Shibui Matcha Green Tea

Shibui Tea

A bit about who Shibui Tea are:

Shibui Tea was set up over a few pots of tea with the simple philosophy of sourcing and sharing great quality tea. We have created a menu which covers a wide range of loose leaf tea with flavours to suit all palates. With a choice of premium classics through to fun and modern concepts, Shibui’s tea drinkers can be assured of a consistent quality product they can trust.

We are a family run business - together with over 35 years of experience in the industry - with our head office split between the UK and Canada. Two brothers run the operation - John in the UK and Paul in Canada.

Our teas are sourced from all over the world, primarily from China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Africa, and Taiwan. Our locations in both the UK and Canada give us the ability to effectively service both the European and North American market places.

By visiting Shibui Tea online, you can browse and choose from over 200 teas and be assured of our excellent customer service. (Taken from their website)

So far I have reviewed Blueberry Rooibos and Chocolate and Ginger, today I decided to give their Matcha Green Tea a go. 

This is how my sample arrived - just with all Shibui teas, vacuum packed and sealed for freshness.  

The first thing I noticed about this Matcha was the colour, this seemed a much more vivid green than some I have tried in the past. I did a bit of research and the brighter more vivid the green, the better quality it is. This did not surprise me as so far Shibui tea seem to be high quality with all of their products. 

I realised that it is very important to follow the instructions when making Matcha tea, if you don't it is very easy to get residue at the bottom of the cup. Shibui make it easy for you by including instructions on their page. Once I had whisked the tea I got a frothy foam across the top, I knew then that I had followed the instructions correctly. 

To be honest I did not like the smell of this tea when brewing it, however all the Matchas I have brewed smell similar and I didn't like them either. Taste for me was the key, I have tasted some really bitter ones in the past and the less bitter the taste the better quality it should be. With Matcha, you will always get some better taste but it should be smoother. I did find that this once, although slightly bitter to begin with, a. got better the more I drank and b. was smooth to drink. This again showed me that it was of good quality. 

Out of all the Matchas I have tasted I would say this was one of the better ones and if I was to regularly drink it I would happily purchase this one. 

Unlike a lot of Shibui teas this cannot be bought in tea bags. This tea is one that is mixed within the water. 

The tea is quite expensive at £22.99 for a 30g tin, however I believe that this is of good quality Matcha and that you pay for what you get. A 30g tin should last you a long time. 

If you would like to purchase these or see what other teas are available please visit their website: Shibui Tea

I would like to thank Shibui tea for supplying this sample for an honest review.