How to read matcha tasting notes: umami, texture and cultivar

Tasting notes describe an impression

Nutty, grassy, creamy and floral describe what a tea can remind you of. They do not mean those ingredients have been added. Your water, recipe and personal experience all affect which notes you notice.

Start broadly. Is the tea light or full? Soft or brisk? Does the flavour linger? These simple comparisons can be more useful than trying to identify a very specific nut or flower on your first cup.

Umami and astringency are different things

Umami is a savoury, full quality, sometimes described through comparisons with broth. Astringency is the drying sensation you may feel in the mouth. Bitterness is a taste. A tea can have elements of all three without them being interchangeable.

Try a tea at a consistent ratio before changing the recipe. Then make a second cup with slightly cooler water or a little more liquid. Notice how the balance shifts rather than looking for a single correct answer.

What a cultivar tells you

A cultivar is a cultivated variety of the tea plant. Names such as Okumidori, Saemidori and Yabukita are useful parts of a tea’s identity. They do not, on their own, guarantee a fixed flavour or quality level.

A single-cultivar tea focuses on one variety. A blend combines teas to create a particular balance. Neither approach is automatically superior: judge the finished cup and how it suits your preferred preparation.

Build a small tasting habit

Compare two teas with the same water, temperature and dose. Taste them first without milk or sweetener if they are intended for that preparation. Write down two or three plain words, then choose the one you most want to drink again.

Use our matcha with water recipe as a repeatable starting point.