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Japanese Latte Matcha Loose Green Tea

Japanese Latte Matcha

5 reviews
£9.99
£9.99
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95p per cup

Style

Organic matcha green loose leaf tea - specifically selected and blended for milk.

This matcha power is a lovely blend of organic tea from Wakohen garden, in Kagoshima Prefecture. It is comprised of Saemidori, Yabukita, Yutakamidori and Okumidori cultivars.

Tasting Notes

Intensely vegetal and deep with uniquely sweet umami notes.

Cost Per Cup

95p per cup based on 2g of tea per 150ml of water and 1 infusions.

Origin

Wakohen tea garden, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan

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Recommended Infusion Guide

  • Quantity

    Use 2g (2 scoops with a traditional bamboo Chashaku spoon) of matcha per 125ml of hot milk.

  • Temperature

    For the optimum infusion use milk below 83°C. Using milk above the scalding point will affect the "foaminess" of the product.

  • Time

    Make a fine paste with 10ml of milk. Add the remaining milk and whisk vigorously in a M or W shape until a fine foam is created.

1 2

More infusion tips

How to infuse your tea is very personal, and these are just our recommendations based on experience. Please experiment with these variables to your heart's delight. These are our recommendations, not hard and fast rules. The most delicious tea is the one you love.

Our guide uses a standard tea cup size (150ml/5.5 oz) as a measure, please adjust the quantity of leaf accordingly for less or more water. Our whole loose leaves are of such a high quality that you can infuse our teas at least twice, and the second infusion is often better than the first, with different flavours revealed as the leaf softens. If you prefer your tea stronger, add more leaf, don’t leave it for longer (this will just make it bitter).

Single garden blend

Like our Single Estate Lost Malawi English Breakfast (or a fine wine), this is single garden blend that expresses the whole unique terroir in a single tea. It is carefully composed to balance milk proteins without being overpowered. It makes a beautiful matcha latte and can be used to make extremely good matcha ice cream, matcha soft serve or matcha cakes.

Japan

Wakohen Garden

The garden is on the southern tip of Japan's most southerly Kyushu island. The farm is around 100 hectares and run by Yasuhisa Horiguchi and his family - a great innovator and lover of the soil. Like all our farmers they believe that best soil produces the best tea, that is best for us. They farm under strict organic principles.

However the use of pesticides and herbicides in the growing of tea for matcha is extremely common practice. The shading of the leaf that takes place before harvesting to increase the amino acids, including L-theanine and chlorophyll, enhances the flavour inestimably - but also increases the prevalence of pests.

Horiguchi-san began using natural pests to counter the leaf eaters. Then in 2014 he witnessed a hurricane pass over the tea and found that it removed all the pests and their eggs. He was so inspired that he created his very own machine, using high pressure air and water to remove pests without chemicals. He calls it "the Hurricane King".

Here's a short film we’ve made to show you how to make Matcha:

Make the most of your matcha:

  • Chashaku Matcha Scoop

    Add a little ceremony to your matcha by using a genuine Japanese matcha scoop to measure your matcha into the bowl.

    BUY NOW

  • Rosemary Wilkinson White Matcha Bowl

    Stoneware and white glaze matcha bowl, with a painted indent, handmade in London, UK.

    Each bowl has been designed and handmade so you can whisk your lovely, frothy matcha and drink straight from the bowl.

    BUY NOW

  • Chasen Matcha Whisk

    Made out of a single piece of bamboo, this traditional Japanese whisk will allow you to effectively whisk matcha into to the perfect consistency.

    BUY NOW

What is a Matcha Latte?

Matcha Latte is a delicious and creamy drink made from Japanese green tea powder and milk. Whether cow's milk or a dairy-free alternative such as coconut, soy, almond, or oat milk you can make a delicious latte with matcha. As a pure green tea, matcha contains rich tannins with deep umami notes, making it ideal to combine with something creamy. The bitter notes are perfectly balanced.

Because matcha is made using the entire green tea leaf rather than just an infusion of tea leaves, it contains a higher caffeine content than other green teas. It is wonderfully energizing, as well as having an enhanced antioxidant and vitamin content.

