Aiya Matcha is an organic blend low in caffeine, despite being a green tea. The leaves are sourced from Japan's Nishio region and cultivated using traditional farming methods. Traditional, large-scale tea cultivation has been practiced in this region for a long time and is now considered one of the finest regions for matcha production. In the past 100 years, skilled Japanese farmers have perfected the art of cultivating high-quality teas like Aiya Matcha. The company offers more than 15 types of matcha products online and one of the largest retailers of premium matcha in the world, even offering bulk and wholesale quantities.
At Matcha Connection, we tested Aiya matcha's organic ceremonial matcha powder, and determined our scoring based on taste, aroma, grind, and color among other things.
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Aiya Matcha Organic Ceremonial Grade
With most matcha brands, organic ceremonial powder is the top of the line, however, Aiya matcha actually makes a "premium" matcha which is said to be of higher quality and the price certainly reflects that. Their organic ceremonial matcha powder is offered in a 30g tin as well as a 100g resealable pouch.
This particular matcha grade is made from organic shade-grown first harvest leaves in Nishio, Japan
Pros:
- Family owned and operated since 1888
- lovely, vibrant green color
- Very good grind
- Lots of various matcha grade options
- Offers bulk and wholesale quantities
Cons:
- Not much information on the growing/grinding process
- slight astringency in the flavor
Taste
Aiya matcha has a lovely taste that is fresh and grassy however, it holds a slightly more bitterness than what we like at matcha connection. It has some nice notes of sweetness and went very well in a traditional style matcha as well as a matcha latte. Aside from the slight astringency, you can definitely tell that this is a premium matcha from a taste and aroma perspective, as soon as you open the tin, it has a lovely grassy smell which translates into its traditional taste as well.
Color and Grind
The color of Aiya matcha green tea powder is a nice vibrant green that looked surprisingly brighter than other premium matcha brands. When it comes down to premium ceremonial grade matchas, color and grind matter and can be a good indicator of the overall quality. Aiya matcha's ceremonial grade powder was very fine, and had an almost flour-like consistency which lead me to believe these leaves were stone ground, the traditional way.
I was thoroughly impressed by both the color and grind which were some of the best we have seen in a premium ceremonial matcha review, and certainly makes a difference when trying to prepare a vibrant ceremonial-style matcha without any clumping.
The Bottom Line
After our testing and in-depth review, I believe that Aiya matcha is one of the best matcha brands we have tested here at matcha connection. I was mostly impressed by the high quality grind and color which come from the traditional family methods which have been passed down since 1888. In terms of taste, this was not our favorite ceremonial grade matcha we have tried but it does hold its own among top matcha powders, and we certainly would keep a tin of it here at Matcha Connection headquarters. I really liked the variety of matcha grades they offered as well as the option to purchase the matcha powder in a tin or a larger resealable bag. Aiya matcha is said to be the largest producer of matcha in the world, and we can certainly see why. Be sure to try their organic ceremonial matcha yourself, and let us know what you think! Here are other premium matcha powders that we recommend you buy...
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