Can I really taste the difference?
As a reader, you might wonder how different the matcha really are. To some, they are all just green powder, smelling and tasting the same. If I was reading this blog as an outsider, I would probably also wonder if the writer is taking some creative liberties in describing the matcha to make it sound more different. What is it supposed to mean if matcha reminds someone of pine, or if there are notes of walnut?
In general, I have a very sensitive sense of smell and taste, so that definitely plays a role. In my household, I'm the one that has to decide whether a food has gone bad or not before it's obvious.
Recently, my fiancée has started an experiment: Sometimes, when she makes me a matcha latte, she will mix two different brands together and then ask me which ones they are. I have a lot of different matcha at home, so there is quite a choice.
The first time was a bit rough because I was surprised and not paying much attention, but since then I have first been always getting one right, and now usually both. Yesterday, she mixed a drink and asked me again. It was actually funny, because I was sipping the matcha latte while playing Marvel Rivals, a fast-paced Overwatch-like game; during that, I guessed two correct, then she asked: "And the third one?" which was the first time she had mixed three powders into the drink. Despite being distracted by the game often, I managed to guess the third one correctly, too.
I suggested to her that we should prepare all matcha in a shot glass each and I'll have to guess which one is which, and we'll probably do that soon. I'll let you know about the result.
All this to say: I am very serious about my descriptions and they are very real distinctions I taste and smell! :) To me, the ones most easily to detect are my favorite by Chado and the Noritual Matcha; they stick out. It's more difficult to differentiate between the two Teaclub matcha I have at home, but so far I think I managed.