Trader Joe's Matcha Green Tea (Updated)

Dear reader, you may notice in the coming days that there are changes coming to this blog. Not nearly as dramatic, controversial, or dlfjepotigfjad;lkgjadsf (for my readers not as fluent in internet speak, that was a keyboard pound of frustration) as say, the government, but changes nonetheless. Mostly because there is coming a day where I will not live within a stone's throw of a Trader Joe's store. A sad sad day. But probably a good day for my wallet. :P 




I've noticed that TJ's has been coming out with a number of "made in Japan" products. Yuzu hot sauce (thought about getting it, but haven't pulled the trigger yet). My beloved mochi rice nugget snack. And THIS. I really really did not want to get it, mostly because of the price. But that packaging appealed to my inner minimalist. And matcha is a growing love of mine. My wallet I acquiesced. Let's not blame my wallet like it has a mind of its own. 

A few months ago, I took a break from coffee and instead started my days with a lazy/cheater version of a matcha latte. I found that it not only gave me the caffeine boost I needed to be productive and work well, it also didn't make me jittery. In fact, it made me alert but in a calm, peaceful kind of way.


In the most basic terms, matcha is green tea ground into a powder. I'm definitely not a matcha connoisseur or expert by any means. I have yet to experience the Japanese tea ceremony and I certainly am not the one to consult about the health benefits and whatnot. But I should say that if you've never had matcha before, take that product description with a big grain of salt. Matcha is indeed delicate and earthy. There's really not much sweetness I can detect, but again it's kind of like drinking a cup of coffee and being able to detect flower notes and whatnot. It probably exists in some sophisticated palate kind of way, but for the layman, please don't read this and think that there is actual sweetness here. Unless you add sugar that is. 

Anyhoo. The good news here is that it is a product of Japan. Also, there's apparently no extra things added, like brown rice filler (which apparently exists. Beware of buying matcha powder with stuff added). Also, there's grades of matcha - ceremonial (which is the highest quality and therefore more expensive, typically used for the tea ceremony) and culinary (lowest quality and is further broken down into premium, cafe, culinary, etc). Again, I'm not an expert, but I do know that high quality matcha ain't cheap. I'm skeptical that this product is actually a high quality (but seeing as there are some diehard matcha snobs with unwavering TJ's loyalty), but let's give Trader Joe's a benefit of the doubt that they did in fact go through extreme lengths to procure a high quality product. 

1) The actual product has a nice vibrant green color, and it tastes pretty good actually. Earthy. Delicate. All the things I've come to expect from matcha. I prepared it hot per package directions, and it tasted like any old cup of matcha tea I've had. I also went through the trouble of making a green tea latte. I probably would never ever ever make it according to the cold directions - mostly because I'll bet you that you'll end up with clumps of matcha powder in your water bottle. While matcha tea is delicious, matcha clumps are not. I mean, I end up with matcha clumps even when I whisk it with my very best effort. Perhaps, I should invest in a matcha whisk. 


2) My main beef here is the price to quantity ratio, which is reflected in my overall rating of this product. First of all, it's $6.99 for 10.5g of matcha. That comes out to $0.66 per gram. Now, my gut instinct is that for a mere culinary grade matcha, THAT IS CRAZY EXPENSIVE. Furthermore, I whipped out my digital scale (if you love to bake, this baby is life changing!). Each packet is supposed to have 1.5g. The first packet I weighed didn't even register 1 gram! Granted, my scale is only sensitive to the gram and not a tenth of a gram, but still! The weight of TWO packets came out to TWO grams (which could be anywhere between 2.1 to 2.9g). BUT STILL. It SHOULD HAVE come out to 3 grams. Even taking into account the calibration of the scale, I am wary that I'm not actually getting the amount of product that I paid for. So if I want to be mean and theorize that each packet only has 1g instead of 1.5g, that means I'm paying $0.99 per gram. That is CRAZY. 

So I went off on a search to research the price of matcha. Because when you like to save money, that's what you do. 

