F**k Flavored Matcha

I saw the title for this article and read it as “F**K-flavoured Matcha.” Was very morbidly curious about what I thought I was about to read and then was (morbidly, I guess) disappointed. But also relieved. Also relieved.
And I strongly agree that the world should say, “Fuck flavoured Matcha!” to matcha of all flavours, fuck or otherwise.

“Fuck Flavoured matcha?
how very creative of you.

Maybe if you jerk off into a Chawan, and whisk it in with your Usucha, you might get your wish smile

I am sure you’d do that if you find your Matcha not umami enough?

I have no problems with flavoured Matcha, and it does not deter away from its spirit and sensibility, the Japanese themselves have to include a sweet snack, a wagashi, because of its bitterness, and that alone shows they are open to altering the matcha’s flavour profile.

The sentiment of the Japanese tea ceremony may overlap with the choice of matcha, but in no way has it ever dominated the way matcha should and must be… if you are such a Litera-tea-ist, maybe you have forgotten that the origin of Matcha lies in China’s historical Tang Dynasty, and the Japanese merely borrowed and adapted a method of preparing a beverage. It is in tea’s nature as a product to be versatile, and to coexist with other flavours, picking up the different terroirs of the soil it is cultivated upon , and thus giving the so-called ‘pure’ teas their unique flavours .

It is meant to be adapted and transformed to fit with its user and changing times and climes, that is the forgiving, versatile and compassionate nature of Tea, if you know anything about the origin of the ‘Iron Goddess of Mercy Tea/ TieGuanYin”, you would not have written this post.

Furthermore, if you are aware of the cultural politics in Japan right now, where the younger Japanese are seeking to interpret their own culture in a post-modern setting, these flavoured matcha comes at a right time to invigorate a staid old custom; to offer a parallel comparison, in the realm of art and the politics of the museum, matcha is being returned to the populace at large and no longer monopolized or held hostage by the traditionalists… like art, instead of killing it by installing it in a museum as purists are wont to do, they are now being appropriated and individualized into the everyday and the economy is better for it.

I do tend to agree that some of the blends might not be done as well as they could, because alot of them used artificial flavours or the flavour ratio and matcha selection they used do not blend harmoniously… these people have no clue, thus, i reiterate, the problem with some of the flavoured blend is that it is done poorly or done wrong without the consideration of the base/foundational flavour notes of the matcha. BUT this does not mean the concept is flawed, or that there are no better blends out there.

So, why blame a concept when it is still in its formative stage now?

The Japanese did not just find the perfect way to making matcha neither, someone have to experiment and find a way that the innovator arbitrarily decides as best, and then he had to go around convincing everyone, or bullying everyone, that it is the proper and accurate way to do it… if you claim to know your matcha, you’d also know there are at least 3 main schools of japanese tea ceremony, and their modes of preparation do differ, and tastes different… so your concept of being a ‘purist’ is also a shaky proposition… especially when within their culture they are STILL fighting about it.

And in closing, i would note that Cheese, Bacon and Fuck are unfelicitous flavour notes on matcha, anyone can tell you that (but there is a delicious amuse-bouche of peso and cheese crustini that is lightly dusted with matcha and wasabi that my friends adore) the fact that you mentioned them either in a sarcastic tone, or an indignant-parody of a blending process that you know nothing about, shows us how unprepared you are in engaging the topic of matcha… And not belabouring a point, being a purist of other people’s culture shows a subtle but just as palpable sense of racial profiling — your aim at romanticizing another culture by deeming yourself a specially qualified connoisseur is both a sad reflection of the mindset of the north american cultural wasteland that you have chosen to perceive. If you could rein in your language and rhetorical boundaries on it being your own biased POV, IMHO, i think you post would offend less. But your language and word-choice seems to speak on such an issue with grand authority, i do think many find it abit overbearing, and it bullies the other matcha drinkers who might enjoy experimenting with new flavours. They might come to your notion of a ‘pure matcha’ and prefer that, but you do not need to socially condemn their choices if they choose to park a canister of matcha infused with different flavours next to their ‘purist approved’ matcha, don’t you think?

Furthermore, the meditative state that Matcha induces also allows for a moment of rectification; the ability to recall memories and deal with them; in that state, i have worked with strawberry flavoured matcha, blueberry flavoured matcha, caramel flavoured matcha maple flavoured matcha, and the meditative aspect of the matcha ceremony is greatly enhanced by the smell of these added flavourings in reaching a memory or transporting the drinker to a moment in their past… and dealing, meditating and reflecting on those moments… a perk that normal matcha cannot do…

So, by claiming to be a purist, you have also run afoul of the spirit of Cha-do; the idea of wabi-sabi that Rikkyu has stated is that, fundamentally, nothing stays the same, and Change is the order of nature and the universe… I am not saying matcha cannot stay unflavoured, i am merely saying the inability to be open-minded about new innovations with what matcha can do and can be expanded upon, and by demanding that matcha flavours remain the same old WITHOUT accepting new changes is self-contradictory.”

I urge you to rethink your position, and offer your comments in a more measured tone in the future, thank you.”