Organic South Korean Garucha Matcha by Cha-Do
As my first review on this blog, I want to review my favorite daily driver: The Organic South Korean Garucha Matcha by Cha-Do. I got this one from a friend about two years ago and I've loved it ever since; it replaced the matcha I had before and I drink it every day.
General Info
As the name says, this matcha is organic and from Seogwang, Jeju in South Korea. 'Matcha' is the Japanese word for finely ground green tea powder and more widely known; in Korean, this is described as 'garucha', which is why it is included in the product title. 30 grams cost 11,50 Euro (12,12 US-Dollars) at the time of writing this, which makes it a pretty affordable matcha (for comparison: I've paid between 30 and 50 Euro for some other matchas, and I am currently eyeing one for 75).
Color and Smell
The color is a bright and intense green, as it should be. You can tell matcha powder is not fresh or of good quality if it is yellowish, brownish, grayish or a really lifeless green; that usually means it has oxidized.
The smell is very grassy, very freshly mowed lawn, but with a citrus twist. My partner says it reminds her of Nori algae.
Taste
Price point and looks already give us a hint that the shading period has to be fairly short, because the longer the shading period is, the pricier it is and the powder becomes a little darker due to more chlorophyll. Less shading and less chlorophyll means more bitterness and grassiness, and less sweetness and umami taste.
Indeed, there isn't that much sweetness or umami taste. But what I like about this matcha that separates it from the ones I've had before it is that the grass-flavor and bitterness don't feel overwhelming or one-sided. It tastes high quality with many different complex flavor notes of earthiness and bitterness coming together. When other, very cheap supermarket matchas just slapped me in the face with very simple and direct bitterness, this one is gentle, interesting and varied, giving the slightly bitter flavor a bit of warmth.
When whisking, it dissolves pretty easily and quickly despite being very finely ground. While drinking, you do not feel any chunks or that you are drinking powder or particles - it is a very smooth, creamy experience. This is important, because cheap matchas I've had in the past sometimes felt rather coarse in the throat or you could tell while drinking that you dissolved powder in water and/or milk. Not this one, though.
I've had it pure, as a hot matcha latte and an iced matcha latte, and I think all three use cases are great for it.
Conclusion
For its price point, this is an excellent matcha good for daily consumption while still enjoying a more elevated and high quality taste. If cheap supermarket matchas are usually too bitter or coarse for you, this one is a much better fit.
๐ต๐ต๐ต๐ต๐ต 5 out of 5 matcha bowls!