Organic Culinary Matcha: $29.99 / 100g = $0.30/gram
Organic Premium Culinary Matcha: $10.99 / 30g = $0.36/gram
Tmatcha Organic Matcha Culinary Grade: $9.39/ 114g = $0.08/gram (product of Japan, but still kinda suspicious...)
Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha: $24.95/ 30g = $0.83/gram 

3) This post has been edited to address repeated feedback from internet users that take my blog too seriously and are offended by one person's opinion. Some of y'all matcha aficionados sound like you're willing to bet money on this product that it is in fact at least a premium grade matcha. Indeed, it doesn't taste like a janky, pale green, mixed-with-other-things matcha. It tastes good, like teas that I've had from Japan. But the product nor the company has given any additional information to let us know for sure where this product is sourced and exactly what grade it is. So everything we talk about here is conjecture. 


4) If you are a matcha aficionado with high class taste and enjoy the convenience of single serving packets, this is a great product. Seriously. If you actually really like matcha (and not like the pale green stuff), you'll probably like this product. If you don't have the palate to notice the difference between this and the cheapo stuff, stick to the cheapo stuff. 

5) I personally do not find this product worth it for me because of how I use matcha. I stock two kinds of matcha in my kitchen - a cheaper, culinary grade one for baking and a more expensive, Japanese one for drinking. Is the TJ's one cheaper? Not compared to the premium grade ones that I drink. But it also has more packaging waste - you can't recycle or compost those foil packets. Personally, I'd rather pay a little more to reduce my packaging waste. Am I drinking the highest quality, better-than-yours or better-than-this-TJ's-matcha tea? I don't know. I don't know what you're drinking or not drinking and frankly it doesn't matter. 

6) Is this tea better than most supermarket varieties of "matcha tea" or regular green teas trying to be actual matcha? Of course, no question about it. 

7) Is this product the most "worth it matcha at its price point?" For me, I have found other versions that are good but not cheap-tasting at a better price point. 

8) Would I repurchase? Only if I was traveling. To a country where there is no matcha. Or anytime you find yourself at an airport where everything is marked up. But even then, are you really going to whip out a dinky little packet to make 8 ounces of a matcha not-latte (which, in America at least, isn't even the standard size of a small drink)? I used up two packets to make about a 12 ounce, which probably on the more caffeinated side of what I usually make, plus a few teaspoons of sugar, and milk that I frothed by shaking in a mason jar. It was tasty, but I couldn't stomach the price, which ironically is still marginally cheaper than what you pay at a coffee shop ($2 + the cost of milk vs. $3.50, maybe more if you live in a city).  


TL;DR: Trader Joe's Matcha Green Tea. Japanese green tea powder. The most "worth it matcha" at its price point? Depends. If it actually is indeed what we all want it to be (and we have substantial evidence to prove that it is indeed a high quality matcha), then sure. 7 out of 10. Mantou Joe repurchase? Unlikely. 


SaveSave
SaveSaveSaveSave

Comments

  1. Ha, ha, you sure are a saver! I would be OK with the price if I liked the flavor but still thanks for the advice. Shame on Trader Joe's for bamboozling us! Even if their stuff is pretty good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just discovered these packets at TJ's yesterday. I love matcha. Agree that it's too expensive but I wanted to give it a whirl. I did just 10 minutes ago mix up one packet in a 16.9 oz bottle of cool water. It dissolved fine. Nice deep green color. Pretty good matcha taste. Would like to find a cheaper solution, however.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad it worked for you! I'd recommend checking out an Asian grocery store, Amazon, or other reputable online matcha tea retailers for more affordable matcha.

