My current matcha Favorites

These ranking are based on the following factors,

• Taste/quality
• Price

(these are not ranked in order)

note: all of these were tested and compared unsweetened. For reference I usually prefer rich/or full bodied matchas that are naturally sweet and nutty. Usually love Yame and Uji matchas and usually do not like Shizuoka.

Rocky’s Matcha

a popular US based brand from Los Angeles selling premium matcha, houjicha and tea tools. This brand is very open about their sourcing origin and process. They also have pretty fast shipping which makes it an option I recommend.

1. Rocky’s Matcha Dreaming Man blend 20g - $36

This matcha is absolutely delicious. Because of its higher price tag at $1.80 per gram, I would save this for special occasions and not use it as a daily matcha powder.

However the flavor is so smooth, balanced nuttiness and aroma. Coming from Uji, it has a silky mouthfeel when whisked properly and little to no bitterness. Definitely one of my favorites from Rocky’s.

2. Rocky’s Matcha Horii Shichimeien Ceremonial Blend 20g- $28

A perfect daily matcha for sure, Horii Shichimeien is a delicate and creamy matcha that is a great introductory matcha for those who want something mellow and easy to drink. It’s on the lighter side so I would recommend a less milk ratio so you can really taste it. Also one of the more affordable matchas in their lineup.

Ippodo Matcha

Ippodo is a family owned tea company from Kyoto since 1717. They mean serious business when it comes to matcha and tea. They sell a large variety of matcha and other teas and tea tools. Their website is especially helpful to learn about preparation and storage. It is a brand I love and always recommend to anyone interested in getting into matcha.

3. Ippodo Sayaka ($49 for 40g) - the easy delicious choice, one of the first real high quality matches I tried years ago. It has strong matcha flavor, it’s sweet and a little bit nutty with noticeable umami. It’s very vibrant and has a pleasant vegetal taste and creamy mouthfeel. Perfect for an everyday matcha latte. My favorite of Ippodos lineup.

Marukuyu Koyamaen

Probably one of the most popular matcha brands on the market and with good reason! Founded in 1704 in Uji, this prestigious estate provides their tea to first class hotels, high ranking shrines and temples, as well as the most established tea schools in Japan. They boast 33 national tea competition wins and much more. The company motto is “Making teas with quality as our highest priority”

However due to the popularity and demand , they are constantly sold out making them one of the hardest matcha powders to get. Usually inexpensive directly but on second market resale can be doubled in price.

4. Isuzu(40g $15.85 directly from their website) : this matcha is delicious and complex, it is not as sweet and nutty as what I normally go for however it is rich and full bodied. Paired with a small dash of honey and milk, it becomes such a treat. It has balanced bitterness and umami and light sweetness.

5. Wako (40g $28.44): this was the first matcha I tried from Marukuyu and it really got me hooked. Creamy and light just prepared simply with no sweetener. I loved it from the first sip. Light bodied so I would use less milk ratio to really give it a chance to shine.