YamamotoyamaMatcha Genmai Cha, 2.20 Pound

initial thoughtsthe original manufacturer bag english printed wording did not show plum on it; It did show sencha. the amazon added label/tag does show plum ume. not sure if plum is meant to represent the quality be an ingredient in the tea, etc. but i could not find plum in the original packaging and it did not seem plum-tasting at least to me, unless i missed something. i do notice a difference between this brand yamamotoyama sencha and the maeda-en brand of sencha. of course this is roughly give or take about twice the cost of the maeda-en brand in similar sized 5.3oz bags. this may affect cortisol, blood pressure, liver, kidney(?), etc. so its good to check with your appropriate doctor as applicable for guidance. this bulk price makes it much easier to afford. i do, as you as well, like to calculate unit cost. it goes straight into the freezer when it comes in in hopes it will prevent EGCG degredation. theres a reading on EGCG degredation for storage, etc. i like that this supposedly possobly may have less caffeine than matcha and since its steeped/diffused/whatNot rather than having the leaves injested, if i was a warfarin patient, thats less risk of vitamin k effects. of course i have the tea leaves come back to room temperature before using them. i try to relax and not stress while i do this routine. this is just my use and ypur may vary depending on your health conditions, factors, etc so it is good to check with your doctor. its worthwhile to properly check side effects, proper safe egcg amounts, etc. and if itsyour first time, also try it in a day you will be staying home that day and the next, etc. I do take this with about 10mg of ascorbic acid vitamin k and sometimes just a slight bit over half a teaspoon of maple syrup depending. i temp check my water at however hot so that it is about no less than 185 degrees (unless a study has improved this temp number and the other ingtedients, factors, etc. by the time you read this) for the 3minute. i cool off the tea using temperature transfer but these are all up to you. after my cortisol has lowered enough for the day, i like to drink this after a 3 hour fast and then i fast 1 hour after, but too too close to bedtime, but its up to you of course.

Ume (梅) in Japanese means "plum" and is the symbol of a very superior quality and for "something that is naturally admired". At harvest (1 plucking) only the young, tender, immature leaves are selected for Sencha Ume.Update: Two months later I am still drinking this tea and am still very happy with my purchase. Will buy again, great deal. I just hopet he price won't go up.I am a daily green tea drinker, I have been drinking at least 5 large cups of green tea a day for at least 20 years. I've had all kinds, from $400 dollars for 100 grams to Bancha which is a lower quality green tea with lots of sticks. After hearing about all the health benefits, I started drinking green tea from tea bags, when I had it at a sushi restaurant I realized that leaves is the only way to drink it. At first I started buying the cheapest green tea leaves I could find, but as you try better quality tea, it is very hard to go back to the cheap stuff. For the last five years or so I've been buying Sencha from my local Japanese store, about $10 bucks for 150 grams seemed reasonable for the rate of tea I drink, I go through about 3 bags of this tea a month. The main difference I've noticed is that the cheaper Sencha has a bunch of sticks floating after brewed and is more bitter. As you go up in quality you get a lighter green color, more grassy, and no floating sticks at the top of the cup, overall a smooth cup of tea. I do not use a strainer when I drink, I use about a teaspoon per cup and wait until the leaves drop to the bottom.After doing a lot of research on Amazon, I was hesitant to buy tea online, but after getting confirmation form a coworker that he buys quality tea online, I decided to give it a try. I looked at every bulk green tea offered on Amazon, my criteria was quality and good value. I purchased Yamomotoyama tea in the past and have had good experience with this brand this is why I decided to go with this product. I received the tea in about 3 days. I would rate this tea on par with what I've been drinking daily. This is a good quality tea and is a great value, about an 8 out of 10. The leaves are broken up and are not large as some have stated, but the tea itself tastes great. If you drink it right after brewing this is tea is on part with the quality stuff, but it does get bitter after it gets colder. You could probably just put less leaves, I've also rebrewed the same leaves a few times. I am looking forward to making this tea my daily staple and plan on purchasing more in the future.

I was drinking the TEAki Hut Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder, but it started getting expensive. This was the least expensive per ounce when I bought it compared to other unsweetened brands; it was packaged in the U.S.A. (that's always a plus for me) although I can't say where it was produced; the antioxidants in green tea are REALLY good for you (I bought it to help lose some belly fat); the tiny amount of caffeine in it (slightly more than a decaf coffee & less than a can of soda - I researched this as well) gives me just the right amount of energy. I eliminated caffeine from my diet about 20 years ago, so the amount in this is all I need to keep from needing an afternoon nap or feeling like I'm buzzing around. Compared to what I was drinking before this was not a powder, so I blended it up in my Vitamix (probably messing with the "best if used by" time frame, but I'm sure I'll use it up well before the summer of 2018). Blended it's a bit gritty, but not unpleasant. The taste is definitely different with the roasted rice. I sweeten it with honey and the aftertaste reminds me of kettle corn (which is a sweet popcorn). If the price is right, I'll probably buy it again in the future.

Great tea, very reasonably priced too

I used to buy this tea directly from the manufacturer. They stopped doing direct orders so found this on Amazon. The leaves are a bit more broken up than the smaller package but the taste is the same. Very mellow and smooth green matcha, genmaicha (roasted barley or rice) tea...best I've had. The size of this bag is enormous. I think it'll last me years. I hope the tea doesn't go bad before I can finish it. Great value, highly recommend.