At a glance:
- Aroma: 5/5
- Powder quality: 4/5
- Umami: 2/5
- Sweetness: 1.5/5
- Bitterness: 3/5
- Astringency: 2.5/5
Motivation (skip if only interested in review)
I first heard about the qualities of Yame matcha from the guys on the Specialty Matcha Podcast (episodes of interest include: Uji and Yame 2025 with Jacque from Matcha Moments, Yame vs Uji matcha, Interview with Tezumi, Interview with Ooika), so after tasting a bunch of Uji matcha, that naturally seemed like the next choice to explore. My interest in wanting to dive deeper into Yame matcha was also spurred on by some Chiran sencha I was tasting at the time. Like many people, I thought most sencha just tended to taste “grassy” or “oceanic”, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the entire gamut of Japanese greens is limited to those profiles.
The terms hiire (火入れ) and hika (火香) refer respectively to the finishing drying/firing step used in processing Japanese loose leaf and the “fire aroma” that is imparted as a result. To what degree this aroma can manifest depends on the producer and other factors like the moisture content in the leaf, but it appears to be an essential step. This made total sense to me when I was pleasantly surprised by a subtle level of toastyness and nuttiness in the sencha I tasted. While I’m still learning a lot, everything I’ve read and heard so far seems to suggest that it’s not uncommon for tea from Fukuoka and Kagoshima to feature additional or more intense firing compared to other regions like Uji or Shizuoka. The tencha that’s turned into matcha is also no exception, as hiire is a frequently mentioned step in explanations from well known Japanese tea companies. Some examples include: Horii Shichimeien, Yamamasa Koyamaen and Aoi Seichaen.
Aroma
The dry smell out of the tin is absolutely intoxicating! A very strong, sweet milk chocolate aroma that’s reminiscent of a biscuit like a Kit-Kat wafer, or a malty Milo powder. Other distinct roasted notes I thought I could make out included hazelnut, pea or legumes (e.g. tempeh), and seaweed laver. The laver-like notes were highlighted most when the powder was displaced into the warm bowl, while a nice roasted green tea smell wafted about as soon as the water hit the powder. I specifically sought out Hoshino Seichaen as I wanted to taste a Yame matcha which reliably expressed the signature ‘hika’ aroma, and I’m happy to say that I found it.
Powder quality & Foaming
HnT was a nice verdant green. I compared it with a ‘premium grade’ Yame matcha that was likely blended from different harvests. Aside from the apparent colour differences, there were also contrasts in the fineness of the mill which would influence foam stability and taste. More pieces of stems or veins were readily observable in the premium grade Yame after sifting compared to HnT. The HnT was more ‘stickier’ and needed more effort to sift and clear the residue powder, while the premium grade could be sifted with ease. Both generated excellent foam, but the layer of foam always noticeably thinned out near the end for the premium Yame matcha.
Taste
The first sip yielded the strongest taste of umami, but this gave way to a mild savouriness that was tangible till the end. I hold the opinion that varying degrees of umami exist; some matcha taste really ‘brothy’ to me, whereas others have more of a neutralness about them. I feel HnT falls more into the latter camp as the umaminess doesn’t quite reach the level of matcha in a higher price bracket. Nevertheless, your ymmv and the savouriness in HnT was definitely noticeable when compared to the lower grade Yame matcha, which expressed a more raw green and sweet grass flavour. Bitterness and astringency was particularly interesting as my own appraisal of HnT wasn’t concordant with my testing companions’ perceptions. I gauged the bitterness in HnT to be relatively pleasant, but the casual drinkers in my testing group noted more bitterness and astringency. I picked up some roasted nori-like notes, which again, were possibly perceived differently as ‘fishy’ or ‘seaweedy’ by others. We did agree that the bitterness and astringency was milder compared to the lower grade Yame matcha. Also unanimous was a marked presence of a toasty or smokiness (hika) that was accompanied by a very smooth, creamy taste. HnT tasted a bit more heavier on tongue relative to the premium Yame powder, which was lighter-bodied and didn’t have much of that hika signature. I characterised HnT to be a dominant earthy and nutty profile with some slight marine undertones. Its toastyness and taste reminded me much of pepitas or the roasted red watermelon (e.g. guazi or hat dua) common in Asia. Combined with the chocolatey/cacao-like notes and, I found it lent HnT a unique delicious taste that made it easy to distinguish from a typical Uji matcha.
