Matcha Aoarashi by Marukyu Koyamaen
I got the Aoarashi by Marukyu Koyamaen in a 100g bag.
General Info
There's actually not much more info on the packaging and the product page! I ordered this one from Chanomiya again. Price and availability are fragile right now, but I paid 37,50 Euro for this, which is rather cheap for 100g.
Color and Smell
The color is light, but still vibrant green, looking fresh. The smell is very flowery with a slightly oceanic note; still a pretty stark contrast to what it tastes like for me!
Taste
The taste is very herbal. Very chamomile, and also a strong nori seaweed. Not even that nutty and not bitter, but this toasted nori sheet taste, with a slight vegetable-like aftertaste; zucchini, eggplant-like. It's not the typical grassy-bitter.
I usually make my matcha a little strong, and I really had to tone it down for this one. The first cup with my usual amount made me very nauseous because of this strong taste, and I even like to snack nori sheets, so it's not like I dislike the flavor on its own. It was a lot better when I used very little powder. I also noticed it must contain a more of caffeine than other matcha I had; caused me quite the buzz and some tachycardia.
I can handle this one well if it is made pretty weak (little powder, lots of water), and with milk. I don't sweeten my matcha, but I could imagine that if you do, you might like to do it to this one too.
Conclusion
Other people enjoy this one, but I sadly don't as much; it's not bad, and I'll still use it up and find ways to drink it that don't upset my stomach or tongue, but it's really not my favorite. The flavor is so unique and strong that it's almost off-putting and a surprise to a matcha fan. I would not get this one as a beginner because it paints a different picture of what the most common matcha tastes like. This one's niche is so specific, I imagine it to be quite polarizing - either you love it or you dislike it. I would not get this one again because it doesn't quite fit to my tastes and I have other favorites :)
๐ต๐ต๐ต 3 out of 5 matcha bowls. Almost a two, honestly, but I know this is more personal and I wanna acknowledge that is pretty and high-quality still!