The preparation, serving and drinking of matcha in a Japanese tea ceremony is a performance, an art involving its very own utensils and customs. Indeed, the ceremony is an art to be mastered. While one can learn to prepare matcha outside of the tea ceremony setting, many of us lack the time involved. This is where Lupicia Matchaway Apple comes in handy.
Matchaway is made from the finest quality matcha leaves from the Nishio region of Aichi Prefecture in Japan and the same shade-grown tea leaves that also are used to make gyokuro. Whereas the leaves for gyokuro are rolled out before drying, in the case of matcha, the leaves are laid out flat to dry before stone-ground to powder.
Each tin holds six sealed sachets containing a blend that dissolves instantly in hot and cold water without the need for whisking, and so distinguishing it from traditional methods of matcha preparation. In addition to its natural flavour, Matchaway also comes flavoured with apple, chocolate or strawberry and acai.
Flavoured matcha is a first for me, and here, I have the Lupicia Matchaway Apple.
A quick stir of 150 mL of water at 80°C or room temperature to one sachet, the tea was a translucent green colour for which the Nishio region is famed. The tea has a slightly viscous nature and a full-bodied mellow sweetness with the freshness of apple peel that yields to a slightly sweet astringent unripe-stonefruit finish. There’s a hint of the umami flavour, which you expect from high grades of green tea and the intensity of which makes such teas best savoured slowly, yet the flavour of fresh apple tones the intensity of the umami back a step to give a refreshing and invigorating twist on the classic tea.
The tin of Lupicia Apple Matchaway contained 6x 2.5 g sachets. The tea was sourced from Japan, packaged in Japan, and purchased in Kyōto, Japan in 2015.