mothers day, matcha and home renos.
We had a wonderful mother’s day. We dont really do special occasions very well over here. I have been trying to put a little pizazz into things, but so often life has a way of getting to be too much, and I simplify to the point of, well, not doing anything at all. But yesterday was just a perfect combo of simplicity, family and special times.
The night before I made an apple cake/tart and candy corn for gifts. Both from Molly’s blog, that I adore. I invited my parents and the neighbours over for brunch. Mark made waffles and we had a feast.
The afternoon was spent at TnT (our local Asian market) trying to buy what I need to make matcha at home. It was probably pretty comical to watch from afar. We were like bumbling foreigners trying to figure stuff out, without offending, or looking too ignorant. But really being quite ignorant. Anyways, we found a whisk, and then had to decide between all the green tea powders we found. One kind lady explained the difference between A,B and C grades.
Apparently the B grade is the lowest grade you would want to drink by itself. C grade is for baking and mixing lattes etc. A grade has the youngest leaves, whereas the B grade mixes the old and new ones. The younger leaves are better for you, and less bitter. So. there was a big price difference ranging from $30.00 for 50g and $6.50 for 100gr. or even $19.99 for 600g! After a little debate mom bought me the expensive one. I would link it for you but I cant find in online. They have the grade B one, that was in the Ten Ren store… but not the one I got. Perhaps I got shafted, or maybe this one is exclusive, or well, I dont know.
Anyways, making the matcha is fun. I watched a couple utube videos – thanks Mat and Chris! I just used a cereal bowl. I found a bigger bowl helps avoid spillage. I need a little practice whisking as its not easy to get it super frothy. Also, I found if I warm the bowl before-hand its much nicer, because it tends to cool quickly. I use my yogurt thermometer to measure the temperature to 170 degrees F. I make 1/4 cup of water to 1 scoop of powder. I drank three bowls of it yesterday, and one this morning. I am wondering if it is going to affect my sleep with the caffeine.
One interesting thing is that the matcha at Starbucks (that got me hooked) has a distinct fishy smell. Like strong sushi Nori. This tea is not fishy AT ALL. Which makes me wonder – is is supposed to be? This one simply has a distinctly green flavor that is slightly bitter, but pleasantly mild. If you don’t like the Matcha at Starbucks because of the fishy taste, I would definitely recommend making it yourself…(or come over and I’ll make it for you!)
Oh. And this morning I “renovated” the kitchen with a box of nails and a hammer. I nailed the pots I use most often onto the wall next to the stove. This has been the least expensive and the most practical home renovation I have ever done. My counters are clear, and I am not digging banging pots and pans around every time I go to cook. I also nailed the lids to the wall. This may not end up being so practical, as they are a little bit dodgy, but I’ll let you know upon further use. (PS. many people are afraid of putting nails in their walls. This seems crazy to me. Dry wall was invented because its so easy to patch. We all have left over pots of paint to patch up mistakes… and a few nails here and there can make all the difference in the world! So I say: go nuts!)
May 11th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Oooo… this matcha thing is more complicated than I thought!
You didn’t actually say if you liked it (eventhough you drank 3 bowls)
I may have to take you up on your offer to come over…
I love the pots idea. We did something similar in our first rental and loved it. The look reminds me of jars of spices and things out on a shelf. unpretentious and real life, but beautiful. Celebrating the beautiful in the everyday.
May 11th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
hey! yes, well I did like it. But its a simple flavor that is subtle – you know? your not drinking it like you would a frappaccino thinking mmmmm. It also KILLED my horrible headache. which is cool.
Its like a good cup of coffee. A bit bitter, gives you a buzz, and you know its good for you. Apparently all Matchas taste quite different so there’s lots of ones to try. I joined a forum online here: http://www.teachat.com/ That’s been most helpful. They turned me onto this website: http://o-cha.com/ to buy good tea from. There’s so much info its good to have a site like that. They also said some matcha can even taste like bittersweet chocolate. I gotta find me some of that! And yes. I’ll make you some. I’ll bring it camping!