Maccha Tiramisu - Maccha House-

The tea room “ MACCHA HOUSE” has deployed 12 branches mainly in Asia region including Singapore and Hong Kong. 

I went to the Osaka branch.

Their signature is matcha tiramisu in a wooden cup known as “masu”. What a beautiful Matcha! Lovely color, and delicate and fine powder!

This matcha is from a tea company “Morihan”. No wonder! Morihan, founded in 1863, is known as one of the best in Kyoto. 

Not only looks beautiful, but tastes wonderful!! Once you take a bite, a pleasant bitterness and rich aroma will fill in your mouth together nicely with mascarpone! Yum-yum!! Actually, I had it with a bowl of Matcha. I did enjoy so much Matcha. 

I haven't caught a cold this winter yet. I guess it's thanks to tons of catechin in tea. (Knock wood:-)) 

More menu items

Hojicha Latte in Matcha Bowl

When you go to "Osaka Chakai" a Japanese tea room, you can choose not only tea but your tea cup. 

Their signature is freshly ground sencha. You can whisk your sencha with using a special bamboo whisk, which is fun.

The other day, instead of ground sencha, I ordered hojicha latte. Usually, people choose a mug for latte, but I chose a matcha bowl.  Actually, I am glad I did. I like the latte in a bowl.

I had a slice of toast with roasted black soybean cream on it. I can say it is like peanut butter. It was good with hojicha latte.

This place has a lot of Japanese and I am sure you feel "Japan" a lot. When you happen to be in Osaka, why don't you visit? I am sure you will like it.

*Osaka Chakai : https://www.osakachakai.jp/eng/

Hoshun Cultivar

There are so many tea cultivars I haven't tried yet and I even don't know about. 
"Hoshun" is one of them. It was really new to me.

It’s a sencha made from thecultivar of Hoshun(鳳春), which literally means “Phoenix Spring”.    

<About hoshun> 
* developed in Kyoto and  registered in 2006. 
* a very early-ripening cultivar. 
* originally designed for gyokuro    

<About the tea> 
* The production area is Ujitawara where the current Sencha production technique was developed in 18th century. 
* Hand-picked tea  

<How to prepare recommended by Takemura Gyokusuien tea shop> 
Tea leaves 5g 
Temperature 60 degrees Celsius, 
Water amount 60ml water 
Steeping time: 60 seconds  
    

You may think that the preparation seems to be more the one for gyokuro, rather than sencha. But I could tell why they recommend us to prepare this way when I tasted it. 

Looks very pale, but surprisingly umami-rich as if it were gyokuro. It also has a hint of freshness, which is one of sencha's characters. 

Hoshun is not seen everywhere even in Kyoto yet, but I heard this is one of the promising cultivars especially for Kyoto tea industry. When you happen to find it, worth trying!    

Surely, you will get Hoshun sencha at thetea shop, Takemura Gyokusuien”, in Kyoto. 
* web: http://www.gyokusuien.com/s_top.html