Koi-cha or “thick tea” is the highest grade ceremonial quality matcha and is often used in the Japanese tea ceremony. The cup is thick, creamy, and sweet with little bitterness. Sold in 20-gram vacuum-packed tins.

Matcha teas are a distinct style of Japanese green tea that is different in every aspect to all other teas. Matcha tea is shade grown tea (e.g., Gyokuro, Kabusecha), with the leaf matter removed from the fibrous veins and stems. This leaf material (called Tencha) is then milled between two stones until it is a fine powder called Matcha. The Matcha is then whisked into hot water where the liquor and leaf are both consumed. It is not steeped and removed from the water like traditional teas. Matcha is the tea served during the famous Japanese tea ceremony, but culinary grades are now used for all kinds of more casual purposes such as smoothies or baking.  

Ingredients: green tea

Steeping Instructions

Sift 4 grams or 3 chashaku scoops of tea into 1 oz of 195 F water. Using a bamboo whisk (chasen), gently knead the matcha into the water in slow, sweeping motions. The result will be a thick, creamy consistency. After it is gone, you can add more water to the bowl to whisk the remainder of the matcha (which will be a thinner consistency).