How is the powder made?

Matcha powder is made with the whole leaves of green tea. All green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves are ground into an extremely fine powder. The best matcha in the world is from organic tea fields in Japan, where matcha has a long and illustrious history. To make matcha, tea plants are shaded for 10 days to two weeks before their harvest. By reducing sunlight exposure, which the plants need for photosynthesis, the tea bush compensates by increasing compounds within the leaf, including chlorophyll and essential amino acids. This gives the matcha its strong green colour, enhancing its sweetness and delicious flavour.

How to make a Matcha Latte

To make the best matcha latte, begin with the best organically grown matcha powder you can find. Use approximately 3g of matcha powder and a small amount of cold water and whisk gently with your matcha whisk to make a paste. The mixture should have a smooth texture without lumps. This can then be combined with 150 ml of hot milk. Or cold milk to make a smoothie. You might like to use steamed milk, or a milk frother. You can use dairy milk or plant-based options like almond, oat, or coconut milk.

Are traditional Japanese tea ceremonies associated with Matcha Latte?

Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremonies involve carefully preparing and drinking matcha. However, these do not involve adding milk. The matcha tea is consumed with great reverence and love for the unadulterated tea in a traditional manner. Like a fine wine the best matcha tea should be enjoyed in their purest form.

Are there any health benefits?

There are many health benefits associated with drinking matcha tea or a matcha latte. Matcha offers antioxidants and vitamins, including Vitamin A, C, K, and B-complex vitamins. Matcha also contains minerals such as calcium, chlorophyll, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc in every teaspoon.

By adding a milk to the matcha, matcha lattes also offer protein. If you have a sweet tooth we would suggest adding a natural sweetener such as honey. Alternatively, maple syrup, cinnamon, or even reishi can change both flavour and nutritional aspects of the drink, depending on your preferences. Drinking matcha also offers a calming effect from the amino acid L-theanine which balances the caffeine, as opposed to jolt of coffee. A shot of espresso will give you a swift hit, whereas a green tea will have a more sustained and gentle lift.

Research suggests that the amino acids in matcha are less bioavailable when matcha is consumed with milk. The amount of milk added does not reduce the caffeine content. But it can offer a lovely balance in terms of taste. This strong green tea can be more approachable as a matcha latte.

Do you drink it hot or cold?

A matcha latte is delicious whether hot or cold, making it a delicious and versatile drink all year-round. A hot matcha latte is both energizing and comforting. Meanwhile, an iced matcha latte can be extremely refreshing. Matcha can also be blended into a delicious ice cream or as an ingredient for cakes.

Matcha vs. Matcha Latte

Matcha vs. matcha latte is very much a matter of personal taste and many people enjoy both. Matcha is intense with bold, rich, umami notes and a delicious balanced, bitter and sweet notes. It is whisked to give it a beautiful, creamy texture. For those who find the intensity challenging, milk is a way of softening the flavor, making a matcha latte more approachable and accessible. Once you've fallen in love with a matcha latte, you may want to try matcha on its own - its rather like a glass of wine rather than a spritzer, or a martini over a gin and tonic.

Why is a Matcha Latte more expensive than green tea?

Matcha lattes can vary greatly in price based on the quality of the matcha tea itself. The shading of the plant before harvest and the precision grinding of the leaf into a fine powder increases the cost and the value. The best matcha teas are organically grown, which also increases costs. And lastly, the best matcha tea comes from Japan, where the value of land and wages are high. Sadly in some parts of the world where tea is grown, land and wages are devalued by the tea industry, and exploitation decreases price. This doesn't make matcha tea better than other green teas, necessarily. But the price is a clear indicator that people are being fairly paid for their craft.

Additionally, the type of milk added can increase the price.

If you are drinking matcha for the health benefits, please consider where it is sourced, how it is grown, and what else is in your cup. At Rare Tea, we only sell direct trade, loose leaf tea that has been grown under organic principles, to benefit of your health and that of the planet.

Shipping, delivery & more...

