Kimberley's Kyusu

Am I about to review another Azuma Tea Farms Matcha? Of course I am, because I will not be able to stop until I’ve tried and reviewed each and every single one, which I’m getting closer and closer to achieving as time goes by. You would think that by now I would have found one I didn’t enjoy or one that fell flatter than the rest, but that has not been the case at all, simply because all of their matchas are unique in their own ways and have characteristics that make them stand out. I have loved having the opportunity to sip my way through bowl after bowl of each of their matchas and always get excited to crack open a new tin and have an experience that is always such a treat for the senses. 

The matcha I’ll be reviewing today is their Samidori-No-Ka matcha, with the notes I’ll share having been gathered through the many sessions I have done with this tin of matcha that I am now coming to the end of. At the end of the review, I’ll also be pairing this with a piece of art that I think best represents my favourite aspects of this matcha and how I feel when I drink it, so make sure you read through to the end of the post to see which piece I chose.

I knew from the moment I opened this can of matcha that I was in for a treat, because it was super light and full in texture. As I moved my chashaku through it and as I moved it from the tin to my sieve, it almost felt like there was nothing on the end of it. The dry aroma was creamy with notes of steamed asparagus, matcha chocolate, freshly made bao buns, roasted nuts sprinkled with seaweed salt and silver birch bark. 

When dry, this matcha is a creamy pistachio green, further matching its aroma and taste perfectly. With the addition of water, it becomes a deep hunter green liquor before frothing. After frothing however, that deep green was masked by a thick layer foam that returned it to the beautiful creamy pistachio green. 

Rich in creaminess and while mellow and calm, when compared to others it is far from boring. It’s rich, buttery and luscious but not heavy, with the perfect level of umami goodness running through it. All notes from the dry powder are still present in taste, which you don’t often see happen with matcha but was such a pleasant surprise when I took my first sips of this matcha.

I’ve since done several sessions with this matcha and what has always been the most incredibly consistent aspect of each one is how insanely creamy this matcha is, with the main creamy notes reminding me of creamy, freshly made porridge. Each bowl tasted as though I had added freshly frothed warm oat milk to it without having to add any at all, it’s like drinking a perfectly made matcha latte without all of the extra steps.  

In the mouth this matcha has a medium level weight, however it has a mousse like texture to it, feeling aerated and creamy from start to finish. It is also fantastically smooth, making it such a delight to sip. The finish of this matcha is fantastically long lasting with prominent lingering buttery vegetals and the additional sweetness of dried green apple slices.

I expected to enjoy this matcha as I have done with all others from Azuma, but I was unaware of just how much I would enjoy everything it had to offer from start to finish and oblivious to the fact that it would end up ranking so highly against the others I have tried from Azuma so far, given that I thought I had already solidified my no.1 Azuma matcha. However I do think that it was somewhat inevitable that I would be drawn to the calming, mellow feeling as someone who spends an awful lot of time in pain. 

Art Pairing: One with the Grass by Kristen M (@KatfishDraws)

When it comes to pairing art with matcha, I always tend to lean towards pieces that are very green, because to me that is just the best way to represent a tea that is unashamedly green. But additionally I like to find pieces that represent other prominent elements, which narrows the search a little and makes things a little easier for me than just looking for green. Obviously for this piece the additional element I wanted to focus on was its phenomenal creaminess.

One With The Grass is the first piece by Kristen I ever saw and I within it I immediately felt seen as someone who feels at their most relaxed when able to completely immerse themselves in nature and finds that it is the place they are truly able to let go of the tension, sadness and stress that comes with living with chronic illnesses.

I knew I wanted to pair this painting with a tea at some point, but up until now it had never really fit well with a tea until this one. What better way to bring small artist September over to the blog, than with a piece of art I have adored since the moment I saw it. I feel like it captures this matcha perfectly, because there is such a light and airy feel to both of them and the balance of greens with the creamy white flowers showcases the best qualities of this matcha.

If you want to try this matcha, you can still purchase it via Yunomi, and it can be found here. Remember to use my code INFKKYU when checking out to get 1000yen off an order off 5000yen or more.

Until next time, Happy Steeping – Kimberley