I mentioned the specialty coffee before in the first post of #BostonwithAvalyn , here comes the specialty matcha for those who adore it!

Just like coffee, matcha green tea powder comes in different grade. Each grade is determined based on its color, texture and quality, and each also has different uses.

The two main matcha tea grades are Ceremonial and Culinary, but culinary is further divided into 5 grades: premium, cafe, ingredient, kitchen and classic.

Ceremonial grade

Ceremonial grade has one purpose and one purpose only—drinking. It’s the highest-quality tea grade, which is why it’s been used for centuries in the traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. But you can drink it outside of tea ceremonies.

This grade is produced from the youngest tea leaves. With each leaf, its stems and veins are removed, and then the leaves are ground up using stone. The leaves used and the process of creating the powder are what help give ceremonial grade matcha tea powder its vibrant green color, fine texture, naturally sweet flavor and a pure taste. This grade, in powder and tea form, often smells like freshly cut grass, but it should never feel gritty.

When you drink this form, expect a thicker green tea, and drink it plain; it’s counterintuitive to add sweeteners or other additional ingredients because of this grade’s purity and naturally sweet taste.

CULINARY GRADE MATCHA

Culinary, or food, grade isn’t a low-quality tea by any means. This type of matcha green tea is simply made different and has different uses and flavors than ceremonial grade. Like it’s name suggests, culinary grade is meant to be used for baking and cooking.

While you can drink this grade, it’s better not to since its strong and slightly bitter taste is intended to be combined with other ingredients used in food and beverage recipes. Culinary grade’s mildly astringent flavor is what allows it to mix well with various smoothies and other milk-based drinks.

This lower-priced food grade will also smell like fresh grass and should have a soft feel to it. And while its green color isn’t as vibrant, it’s still a fairly bright green, and culinary grade actually has a higher antioxidant level than ceremonial grade.

Below are the 5 subgrades of culinary matcha tea and a brief description of each:

• Premium: Premium grade is considered an everyday use matcha that pairs well with blended drinks. It has a slightly more potent flavor than ceremonial, but not by too much.

• Café: Café grade has a more robust flavor, making it the perfect grade for baking and cooking.

• Ingredient: Ingredient grade is mixed with older tea leaves—that have stronger flavors—and also help give it more of a thicker consistency, which is why it’s ideal for using in recipes that contain dairy products, like ice cream, buttercream, and the like.

• Kitchen: Kitchen grade is produced with the least amount of delicate leaves, isn’t as fine as other matcha powder types, is a darker green and is very bitter, all of which make this grade great for large-scale brewing or trying with new recipes. Many big coffee shops use this lower grade for beverages, unfortunately.

• Classic: Classic grade is perhaps the most commonly available of the grades, and it has a strong flavor, allowing it to be used with numerous food and beverage recipes.

— Ujido

Phew.. I know, I know. It’s a lot to take in but I have not even started talking about ‘tea’ yet. Now you see, in everything you see and consume daily, there is always this meticulous detail we tend to forget or never think about it before. There is always a story behind the outcome that serve right in front of you and I find that interesting to explore.

At this point, I believe you want to know where you can experience the specialty matcha I mentioned in Boston. Unfortunately, all of the pictures above were taken in Khao Yai, Thailand where there is an authentic matcha cafe that I had a pleasure to visit a couple of years ago. However, despite the small number of matcha cafe in the city, here are two cafes that actually serve authentic matcha beverages and desserts you can try them out!

Matcha Café Maiko

Located not so far away from the Museum of Fine Arts, Matcha Café Maiko serves almost everything matcha associate; soft serve, latte, bubble tea, cake and more. The cafe uses Matcha Powder that is sourced directly from Japan’s Harima Garden located in the small city of Uji south of Kyoto. The carefully grown Matcha goes through a rigorous process and is often scarce in quantity, therefore they pride themselves in being able to provide the opportunity to create authentic and great tasting products with it.

I ordered the Matcha Maiko Special and it was fantastic! If you love the smokey, earthy, and nutty flavor you should try Hojicha which is the roasted green tea that comes in brown color. They also have ube and sesame to select as well.

Matcha Café Maiko

Location: 115 Jersey St, Boston, MA 02215

Tel. (617) 322-5360

Website

Ogawa Coffee

As I perviously mentioned Ogawa before for the specialty coffee place, they also offer premium matcha latte and Hojicha latte using matcha green tea powder from Uji, a city known for producing some of the highest quality Matcha Green Tea available.

Ogawa Coffee

Location 10 Milk Street, Boston, MA 02108

Tel. +1 (617) 780-7139

Website