Sazen Tea
Eiju - Marukyu Koyamaen Matcha
Reviewed June 2021
About Sazen: Sazen Tea is a tea distributing company based in Kyoto, Japan. In 2014, Sazen was founded by a couple who initially met and fell in love in Hungry. Among many things, Motonari Jotatsu is a Japanese tea instructor and Agnes Balogh is a Urasenke tea artist.
Sazen offers a wide variety of high quality teas, matcha, and teaware. At the time of this review, Sazen offered matcha from 5 distinct tea producers. With such an abundant inventory, it can be a bit overwhelming to figure out which matcha to purchase.
Why buy from Sazen instead of the tea manufacturers? I found that Sazen offers an unbeatable online shopping experienced when compared to the tea producers them selves. The price was identical at Sazen as it was directly through the manufacturer.
Eiju matcha is from Marukyu Koyamaen (MK), a tea grower, producer, and blender also located in Kyoto. Their tea estate dates back to 1704, when Kyujiro Koyama began growing green tea in Ogura, Uji. MK combines old tradition and modern farming techniques to produce a highly regarded product.
About Blend: Matcha Eiju translates to mean “long life” and is blended for the purpose of koicha. However, the blend is versatile and not temperature sensitive, lending itself well to usucha and a great option for beginners.
Price: Approximately $21.61 per 20 grams
Sazen Tea - Eiju Matcha Review
Scent: A deep and rich scent that reminds me of the forrest, with notes of nettle and dried nori, as well as sweet chocolate and fresh cucumber. Very dynamic!
Color: A standard matcha green with no yellow or brown hues, indicating a fresh product. Points 4.25
Foam: Perfect! The crema forms very quickly and makes lovely micro-foam. The texture is smooth and astringent in a lovely way. Points 5
Taste: I instantly fell in love with this matcha. Because this blend is intended for koicha, the flavor chart is based on that style of preparation. The first notes of Eiju are of a plant based umami and light spinach, capturing the essence of spring. The finish is creamy and buttery in the back of the throat. There is a presence of sweetness through out every sip that reminds me of honeybuns, but is likely closer to the sweetness of fresh corn. There is literally no bitterness, but a very pleasant drying note that keeps one reaching for the next sip. The finish has a hint of roasted notes.
This blend really does translate well between usucha and koicha, but is not favored for lattes. Eiju is too mild when mixed with milk. It’s sweetness clashes with the natural sweetness of milk, which over powers all the dynamic flavors described above. This blend was incredibly easy to enjoy and it produced a focused and calm energy. Points 5.
Final Score: 4.75 out of 5
Thoughts: Eiju is by far one of my favorite matcha blends. If the powder was slightly brighter in color it would have received a perfect score, but I truly do believe this is a perfect matcha. Surprisingly, many blends absent of bitterness can be difficult to savor because the umami and sweetness become so overpowering. However, Eiju possesses a perfect astringency that creates harmony between all the flavors. It also offers a tamed, yet very present umami experience. The umami is less oceanic and more vegetal, perhaps closer to a savory tomato than a briny oyster. 🙂
This is an exceptional matcha and I highly recommend it to experts and novices alike.
