For an intense, but silky smooth matcha latte, or for a decent straight matcha (usucha), our Naruto Barista Grade (or Latte Grade) Matcha balances savory umami and fresh notes of grassy meadows that allow the matcha to stand out when blending with milk. 鳴門 Naruto - The white ocean whirlpools caused by the rising tide famous in the Naruto Strait between Awajishima and Shikoku Islands in Japan's Inner Sea. Grinding Dates Grinding dates are an important factor in determining the quality of the matcha as the powder degrades in flavor, aroma and color over time. We are ordering production of this product every 1-2 months, so you may assume that no more than 3 months have past since grinding.   Naturally Grown Label The "Naturally Grown" series are products chosen by Yunomi Tea Merchant Ian that have been verified to be grown without use of pesticides / synthetic fertilizers. Products may also be certified organic according to the Japanese JAS standard, so custom production requests (10kg+) can be certified organic under equivalency agreements with USA, EU, Canada, etc. Naturally Grown - Sahohime - Premium Ceremonial Grade Naturally Grown - Kodama - Standard Ceremonial Grade Naturally Grown - Hinode - Basic Ceremonial Grade Naturally Grown - Naruto - Barista Grade / Premium Culinary Grade Yunomi Evaluation - 51/100 Based on our own tasting, this product has the following profile - created with 3g of matcha, 100 ml of water, 70C degrees. However, tastings are not conducted side by side, and there are many factors that may affect the quality you yourself taste: age of the matcha after grinding, different water profiles, ambient temperature, preparation styles, etc. Please use this profile as a simple reference. Umami: 10/20 (20 being the richest umami) Creaminess: 10/20 (20 being the creamiest) Lack of Astringency: 9/20 (20 being least astringent) Lack of Bitterness: 10/20 (20 being least bitter) Texture: 6/10 (10 being the smoothest grinding) Color: 6/10 (10 having the greenest, most vibrant color) Product Details Ingredients: Green tea. Harvest: Spring Cultivation: Grown without use of pesticides / synthetic fertilizers. Shaded for 3-4 weeks before harvest. Packaging: Silver plastic bag inside resealable bag. Storage: We recommend storing one 30-gram bag at room temperature for daily use in the screw top can or resealable bag, and the remaining in your freezer for long-term storage if you buy more than one at once. NOTE: For freezer storage, double-seal in a plastic ziplock bag and tupperware container for maximum freshness and to avoid other food smells from affecting the matcha. Always allow the bag to sit for 24-hours before unsealing to acclimate to room temperature. This avoids condensation from damaging the matcha powder. How much does 30 grams of matcha make? It depends on how thick you make your matcha and how much you make, but if you use 1 gram (about 1/3 teaspoon) to make a 100 ml cup, that's 30 cups of matcha! Did you know matcha is best when it's freshly ground? How good your matcha is depends of course on the quality of the underlying leaf. However, producers buy many different production lots from many different farmers. Their skill, the reason why we call them master blenders, is in blending the leaves prior to grinding to create a specific profile in terms of powder color, powder aroma, grain size,matcha color, andmost importantly the flavor of the matcha. While the harvest season can make a big difference in quality since larger autumn leaves will be more bitter and more difficult to grind into fine powder, the harvest year is not necessarily important particularly right after the spring harvest (May - August). At this time, leaves may actually be too fresh to make good matcha--their flavor may create matcha that is very strong in umami but also too bitter.Meanwhile, leaves that have aged over the past yearwillbemore mellowand perfect for balancing the fresh leaf. Matcha however does get old quickly after grinding. In 6 months after grinding the color will fade, and the aroma will disappear. After 9 months, the strength of the flavor will also fade.As a result, higher grade matcha tends to have a best by date of 3-6 months, while lower grade matcha has a best by date of 12 months in Japan. Western brands often have a 18-24 month shelf life though. As a rule,we do our best to ensure that the Yunomi branded matcha is never older the 6 months from grinding, and that matcha other brands are never older than 6 months from procurement.