Matcha koicha grade
The highest matcha grade, prepared as koicha at roughly four grams to forty millilitres — a thick paste kneaded rather than whisked. Only tencha from the oldest shaded bushes will make koicha without becoming bitter, which is what the grade actually certifies.
Character
Thick, sweet and almost entirely without bitterness — which is the point of the grade, since ordinary matcha at this concentration would be undrinkable.
- Flavour
- Umami, Creamy, Sweet
- Aroma
- Marine
- Mouthfeel
- Full bodied, Rich, Silky, Complex
- Complexity
- Layered
- Notes
- sweet cream, seaweed, chestnut
- Aftertaste
- Extremely thick, sweet and long.
Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- Japan
- Region
- Uji
- Cultivar
- Samidori, Gokou
- Oxidation
- Unoxidised
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Shading → Steaming (Japanese fixation) → De-stemming and de-veining → Stone milling
Brewing
Whisking (bowl-prepared powdered tea)
8–12 g/100 ml · 75–85 °C · 1 authored infusion
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
3–4 g/100 ml · 75–85 °C · 4 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
Common mistakes
- Making koicha from usucha-grade powder — the concentration exposes every trace of bitterness the grade was meant to exclude.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Matcha usucha grade
The same powder category at four times the concentration. Only tencha graded for koicha survives it without bitterness.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Gyokuro
Shares 7 descriptors with Matcha koicha grade: umami, sweet, creamy, full bodied, silky, rich and marine.
- Yame gyokuro
Shares 7 descriptors with Matcha koicha grade: umami, sweet, full bodied, silky, rich, complex and marine.
- Aged Liu Bao
Shares 5 descriptors with Matcha koicha grade: sweet, full bodied, rich, silky and complex.
- Alishan oolong
Shares 5 descriptors with Matcha koicha grade: creamy, sweet, full bodied, silky and complex.
- Da Yu Ling
Shares 5 descriptors with Matcha koicha grade: creamy, sweet, full bodied, silky and rich.
- Fukamushicha
Shares 5 descriptors with Matcha koicha grade: umami, creamy, full bodied, rich and marine.
- Kabusecha
Shares 5 descriptors with Matcha koicha grade: umami, creamy, sweet, silky and marine.
Written comparisons
Where TeaHQ has set this tea against another in full, rather than deriving the comparison.
- Matcha grades explained — There is no official matcha grading system, and the terms everyone uses were invented by sellers. What actually varies is measurable, and this compares the two ends of it.