Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Matcha green tea is a type of green tea where you ingest the whole tea leaf (in the form of finely ground powder), rather than drink the water from steeped green tea leaves. It can take up to an hour to grind an ounce of matcha, and that labor-intensiveness plus the relative freshness of the matcha tends to dictate the price, which usually ranges from reasonable-but-expensive to very-very-expensive. This offering from One Organic is cheap culinary grade matcha. As a comparison, you can get "economy"/daily-use drinking matcha direct from Japan for about $12-15 an ounce. This matcha is @$20 for nearly 9 oz. Unfortunately, price is truly an indicator of quality matcha, and this tea tastes as cheap as it costs. Right out of the package, you can see a clear difference between this matcha and higher grades. Fresh, good matcha should be neon green in color - the One Organic matcha is a dingy "Army" green by comparison (see the picture I posted for a comparison between One Organic and a "better than average" quality matcha that I had on hand which runs about $14 per oz, and is considered good quality but not highest quality). I nearly always prepare my matcha as usucha, or "thin type" matcha (this refers to the consistency, not the flavor), and my usual amount is about 2 grams of matcha to roughly 4 oz of water, although you can change these proportions slightly to suit your taste. I tried several attempts of two different preparations using the One Organic matcha: matcha + water, and matcha + water mixed into @6 oz of unsweetened almond milk. I found both types of preparations to be undrinkable - very bitter and flat, with none of the smoothness and creamy mouthfeel (a quality called "umami", that is somewhat hard to describe, but is a kind of savory, "meaty" flavor) that a good matcha should have. Some of the better quality matchas even taste sweet. While some matcha can be slightly bitter, the bitterness is very mild and should not be the overwhelming aspect. I tried different strengths of both types of preparation, and couldn't get anything other than an overwhelmingly bitter taste from the One Organic matcha. I'm giving this two stars since if you only use it as a healthful additive to smoothies and baked goods and can disguise the taste, then perhaps this is good value for your money. But if you are interested in trying matcha straight (matcha + water), this would be a terrible introduction to it, and I cannot recommend it. If you want to try matcha as its own drink, then don't start with this matcha. You might walk away thinking this is how matcha should taste and then never try it again. Instead look for "ceremonial-grade" matcha rather than "culinary-grade" matcha. Even the lowest-price ceremonial grade matcha will have a flavor profile that is more accurate to how good matcha tastes. Personally, my "daily-use" matcha is usually @ $12 per oz; when I want to treat myself, I'll sample a higher grade matcha that falls between $14-$20 per oz. If you really want to splurge for the best of the best, go for the $40-$50 per oz matchas. Also, keep in mind that the reason why matcha tastes how it does is because of the potency of the high amount of amino acids it contains. A matcha that doesn't taste like "good" matcha is inferior not just in flavor but in the potency of its healthful elements. [Sample provided for review]