Shipping Information

UK Shipping Rates
FREE UK Tracked when you spend £30 or more
FREE UK Express - Next Day* when you spend £60 or more
UK Tracked - Two Day Tracked £3.99
UK Express - Next Day* Tracked £5.49
UK Express - Next Day* Courier from £8.49

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ROW Express Courier from £20.49

*Subject to next day cutoff and postcode location. Availability of rates depends on location and order weight. For a complete overview of our shipping rates please see our delivery page. All prices quoted in GBP and will be converted to your local currency if available.

IOSS for EU Orders

Rare Tea Company uses IOSS (Import One Stop Shop) for EU orders placed on the website.  We have enabled it for all EU orders from 15th February 2023.

How IOSS works and how it is applied on the website.

The IOSS scheme allows us to collect VAT during checkout on your behalf, meaning that no VAT is due when your order is assessed by your local authority.

  • If the combined value of the products in your cart are equal to or below €150 (excluding tax), VAT will be included at the point of sale and you should not be charged any fees when your order arrives.*
  • Once the €150 threshold is exceeded VAT will be removed from the items in your cart and from this point onwards when your order ships you will be liable for local VAT, duties and import fees.**

To avoid unnecessary import charges, keep your orders under €150 (excluding tax and shipping). Tax is included on all applicable products at Rare Tea - if your order is applicable for IOSS tax will be shown at the checkout.

Valid for IOSS

Not valid for IOSS

Your order confirmation and shipping confirmation emails will also confirm whether your order is valid for IOSS.

As with all complex shipping methods, the IOSS system isn't foolproof, and orders that are valid for IOSS are occasionally incorrectly charged VAT by customs.

If an order shipped via IOSS and that you have paid VAT on does get incorrectly assessed by customs, please don't worry. It's usually just a mistake that can be fixed by contacting customs and explaining that the order shipped via IOSS with VAT already paid.

If this does happen to you then we suggest the following:

  1. Please contact us before speaking to customs.
  2. We will double check that the order was valid for IOSS.
  3. We will provide a VAT receipt and a shipping label as evidence.
  4. Contact your local customs for assistance, using the shipping label as evidence.
  5. If all else fails we will attempt to get our shipping provider to investigate, but this process can take a while.

*Please note - this does not include any applicable duty charged when the item is cleared. Within the EU tea is free from duty, but your region might have a different rules for non-tea items such as tins and teaware. Any duty charged is payable by you, the customer before delivery via your local customs authority.
**In special cases where custom fees have been unexpected we have retroactively refunded these in select cases. As of the 15th February 2023 (the start of IOSS) we have discontinued this process.

What is IOSS?

The Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) is the electronic portal businesses can use since 1 July 2021 to comply with their VAT e-commerce obligations on distance sales of imported goods.

Up until the 1st July 2021, no import VAT has to be paid for commercial goods of a value up to EUR 22. New VAT eCommerce rules abolished this provision as of 1st July 2021. Thus, from 1 July 2021, all commercial goods imported into the EU from a third country or third territory is subject to VAT irrespective of their value.

What is IOSS for?

IOSS allows suppliers and electronic interfaces selling imported goods to buyers in the EU to collect, declare and pay the VAT to the tax authorities, instead of making the buyer pay the VAT at the moment the goods are imported into the EU as it was previously the case (for products over 22 EUR).

What are the advantages of IOSS?

IOSS facilitates the collection, declaration and payment of VAT for sellers making distance sales of imported goods to buyers in the EU. The IOSS also makes the process easier for the buyer, who is only charged at the time of purchase, and therefore does not face any surprise fees when the goods are delivered. If the seller is not registered in the IOSS, the buyer has to pay the VAT and usually a customs clearance fee charged by the transporter.

What countries does IOSS apply to?

IOSS applies to the EU member states of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

It does not apply to the EEA.

How much tax will I get charged?

Tax will be charged at the base VAT rate of the shipping country.

Full details of IOSS can be found on the European Comission website.

Any questions? Please get in touch!

Send us a message using the form below, or call +44 (0) 207 681 0115 (9am - 5pm GMT, Monday - Friday).

 

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