Encha Matcha - Latte Grade Matcha Powder - Unsweetened, First Harvest, Organic Green Tea Powder From Uji, Japan (30G/1.06 Ounce) Premium for Latte, Smoothie - Caffeine, L-Theanine

I got into matcha last year and fell in love. When I first started drinking it I went on a hunt for the best quality matcha that my wallet could afford (given my two cups every single day). I tried some good matchas, some really good matchas, some incredibly overpriced ones, some reasonably priced ones that looked like dirt, the whole spectrum. None of those matchas came close to Encha, and as soon as I tried it I knew I had found my daily matcha. Encha's matcha is just very good quality. It is SO GREEN, worlds away from other matcha's at a similar price on this site. It has a pleasant grassy flavor and blends really well. It's my favorite matcha, the latte grade outshining most of the "ceremonial" grade matchas that can be found on amazon. I drink my first cup as a tea with a splash of oat milk, my second cup I'll either have cold-brewed over ice (in which case I don't need any milk - so smooth!) or with some foamed oat milk as a latte, or just another cup with a splash of milk. The latte grade is very versatile, I honestly prefer it over Encha's ceremonial grade for everyday use. I buy the ceremonial grade every so often as a treat, and drink that with only water. In my opinion if you dilute the ceremonial grade with any milk you lose it's more delicate notes and it doesn't taste as good, so if you know you like matcha with milk I would stick with the latte grade. Anyway, I now have my whole family drinking matcha! And most of my friends too. Whenever people ask me about it I always tell them Encha is the best matcha, because it is. They go off and try some others, but without fail a few months later when I ask people what they use now, the answer is Encha. I don't know anyone who I've introduced to matcha who don't use Encha as their regular matcha. And for good reason, Encha is a stellar company. All organic and sourced from Japan, Encha values quality and really cares about matcha. Their customer service is amazing. I recently contacted the company to order the latte grade in bulk (yes, we buy it by the pound now!) and was blown away by the level of hospitality I received from a matcha company. It was really cool. You can order here from amazon, but you can also order directly from Encha's site to avoid amazon's upcharge. They also have a subscription service (every month or every other) that gets you an even better price. An email is sent out a few days before your next pack goes out and it's very easy to skip that delivery or change the date if you aren't yet ready for more matcha. Basically, I really believe in this matcha. I have no affiliation with Encha at all, just a happy customer. So I'll tell you what I tell all my friends interested in the world of matcha; you can try other matchas if you like, but Encha is by far the best.

This review will be for both the Ceremonial and Latte grade matcha from Encha. I have tried a decently wide range of matcha in the past from packets found at Costco, to the sickly sweet Americanized Dunkin Doughnut version, to cups provided at high end restaurants and ryokan in Japan. This matcha is easily among the best that I have had, and is by far the best bang for the buck. The first impression you get when you open the pouch is how vibrant green the powder is and how wonderful it smells. There are no visible lumps in the powder and it is extremely fine. A little bit of powder always escapes when I squeeze the air out of the packet before I reseal it and it is so light and fine that it floats for a while in the air. I do sift the Ceremonial grade through a fine mesh strainer although I suspect this is overkill. I do not sift the latte grade and thus far I have not had any issues so long as a whisk it for an appropriate amount of time. As for preparation I follow the instructions on the packet and the videos that Encha provides and I have been very pleased with the end result although I tend to make 1.5 to 2x the serving. The fresh, grassy, slightly earthy fragrance is very apparent in the Ceremonial grade. The flavor is very smooth and feels wonderful on the tongue with just a tiny hint of bitterness at the finish, just enough to enhance the experience rather than detract from it. The matcha foams very well and it is not difficult to create a very fine foam with a traditional bamboo matcha whisk (I do not own an electric frother). The Latte grade aroma is very similar to the Ceremonial although the flavor is bolder and the bitterness at the end more apparent. Add some soy mild or regular cow milk and the bitterness diminishes greatly or goes away altogether if you add enough while retaining the fresh grassy/earthy taste. Thus far for storage, after I scoop out the powder I squeeze out any extra air before resealing it and then put it back in the fridge. I have compared the matcha from the last few scoops of a pouch of Ceremonial grade to matcha from a fresh pouch and have not noticed any significant differences in appearance or taste. Up front the pouches seem expensive but they really are not for the quality you get. When I was the only one drinking, I drink matcha about 5 days a week as an alternative to coffee. The 60g packet lasts me about a month. So for the Ceremonial grade I can have a large mug full (~7-9oz) of top quality matcha with all the unique health benefits for for about $1.70 each time. Compared to $2 or more for a medium coffee from a coffee shop it is absolutely worth it. Initially I was the only one drinking but the rest of the family enjoyed the taste so much that they asked me to prepare them portions whenever I drink as well. I am very glad to have found this fantastic product and if you are looking for a high quality matcha you will not regret your purchase.