matcha cake

Matcha Gateau au Chocolat

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
  1. Preheat oven to 360℉.
  2. Melt the chopped white chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture looks almost white.
  4. Add the chocolate and butter mixture to the egg yolks and mix well.
  5. Add the heavy cream and mix.
  6. Sift the flour and matcha powder and add to the chocolate and egg yolk mixture. Mix well.
  7. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with electric mixer. Add the sugar in 3 times and beat very well.
  8. Add the beaten egg white to the chocolate mixture in 2-3 times. Mix well till you don't see the foamy egg white.
  9. 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.

 
Organic Matcha Nature

sencha asa 3

Natural Immune Booster

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!

How to Boost Immune System (Japanese)

sencha with birds

Green Tea’s Antibacterial Action

Four students of a junior high school in Osaka, Japan did some research on their friends’ water bottles and found that sencha (classic green tea) prevents mold from reproducing! The result of their research was published in a Japanese science magazine.
They took samples from the lids of the 43 water bottles from their friends. They found molds on 24 lids and found that the lids of the bottles that usually contain sencha (classic green tea) had the least mold spores.
The average number of spores in bottles that usually contain hojicha (roasted tea) is 3,681, and mugicha (barley tea) is 1,863. On the other hand, the number of spores was 228 for water and 112 for the ones with sencha (classic green tea). The sencha bottle had less than one-tenth mold spores than the hojicha and mugicha bottles and less than half of the bottles that contain water.
This must be the product of the green tea’s catechin which has an antibacterial action. It is also known that catechin fights against viruses.
Kudos to the students! Let’s drink green tea and stay healthy!
Jugetsudo Organic Sencha

immune booster

Boost the Immune System

There are some foods that help boost immune system according to the article on Healthline. The list includes citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, yogurt, almonds…and green tea!
Green tea has an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that enhances immune function.
The article also says green tea is a good source of L-theanine, an amino acid that may aid on the production of germ-fighting compounds in your T-cells.
Our Organic Mecha might be a good tea to drink to boost your immune system as it is made of new leaf buds that has theanine. And mecha has some matcha powder, too!
Don’t forget to wash your hands with soap. And try not to touch your face. Stay healthy!
Healthline article on immune booster, “15 Foods That Boost the Immune System”:
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/foods-that-boost-the-immune-system
Shop Organic Mecha

matcha almond latte

Almond Matcha Latte

Did you know that Martha Hunt, a Victoria’s Secret model, starts her day with a matcha latte? She substitutes almond milk for whole milk for its high energy, proteins, and fiber, and has zero lactose and cholesterol. When mixed with matcha that is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, almond matcha latte makes a perfect energizer to kickstart a brand new day!
Experiment with Jugetsudo’s matcha and almond milk to make a healthy and delicious latte!
You can read more about Martha’s healthy diet here:
Martha Hunt Food Diary

ginger tea

Ginger Tea

When you have the shivers and think you’ve caught a cold, have some ginger tea. It is said that ginger contains components that open blood vessels and improve blood flow, so ginger can help warm you up!
Put 7-8 thin slices of fresh ginger and 1 cup of water into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to taste. Take out the slices and pour the liquid into a cup.
If you want to consume ginger in an easier way, hojicha with ginger is a good option. When brewing hojicha, just add 2-3 slices of ginger. Or you can just add the slices to brewed hojicha. The spicy ginger flavor goes very well with the earthy aroma of hojicha. Add some honey for some sweetness!! When you are warmed up with ginger tea, go to bed and rest!

Thank you, Tea Flowers!

Camellias are now in bloom in Portland, Oregon! Did you know that the tea tree is in the same family with camellia, called Camellia Sinensis?
Just like regular camellia, tea trees also have flowers. It is said that tea tree flowers are a bit blander than camellia, and they bloom around October in Japan.
You may think that the tea plantations at that time would be beautiful; however, tea flowers are rarely seen. The reason for this is because the flowers are picked out early so that the tea leaves retain enough nutrition. It’s a shame that tea tree flowers do not get much attention, but thanks to their absence we are able to drink delicious tea.
Next time you drink tea, appreciate the tea flowers that didn’t get to bloom, but instead turned into a nice drink for us!

matcha and yuzu

Yuzu Matcha

A slice of yuzu peel adds a nice refreshing aroma to a shot of matcha, just like an espresso with lemon peel. You can find yuzu at your local Asian market at this time of year, or a Meyer lemon can be a nice substitute. Add a bit of sweetness to bring out the umami flavor from matcha!

yuzu sencha with yuzu

Yuzu is in season, so is Yuzu Sencha!

We happen to have a yuzu tree in our yard and now is the harvest time! Yuzu tree has big, sharp thorns, so we have to be very careful when picking the fruits.
Yuzu in Jugetsudo’s Yuzu Sencha is from Kochi prefecture, the No.1 yuzu producer in Japan!
Enjoy the zesty green tea to celebrate the yuzu season!

Yuzu Sencha

matcha milk pudding

Easy Matcha Milk Pudding

Easy Matcha Milk Pudding
 
Matcha Milk Pudding is easy to make, and tastes amazing! Sifting matcha is an important step that you don't want to skip, otherwise you have clumps in the milk. Also, straining the matcha milk is important to make the pudding smooth. The red bean paste is optional. We use whole milk, because we like the rich, creamy milk, but you can use milk with less fat or almond milk, soy milk...
Ingredients
  • For 3-4 servings
  • 1 packet (7g) gelatin
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 4-5 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1½ Tablespoons matcha powder
Instructions
  1. In a small cup, put 1 TBSP water and sprinkle the gelatin to soften
  2. Heat the milk in a small pan (do not boil)
  3. In a small container, put the sugar. Sift the matcha powder using a tea strainer onto the sugar and gently mix with a spoon
  4. Add the sugar, matcha and gelatin to the milk and stir well
  5. Strain the matcha milk to a bowl and let cool
  6. When the matcha milk is room temperature, stir again and pour it into glass cups
  7. Place the cups in a refrigerator for about 2-3 hours until it has set.
  8. Serve with whipped cream on top