms (not noticeable, but could be felt if you ran your fingers over them). After day 1 of taking this the bumps have gone!!! Whatever inflammation was causing the bumps, this tea took care of that inflammation! It's left my skin glowing and soft, truly the benefits can be seen from the inside-out. There are numerous articles that claim matcha can help in preventing dementia and Alzheimer's, as it's great for the brain. It helps protect you against cancer and other diseases, and the list is endless. It also suppresses your appetite a bit, meaning you eat less calories, so it aids in weight loss.Just like you clean the outside of your body when you take a shower, this tea is like taking a clorox wipe to your insides. Whenever you are exposed to the elements you're taking in harmful free radicals and toxins into your body. These build up in your body and attack your cells, one of the effects is that you age quicker too. I love the taste and don't find it too bitter at all! I try to drink every last drop in my mug to get the full benefits of it! I would recommend drinking as is, rather than adding honey or something else to it. Why "contaminate" it with anything.I love this tea so much I've subscribed for a monthly order!!SOME TIPS:*Don't drink this after 5pm! I made this mistake the first day, since I couldn't wait to try it, and it kept me up that night, since it does contain caffeine. (I'm sensitive to caffeine as I don't drink coffee)*Don't drink it at the same time you eat food. Matcha tea is a nutrient blocker, so make sure you digest everything first so your body gets its nutrients without interference from the tea.*Drink one of your servings before you work out. The Matcha increases your metabolism and burns even more fat if you take just before a workout.*Don't exceed 3 servings per day, because of the caffeine content. They recommend 4 servings for cancer patients but 2-3 servings for everyone else. I usually do the first serving when I wake up, and the 2nd serving just before i workout (so spread out throughout the day)*Pay attention to your body. If you start getting headaches then decrease your servings. They say that headaches can be the result of iron deficiency, which can occur through an excessive intake of green tea.*When adding the hot water to the powder it gets a bit lumpy at the bottom. Best way to avoid this is to pour a tiny amount of cold water into your mug first to mix the powder into a slight paste, before then adding the hot water. Make sure you start whisking the powder as you're pouring the hot water in. So much easier than dealing with leftover bits at the bottom of your mug that get wasted!

This is a high quality matcha powder that you can easily whisk (no clumping) and the taste is less sweet with just a hint of bitterness compared to my favorite organic ceremonial matcha brand Jade Leaf. I got this one to try as Jade Leaf was on back order and didn’t want to be almost 2 weeks without my matcha lattes.

If you are someone that loves matcha, or even if you don't, you need to try this brand. It just may change your mind! I enjoyed matcha here and there, but did find that some places I would purchase it were definitely better than others. I'd be disappointed here and there when I ordered it and it tasted almost like dirt to me. Now--I ONLY Make it at home and I ONLY use this particular one. There is no going back. Absolutely delicious no matter how you make it/enjoy it--hot, cold, whatever. I find it to be bit on the expensive side, but the fresh taste is worth the splurge.