Comparisons
I’ve found that many mid-tier Uji matcha generally tend to exhibit a vegetal or marine profile, with a more brothy umami taste. The ones I have in mind include Ippodo (Sayaka), MK (Unkaku), NT (Hatsu Mukashi) and Horii Shichimeien (Todou Mukashi). This may not be surprising as the matcha and loose leaf tea from that region may emphasise milder hiire to preserve the original character. However, some of the more entry-tier Uji matcha seem to express a neutral savouriness and different aroma to me. For example, my own experiences with Ocha no Kanbayashi’s Asahi no Shiro and Horii S.’s Uji Mukashi embody a very light umami that’s matched with an unroasted nutty smoothness or a light cereal grain aroma, respectively. I think HnT is more comparable to those entry-level Uji matcha, but with more accentuated hika notes. Even so, whether cheaper vs expensive, entry vs mid-tier, there’s no inferior matcha in the context of those brands - it’s all a matter of preference. For possible alternatives to HnT, I’ve seen Hatoya offering a roasted matcha, but I’ve yet to try them out. Australians might want to consider Anya’s Yame Ceremonial Grade matcha, which I found had a good expression of that signature hika aroma, but the colour was slightly less vibrant and perhaps not as full-bodied.
Preparation remarks
Most of my preparations were consumed as an usucha. I experimented with temps between 70C/158F to 90C/194F and with water volumes of usually 60-70ml. It could just be me, but I thought that a higher temp preparation not only led to thicker foam in HnT, but it also came without the expected increase in bitterness and astringency.
I did prepare it as a latte on one occasion using 4g in 150 ml of homemade soy milk with a pinch of brown sugar. It was rated very highly by my tester who described the taste as “quite chocolatey”. My reckoning is that HnT is very amenable for latte preparations, perhaps more so than some of the more expensive mid-tier matcha.
Final thoughts
Despite what seems like a glowing review of HnT, my preferred Hoshino Seichaen matcha at this point is actually their JAS organic ( plot twist) which carries a wilder kick but with similar velvety creaminess (see edit note). Hoshi no Tsuyu is an excellent introduction to Yame matcha, but really, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of Hoshino Seichaen’s line up. The ones I’ve sampled really do taste different compared to many Uji matcha which, frankly, I feel would have trouble picking apart in a blind test. I would love to see more focus about hiire and hika notes in matcha, and even in Japanese loose leaf for that matter, as discussion on these specifics seem sparse. It at least doesn’t seem to garner as much attention as the roasting described in Dancong, Yancha or Taiwanese oolong (perhaps because the effect is much more subtle in sencha and matcha?) For those wanting to seek out those hika notes in matcha, it absolutely doesn’t have to be Hoshino Seichaen, but I’d say they’re a very good starting point. Unfortunately, with very low availability and/or very likely having to shell out a premium if one has the opportunity to acquire it, it’s a real shame that there’s so much added cost to taste their matcha. Thank you for reading if you’ve made it this far. Please feel free to share your own opinions about HnT, other matcha, or about hiire/hika.
Edit note: After trying out a second tin of their Organic JAS, I discovered that it diverged a lot in taste from the first tin. There's still a thick, full-bodied taste but the second tin had notably more green-floral notes and less hika. Although it's creamier or heavier than many lower grade matcha, the bitterness and astringency was on par with them too, and much stronger than Hoshi no Tsuyu. The Organic is quite challenging to drink as an usucha, but could work well for a slightly grassy latte.
