We recently received a question from one of our customers on how to store matcha.
Unopened matcha should be stored in a cool place with no direct sunlight, and for opened matcha, it is best to use an airtight container.
If you live in a place with a hot or humid atmosphere, store the matcha in the fridge.
We suggest putting the whole tin or package in a plastic ziplock bag (with minimal air inside)
and store it in the fridge.
Be sure to let it return to room temperature before opening the container. This is because of condensation–moisture from warmer air would damage the tea inside.
We recommend using matcha within two months after opening.
Jugetsudo Matcha
Iced Hojicha Latte
Jugetsudo’s hojicha latte to celebrate the warmer weather! Substituting heavy cream for milk will make the latte richer and more flavorful overall.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (4g) hojicha loose leaf tea
- ½ cup water
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar
- ice
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a microwavable cup, put the water and hojicha tea leaves, and microwave for 1 minute. Dissolve the sugar.
- Cover the cup with plastic wrap and wait until cool.
- Fill a glass with ice and pour the tea in. Pour the heavy cream over the tea.
Matcha Cake with Raisins
Raisins add extra sweetness to this flavorful cake. Pair it with classic green tea, sencha!
Ingredients
- 1 oz (30g) butter
- 2 eggs
- 3.5 oz (100g) sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4.5 oz (120g) flour
- 2 tablespoons matcha
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3.5 oz (100g) raisins
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 320℉ and grease 6" x 6" pan.
- Melt butter in microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and mix.
- Add the flour, matcha and baking soda to the egg mixture, sifting. Mix by folding with a spatula.
- Add the melted butter and mix. Add the raisins and mix.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Matcha Castella Cake
Castella cake is fluffy and airy, with a very prevalent sweetness. It was introduced originally to Nagasaki from Portugal in the 16th century, and the recipe has been slightly modified to Japanese taste. The name is derived from the Portuguese term Pão de Castela, which means "bread from Castile (a historical region in Spain)." For this recipe, you can use two half gallon cartons of milk or juice. Simply rinse, dry, cut, and staple them to make two cake pans, then line with aluminum foil. You can make two different flavors (plain and matcha) by dividing the batter in two. Simply pour the plain batter into one pan and add two tablespoons of matcha powder to the remaining batter.
Ingredients
- 8 egg whites
- 9 oz sugar
- 10 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons boiling water
- 2 liquid oz honey
- 7 oz bread flour, sifted
- 2-4 tablespoons matcha powder, sifted
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 320℉.
- Put 8 egg whites in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer.
- Add the sugar in four parts, beating with high speed till soft peaks form when you lift the mixer.
- Beat yolks with a whisk and add to egg white in three parts, mixing well with a whisk.
- Add the boiling water to the honey and gently mix. Add the honey water to the egg mixture and mix well.
- Add the flour to the egg mixture in three parts, gently folding with a spatula (if you want to make all matcha flavor, add 4 tablespoons of matcha here).
- Pour the plain batter into one pan. Add 2 tablespoons of matcha powder to the remaining batter and mix well. Pour into a separate pan.
- Lift the pans two inches above the countertop and gently drop a few times to make the surface even.
- Put the pans on a cooking sheet (if you are using the milk cartons, you may want to line the sheet with aluminum foil because the ink from the cartons could stick to the sheet) and bake for 70 to 80 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool. When cool enough to touch, remove the cakes from the pan and wrap with plastic wrap. Set it aside for half a day. (You can cut it and serve when it is cool, but ideally, you should rest the cake so that it will be more moist and the shape settles)
Amid the global health crisis due to COVID-19, the world is desperate to find ways to slow the spread of the virus and find effective treatments. According to Live Science, more than 200 clinical trials of COVID-19 treatments or vaccines are either ongoing or recruiting patients. The drugs being tested include repurposed flu treatments, failed ebola drugs, and malaria treatments that were first developed many years ago.
While many doctors and researchers are experimenting with various agents as a drug candidate, a group of doctors in India experimented with an agent called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), which can be found in green tea. They published the result on Research Square, a preprint platform for faster, fairer and more useful science research communication. They suggest EGCG as a potential SARS-CoV–2 inhibitor, and it might be a future drug candidate to treat COVID-19.
The doctors concluded that further research is still needed. However, they say that meanwhile the daily intake of green tea, a rich source of EGCG, may have a significant role in preventing and controlling COVID-19.
We should not jump to any conclusions yet—however, drinking green tea might serve as a health benefit, and it is delicious!