      Delete
  3. Please don't listen to this non sense! Trader joes matcha packets are in fact ceremonial grade or better. I have tried many brands of matcha and at 66 cents a gram this is a great deal! You can go with other premium brands like DOMATCHA OR AIYA or even ITO EN's Matcha Love. I drank two varieties of Matcha Love this morning (usucha and organic classic) and I can honestly say that the Trader joes Matcha packets have a superior taste to Matcha Love's varieties. I have bought culinary pale green matcha before and this is certainly not that! Before ranting about the quality of something you should do your research and provide some comparisons, stupid people will read this and form an opinion based on this misinformation.This is your own personal opinion! and you obviously have not had that much exposure to many matcha varieties. Trader Joe's does an awesome job at sourcing quality products from around the world and offering them at the best bang for your buck value! Don't listen to this, I encourage you to do your own taste test and compare with other brands. This is a great buy and is super convenient. If you are a matcha snob and want the best of the best check out offering from Ippodo. It is crazy expensive but it is the best there is!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm on packet number 7 and can honestly say I don't notice anything different. I do not feel great, nor do I have great energy or anything but since I know it has amazing health benefits I stuck with it. Buying a new box tonight to give it another week but so far not impressed at all. Taste's like I'm drinking unsweetened tea, I was told to drink plain to get the most health benefits, which I'm doing but would like something cheaper.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I googled a review of TJ matcha packets because I wasn't really happy with it and wanted to see if anyone else agreed. I also thought it was overpriced. I didn't realize that I could get this cheaper on Amazon so thanks for researching that. My problem with TJ matcha is that it doesn't dissolve all the way! Even after using hot water from a tea kettle and stirring it vigorously for awhile, the tea still just settles mostly at the bottom with all these tiny chunks of matcha... not what I'm looking for in a tea. For me, this would be better used in smoothies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had the same problem with the powder. You probably need to whisk it really well or use a traditional matcha whisk to dissolve it completely.

      Delete
  6. Very informative article which is about the Organic Japanese Match Tea and i must bookmark it, keep posting interesting articles.
    Organic Japanese Match Tea

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for the review. I've been wanting to just try it now that I've learned how to make green tea so that I enjoy it. So for me, being able to buy a few packets for under $10 will help me decide whether to spend $15 or more on a larger amount of matcha. It sounds like this one is good enough to give me a sense of whether I'd like matcha at all, so this is helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm new to Matcha Tea and i've had TJ's Matcha Packets in my pantry for the past few months until I tried to find ways that I can enjoy it. With that being said, I drink it cold, in a 16.9 oz bottle of water, with lemon and agave. DE-DAMN-LICIOUS. Thanks for the cost comparison, when i'm done with my packets, i will splurge with the Organic High faluttin stuff and see if it's better than TJ's, but I don't know any better, but I do know that I want to save money. I appreciate your review.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you're enjoying it! The TJ's one isn't the most expensive by any means but it also isn't the cheapest. Might have to shop around for the one that best suits your taste and budget. If you find one you like, please share with us! :)

      Delete
  9. You may want to do your due diligence before writing such a biased article. If you cared to actually get versed in matcha, I can tell you that the Trader Joes brand is a HUGE deal. It's a superior quality -the kind of quality that you will not find anywhere near the price Trader Joes is able to sell for due to their sourcing partnerships (which is typical for TJs). Try sampling various matcha teas on offer these days. You'll find mostly gritty, and dull green matcha (high quality matcha will be a super bright, deep color and finely powdered, with smooth taste). Really, when writing about a specialty item that is as complex as matcha grades, take the time to inform yourself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment. Seeing as this is a personal blog and one of many internet sources, bias is assumed because the post may not reflect everyone's taste. This Trader Joe's matcha powder is a nice bright green and does taste quite good compared to the gritty dull matcha teas you mentioned. I don't know which matcha teas you've tried. I certainly have not tasted every commercially available matcha tea, but taste is prone to subjectivity. I have had high quality matcha teas from Japan (brought back by friends and family from Japan) that I can also find online or typically at Asian grocery stores. The initial purchase price is not personally worth it for me because I have found high quality versions that are at a comparable price, albeit sometimes slightly more expensive. However, I choose to purchase those versions because it's environmentally friendlier (one tin versus a product with more packaging that gets thrown away), I get slightly more product and get a little more use out of it.

      Delete
  10. You've made some good points there. I looked on the internet for additional information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this website.
    difference between matcha and green tea

    ReplyDelete
  11. If not the TJ’s Matcha powder, what Matcha products do you recommend that you like? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It depends on how you will use your matcha powder. If you're using for baking, I like matcha love culinary grade. I usually buy mine from an Asian store (Maeda-en Japanese brand). I also love the matcha from Boba guys.

      https://shop.ippodo-tea.co.jp/kyoto/shopf/goods/index.html?ggcd=133624&cid=matcha&currency=1

      https://www.teapeople.com/matcha

      Delete
  12. I don't know about the tea because I haven't tried it yet...but as for those Mochi Nuggets? Those are a definite "Hell yeah!"

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment