I ran into an old friend the other day that said "I know that you do matcha reviews, you have to do a Grace Matcha Review!".
So after much discussion over our matcha green tea, I headed over to the Grace Matcha website and ordered a 20 gram tin of Grace Ceremonial Matcha.
Grace also offers what they call a luxury matcha, which I understand is pretty good for everyday drinking, but I prefer to review the higher ceremonial grade when it is available.
Editor's Choice
Grace Ceremonial Grade Matcha
Grace Ceremonial Grade Matcha is a premium organic matcha green tea powder Which comes from Marukyu-Koyamaen, a well known tea production company in Uji, Kyoto, JAPAN.
This area of Japan is well known for producing some of the finest matcha green tea powder in the world.
The company has won many awards for their tea production:
- The All-Japan Competitive Tea Exhibition First Prize Nineteen Times.
- The Kansai Competitive Tea Exhibition First Prize Nineteen Times.
- The All Japan Tea Judging Competition Champion Twice.
I was very excited for this Grace Matcha review and waited patiently for the order to arrive.
Grace Matcha Review Of Color and Grind
The Grace Matcha arrived in a pop top aluminum can and the first thing that I noticed when I opened the top was the beautiful, vibrant green color!
The next thing that I noticed was the sweet, grassy smell that defines all of the best matcha.
The grind was super fine although the Grace matcha was a little more clumpy that others we have reviewed.
I should say that Grace Matcha prides themselves on offering only the freshest matcha green tea powder. All of their matcha has a Best By Date of 7 months after grinding.
They do stress that this doesn't mean that there isn't anything wrong with the matcha green tea powder after this date, only that it is best before that date.
Grace Matcha Review - Taste
I prepared the Grace ceremonial grade organic matcha in the traditional manner with a bowl and matcha whisk, first sifting the Grace matcha powder through a fine sieve to eliminate any clumps.
The result was a vibrant matcha green tea with a beautifully rich froth on top.
The taste was sweetly satisfying with a wholesome grassy flavor. The rich froth brought a great texture to the Grace matcha green tea, giving it a creamy sort of texture.
I tend to prefer the bolder tasting matchas, but this one kind of hit a sweet spot between bold and mild that was very satisfying.
Conclusion
First let me say that I truly like the vibrant color, good texture and, most importantly, the awesome taste of the Grace Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha.
As much as I like the quality of the Grace Matcha, there are some things that I don't like and you should be made aware of them so that you can make your own decision as to whether this is the right matcha for you.
Here are my concerns:
- It does not appear that Grace Matcha offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee like most other high quality matcha companies. Their website states under Cancellation and returns - Any return or refund will not be accepted for overseas delivery once order confirmation e-mail is sent out. Which leads us to our second concern.
- Grace Matcha is only available through the Grace and Green website and ships directly from Japan. I prefer to purchase my matcha from Amazon, which gives me an avenue for returns and also a venue where I can see other Grace Matcha Reviews.
Again, I really like the Grace Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha, but I don't think I will be buying any more due to the reasons above.
I would love to see Grace matcha available through Amazon and then I would drink Grace Matcha Green Tea on a regular basis
Thank you for this review!
We are sorry for the 100% satisfaction guarantee… Our prices do not include the unnecessary cost. We offer the Best organic matcha with the most reasonable prices for matcha lovers. This is why we don’t offer 100% satisfaction guarantee. 🙂
As for the e-commerce company, they take huge commission fee, therefore it is impossible to sell the high quality matcha with reasonable prices on the market…And many of matcha there are low grade matcha but a lot of good reviews. We think there are many business mind people there working for money not for people who are eager to find good quality matcha…
We are simply offering High Quality Organic Matcha with the most reasonable prices for Matcha Lovers!
Thanks so much for the comment on my Grace Matcha Review!
While I respect your decision to not offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, I do think that this policy will result in fewer Matcha lovers trusting your brand.
As far as Amazon is concerned, I agree with you that there is low grade matcha for sale there with good reviews. It is one of the reasons that matcha reviews like mine are so valuable to matcha lovers. I honestly believe that if Grace Matcha was available on Amazon, your sales would skyrocket.
Thanks again for adding value for my readers!
Reina
Hi Reina,
Thank you very much for your suggestion!
We will do our best for Matcha Lovers!
Thank you again!
