Matcha Shootout – Will Magus Brands Matcha Win?

April 12, 2016

If you’ve never tried matcha before, you probably have a few questions about it. You might wonder what it tastes like or how to prepare it.

You’re probably also wondering if Magus Brands matcha is as awesome as it sounds. There’s a lot of competition in the matcha market, so is Magus truly the best?

I’m going to answer all of these questions with a matcha shootout.

First, a bit about me. I’m Ian, the content guy at Magus Brands. And even though I’ve been with Magus for several months now, I'd only tried matcha once. That made me the perfect guinea pig to conduct a blind matcha shootout.

This shootout was my second ever experience with matcha, so these results are from the perspective of someone completely new to matcha. And I kept everything blind––my girlfriend helped make sure I had no idea which matcha was which until after the shootout. (She also took all of the photos for this shootout.)

There were some pretty high stakes, as I had no idea if Magus would emerge as the winner or if it would fall behind the others. I tested a pouch of premium Magus Brands matcha along with three of its highest-ranking competitors: DoMatcha, Aiya, and Kenko. Then, I got to brewing, following our official brew guide. It was a wonderful experience, and I’m pleased to share the results with you.

Before I get into the article proper, I want to make one statement: Since I’d only had matcha once before this, my results are from the perspective of a first-time drinker (that is, a first-time in-depth drinker). Those of you with more refined palates may find different tasting notes or hints of bitterness. What follows is my personal first-time experience conducted as a 100% blind taste test.

My Shootout Guidelines

Before I get into the results, here were the exact parameters I used.

I brewed three ways: usucha, koicha, and chilled in a 16.9 fl. oz. water bottle. For the hot brews, I used 167º F (75º C) water. I used 70ml water and 2g of powder for usucha, and I used 40ml of water and 4g of powder for koicha. For the cold method, I used 2g of powder. I used water filtered through my Brita pitcher for the warm brews and Deer Park brand bottled water for the cold brewing methods.

First, I evaluated the look of the tea for its color. Then, I took 3-4 sips of each tea, carefully evaluating each sample for elements like taste, mouthfeel, body, acidity, etc. I then rinsed my palate and the bowl in between tastings to eliminate residual flavors.

I used a whisk and scoop set from BambooMN. I was impressed by the quality of the set, and it helped me make some great, frothy cups of matcha. I also used a matcha sifter to make sure I got clump-free cups.

Each brewing method gave me a new perspective, and the samples were rearranged every time I tasted. So Sample 1 from the usucha brewing wasn’t Sample 1 for the koicha brewing. It was completely blind, so there is no bias whatsoever in this test.

I considered four key factors while cupping: smell, color, taste, and overall impression. I didn’t use a rating system; instead, I reflected on the experiences I had and used those to declare an overall winner in each category.

So without further ado, here are the results for each brewing method! Oh, and here’s another surprise: I’m keeping the sample identities secret until the end of the post, so read along if you want the winners to be a surprise. Or scroll down and spoil the ending; it’s your choice!

(And if you want to join in the cupping, feel free to taste test it yourself.)

Round 1: Usucha

For the first round, I prepared the matcha as usucha, which translates to “thin tea.” I followed the brew guide to make sure each cup was frothy and full of small bubbles (no big bubbles).

Sample #1

Color: Medium jade green

Smell: Dark, earthy

Taste: Bitterness up front, earthy flavors after

Impression: This cup immediately hit me with a huge umami taste, which then settled into a complex vegetal taste. This challenged my palate as a new matcha drinker, but it was rewarding. An intricate cup with lots going on.

Sample #2

Color: Light-medium jade green

Smell: Rich vegetable, faint umami

Taste: Pleasant umami, broiled vegetable

Impression: This cup also immediately hit me with a big umami taste, but it was a bit less bitter and more savory. It had a full mouthfeel to it, and the aftertaste was powdery (but not in a bad way). It was enjoyable, but in a different way from Sample #1.

Sample #3

Color: Medium jade green

Smell: Warm vegetal scent

Taste: Smooth vegetal, medium umami

Impression: This was a smooth cup with a less powdery, more pronounced umami taste. This tea was more on the umami end of the spectrum, and as a result, it gave a much different experience while also being complex.

Sample #4

Color: Light jade green with frothy crema

Smell: Warm, pleasant vegetables

Taste: Laid-back umami, broiled vegetables

Impression: This was the smoothest cup of the bunch. To my untrained palate, it had a rich, vegetal taste that was complemented with a smooth umami flavor. There was also a noticeable vegetal aftertaste that lingered in a pleasant way.

Round 1: Summary

Now it’s time to unmask the teas and see which one came out on top:

First place: Aiya (Sample #4)

Second place: Magus (Sample #1)

Third place: Kenko (Sample #2)

Fourth place: DoMatcha (Sample #3)

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