Over the past few years, a couple of Matcha products have become
available in the US, but I haven't seen much in the way of matcha
powder. I was wondering if anyone could provide reviews or opinions
on matcha drinks they've encountered, or advice on where to pick some
up.

Jamba Juice has Matcha smoothies that I think taste a bit like green
tea ice cream (i.e. pretty good)
Starbucks has a Matcha frappuccino, and apparently they also sell a
mix of matcha, dried milk, and sugar
Tully's Coffee probably has a similar frappuccino style drink, but
they also have a straight matcha green tea. When I had it, it was
very sweet, so I presume it was a matcha/sugar mixture
Allegro Coffee (in Whole Foods stores) has a matcha/ginger/sugar
mixture that sells for $42/pound. It's completely dominated by the
ginger

In terms of retail, the only matcha I've encountered in stores is
Republic of Tea "Double Green Matcha Tea", which is a blend of matcha
powder and green tea leaves, so not a very genuine experience.

On Jul 11, 4:06 pm, Keflavich gmail.com> wrote:

Keflavich gmail.com> wrote:

I buy Matcha powder at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.
http://www.mitsuwa.com/

To my plebian taste, thick or thin depends on the matcha/water ratio.

True, but lower quality matcha prepared as thick matcha can taste
horribly bad, so some vendors distinguish their varieties of matcha by
what style (thick/koicha vs thin/usucha) they can reasonably be used
for. Matcha labeled as thick matcha is generally of higher quality.

-Brent

On Jul 11, 1:06 pm, Keflavich gmail.com> wrote:

On Jul 11, 4:23 pm, Brent gmail.com> wrote:

I also think that good quality thick match can make a really nice thin
matcha. Cheap matcha, to me, tastes like cheap matcha and I end up
using it for meringues or macaroons.
Shen

This reminds me... do you know of a good source for food grade matcha
for baking and the like?

-Brent

On Jul 11, 5:07 pm, Brent gmail.com> wrote:

I got the last bag from a Japanese vendor on eBay for $10.00 (8oz.).
Unfortunately, it was longer than 60days ago, so I can't look up the
vendors name. Big green mylar bag.
I sometimes buy it for cooking/baking from Ranch 99 Markets. You have
one in L.A., I think? Monterey Park?
Actually, I've found that the cheaper matchas work better for baking
since the flavour is less subtle and needs to be pronounced to hold up
in a recipe.
Shen

On Jul 11, 1:06 pm, Keflavich gmail.com> wrote:

I'm actually from south bay, Los Altos/Palo Alto area. I'll take a
look in a couple of the nicer grocery stores around here, but I guess
I can always fall back on good ol' eBay. :)

I can't believe I still haven't made it up to SF for the tea houses.
I'll get around to it eventually, heh. Is it true that the Chinatown
ITC is better than the one near Union Square?