a day in japan's matcha capital
I swear I'm 90% matcha at this point
I have been a matcha girl since I was twelve. I like to think I grew to love it before it became *aesthetic* to like the strong, finely ground green tea powder, all picture perfect in iced form with milk.
As a consequence of growing up in Alberta, I have consumed a lot of bad matcha. Matcha that only truly tasted good because it was paired with flavoured syrups. So when I finally got GOOD matcha. Matcha that needs no sweetener and could be enjoyed traditionally as a tea or the same way I enjoy a good espresso with a bit of milk. I became obsessed.
Good matcha is rare, people. Good matcha is a part of the reason I became attracted to the idea of travelling to Japan in the first place. More specifically, I fell in love with the idea of Uji.
Uji is a city in the Kyoto prefecture that is famous for its production of matcha. Not just any matcha, but Japan’s highest grade of matcha. Matcha comes in several grades. I am no expert, but based on my knowledge, there are lower quality grades like culinary (good in baking., etc), premium (great for daily consumption) and ceremonial- which is veryy high quality and used in tea ceremonies.
Uji is the cream of the crop. That’s why when you see that trendy shop advertise the use of Uji matcha, there’s probably an up charge. I decided many years ago that I had to visit Japan’s mecca for matcha. Upon realizing how easy it was to day trip to Uji from Kyoto, I was hyped to live out my matcha fantasies!!
Honestly, Uji completely caught me by surprise. And not for the reasons you may think.