Stay safe and healthy!
You can find the article at
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-19560/v1
Steamed Hojicha Muffins
Steamed hojicha muffins are light and flavorful. Grind loose leaf hojicha in a cleaned electric coffee grinder to make hojicha powder (make sure the grinder is unplugged when you clean it). A perfect little treat for tea time! You can put anko (red bean paste) in the middle, or put some raisins if you like!
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 100g (3.5oz) sugar
- 200ml (4/5 cup) milk
- 4 tablespoons canola oil
- 200g (7oz) flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons hojicha powder (grind 3 tablespoons of loose leaf hojicha)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the eggs and sugar well with a whisk.
- Add the milk and mix, then add the oil and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder and hojicha powder, sifting, and mix by folding with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into paper-lined cups and steam in a steamer for 20 minutes on mid-high heat or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Matcha Brownies
Matcha brownies are rich and soft, with a beautiful green cake on the outside and a rich chocolate with matcha undertones on the inside. This recipe includes walnuts, which are natural antioxidants.
Ingredients
- for a 8" x 10" pan
- 60g (2oz) roasted walnuts
- 160g (6oz) white chocolate, chopped or use chips
- 60g (2oz) unsalted butter
- 60g (2oz) sugar
- 60ml (2oz) milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 60g (2oz) flour
- 2 tablespoons matcha powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Line the pan with a parchment paper. Heat the oven to 360℉.
- Melt the white chocolate and butter in a large bowl on a double boiler. Mix well.
- Add sugar and mix well with a spatula.
- Remove from the double boiler, add the milk and mix. Add the beaten eggs in three times and mix well.
- Add the flour, matcha powder and baking powder, sifting. Gently mix by folding with a spatula.
- Add the walnut and mix.
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, with the temperature reduced to 320℉.
Matcha Cheese Cake
A cafe in Kyoto started serving matcha cheese cake in a masu (wooden sake cup) and it became a huge hit. We tried to recreate it and it tastes good. Plus, it's not too hard to make. You can use your own cups!
Ingredients
- 3-4 slices thin sliced bread (or store bought sponge cake)
- 1½ Tablespoons matcha powder
- 1½ Tablespoons sugar
- 2/5 cup (100 ml) boiling hot water
- ⅘ cup (450ml) heavy cream
- 3-4 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons plain yogurt
- matcha powder to dust
Instructions
- Tear thinly sliced bread into small pieces and lay them on the bottom of the cups.
- Mix matcha powder and sugar and add hot water to make a matcha syrup. Stir well.
- Pour the matcha syrup over the bread in the cup and set aside.
- Put the heavy cream and sugar in a bowl and whip with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
- Put the cream cheese and yogurt in another large bowl and mix well with an electric mixer.
- Add the heavy whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and mix well.
- Ladle the cream mixture on top of the soaked bread pieces.
- Using a tea strainer, sprinkle matcha powder on top.
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- matcha cheese cake
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- matcha cheese cake
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- matcha cheese cake
Matcha Gateau au Chocolat
Matcha cake with white chocolate. It is moist, rich and decadent!
Ingredients
- 6 oz (150g) white chocolate, chopped (or use chips)
- 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter
- 4 egg yolks
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) sugar
- ⅓ cup (75cc) heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons (30g) flour
- 4 Tablespoons (30g) matcha powder
- 4 egg whites
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360℉.
- Melt the chopped white chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
- In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture looks almost white.
- Add the chocolate and butter mixture to the egg yolks and mix well.
- Add the heavy cream and mix.
- Sift the flour and matcha powder and add to the chocolate and egg yolk mixture. Mix well.
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites with electric mixer. Add the sugar in 3 times and beat very well.
- Add the beaten egg white to the chocolate mixture in 2-3 times. Mix well till you don't see the foamy egg white.
- Put the batter in a 8" pan, lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 320℉ and bake for another 20 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes. Remove from the pan and put it on a plate.
Otsuka Seiyaku, one of Japan’s leading pharmaceutical companies, published an article on how to boost immune system on its website. While there are several ways, one of them is to consume green tea components. A study on 200 subjects shows that one group who was given green tea components (378 mg catechin and 210 mg theanine per day) were significantly less susceptible to influenza in contrast to another group who received placebo!
The other ways to boost immune system in the article include: to laugh, to stay warm, to stay positive, to exercise moderately, and to have a balanced diet.
Please stay healthy and safe! Wash your hands, and drink lots of green tea!
どうぞお元気で！
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