Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Dear Amazon Shopper, Let me preface this review by saying that if you are a matcha purist, you will likely not appreciate what this product has to offer. As others have pointed out, when standing alone, this product lacks the bubbly-green hue and smooth taste of first-string Japanese matchas. If you're looking to conduct a tea ceremony or revel in matcha's distinct flavor, this is not the product for you. That being said, let me tell you what I like about this product: 1 - Quantity: At 10oz, you'd be spending north of $140 to secure the same quantity of matcha from (for comparison) Teavanna. If what you're concerned with is the potential health benefit this substance may offer, it's a lot easier to fork over $30 for MatchaDNA and have it delivered to your door. 2 - Quality: The nutritional information for this matcha / matcha-alternative suggests that it has at least the potency of the more-delicate top-grade Japanese matchas, making it a value from a health standpoint as well. Moreover, I use this matcha in my daily smoothies and notice, if anything, an improvement in flavor, making this an excellent choice for blending with other ingredients. As an added bonus, this product originates from outside of Japan, meaning it is farther from the site of the most catastrophic radiological disaster in human history than Japanese-grown matcha. 3 - Convenience: You can have this tea at your front door in a couple of days thanks to Amazon Prime and in 3oz quantities it comes packaged in individual servings for additional ease of metering. That being said, the 10oz package is a better value at 50% greater cost and 300% greater quantity. Here's what I don't like: 1 - Packaging: While I prefer the individual packets, I assume they've omitted them from the 10oz package to keep costs down (which I appreciate). However, the 10oz package has a spotty seal, which can seriously threaten the freshness and shelf-life of your matcha if you aren't extremely vigilant. I've had two of the last four bags I ordered lose efficacy in their seals less than halfway through a bag. I had to roll them up and use rubber bands to keep them shut which was rather annoying. Moreover, it was difficult to tell initially that the bag hadn't sealed, making this a latent defect that could cost you a portion of your batch. 2 - Labeling: While I would be thrilled if this product were truly organic, it's pretty thin on the certification side. It's definitely not USDA-Certified organic (no USDA seal), and though it claims to be "Swiss-Certified" in the item description, I see neither credentials nor any mention whatsoever of the certifying authority on the packaging, making this claim more than a little dubious (and potentially a source of liability for the company). And that, my friends, is the long and short of it. It's great for smoothies and you can churn through large quantities of it without breaking the bank, but pay close attention to the seal and don't bet the farm on this product conforming to what passes for organic by USDA standards. Thank you. EDIT: Please refer to MatchaDNA's comment on this review for the company's response to the concerns I have listed. Five stars for responsiveness.