Ritsuo
Grace & Green you all do not have to explain yourself to people who do not really know what good quality is Amazon is good for individuals who want to get fast low grade thing’s for cheap price and beings that your product is private let’s me know that it is real and special……………..then they had the nerve to say another reason is because it come from Japan. Hello yes it does and that’s the best part about it. I mean it’s not American made no disrespect i mean im a American born and raised but honest to truth. Look Americans don’t care about one another and that’s why I kinda hate being here all they want is money money money and to bust people in the head with fake ads and advertisements. Anyways at least you all are trying to change the health of others the right way. Foreal because you all really don’t have to help the unappreciate ones which is some of the people in the USA. But all that being said thank you all for changing my life for the better i really look forward to getting more matcha from you all. And to say that it comes from Japan it’s still fast shipment from there to here in the USA. My order was delay but still arrive at a good time and day. DHL Express don’t play around great company. Plus they let you know everything that’s going on with your order from in and out until you receive it so again i really appreciate you Grace & Green for all you have done keep up the healthy&good work you doing for others have a bless day may god bless you more and more.
I don’t agree that sales would skyrocket simply by selling them thru Amazon. Grace Matcha is doing the right thing by selling it on their own, thereby reducing unnecessary commission incurred when selling via 3rd party channel. If someone truly love something, he or she will go get it regardless where the product is sold at/via. I’m one such person but this is personal preference so I cannot enforce my preference onto others
Furthermore I also do not think by giving a 100% satisfaction guarantee policy will result in people trusting this brand more. Everyone is made differently, so are our tastebuds. I find it appalling that anyone can return food that’s half consumed simply because the taste is not to their liking. I find it very disrespectful to honest food producers.
I would give Grace & Green 100/100. The color of the ceremonial grade is a brilliant vivid green. Its taste is smooth leaving a velvety aftertaste. The fact that they sell directly bypassing the middle man is for me a strong selling point. The reviewer stated how much he/she liked the color and the”awesome taste”. So why be concerned about returning the product? I will continue to buy from G&G and encourage them to provide the finest product at a fair price.
Dear Norman,
Thank you for your review!!!
Our goal is to offer the best organic matcha in Japan with the most reasonable prices for Matcha Green Tea Lovers. Matcha Green Tea is a pride of Japan. So we would like more people to find truly high quality Organic Matcha! Thank you again!
I actually love it that Grace and Green doesn’t sell their products via Amazon and would rather purchase directly from the manufacturer. The only downside on my part is that since I live in the Philippines, the processing of mail through our post office is still in the “Jurassic Age” so it took almost a month for me to receive it. I didn’t mind though.
That fact too that they don’t have a money back guarantee means that they are very confident with their product. This will not deter me from buying from them.
Bottom line, it’s the vibrant green color and most especially the taste that matter.
Hi May,
Thanks for reaching out and sharing your opinion on our Grace Matcha Review!
There are obviously many who enjoy high quality matcha that agree with your assessment.
Thanks again May!
Reina
Grace and Green matcha is the absolute best matcha I ever tried. The company has a very good point: there are too many ceremonial matcha on Amazon, all of it is total junk not different from the culinary grade sold in Costco in bulk but at 10x the price. Will stick to Grace and Green for life!
Hi Shumik,
Thanks for sharing your valuable opinion!
It seems that Grace and Green Matcha is slowly rising to the top as the best matcha. They certainly have the most passionate followers!
Thanks again Shumik!
Reina
Grace and Green is by far the best Matcha on the market. Amazon sellers have their ways to boost ratings – I wouldn’t risk it. Go with the best. I truly enjoy getting my package all the way from Japan! It’s worth the very short wait – I just finished by 2nd ‘cup’ of the day!
I concur Grace and Green is the absolute best! As I tried every other brand of ceremonial grade I could get my hands on over several months before coming to this conclussion 3 years ago! Unfortunately, I live in the U.S. and the coronavirus pandemic is preventing shipments from Japan right now. Living without this matcha is a small sacrifice in light of the devastation some are experiencing, but I do look forward to better days when I can open my shipment from Japan with a sweet hand written note from Ritsuo and start my day sipping this matcha.
I so appreciate that this company has not surrendered to the intimidation of Amazon. That alone is enough to make me want to support them. If we don’t support independent companies like Grace we will eventually have only what Amazon decides to serve up at whatever price they post, not to mention making Jeff Bezos even richer. (Read The Sun: “Unfair Advantage” and see if Amazon is where you really want to shop.)
Some things are worth more than price and ease: supporting good farmers, quality teas, and devoted tea makers. Thank you for your quality and independence.