Sayamakaori from Miyazaki

I had to sit with this one a little because I’m definitely a latte girlie, but Sayamakaori made me want to experiment. 🍵 First, I tried it with cherry concentrate + frozen/slushed oat milk. At first, the tartness from the cherry was a little too sharp for me, but after adding 5g agave + a tiny pinch of salt... my goodness. 🤌 It became refreshing, creamy, sweet-tart, and surprisingly balanced. What impressed me most was that the matcha still shone through everything I added. It didn’t disappear behind the cherry at all. Such a fun, refreshing change for my palate. 🍒🍵 The next day, I went back to my usual latte combo oat + soy + dairy milk and I enjoyed it even more. I actually picked up an almost malty, rounded depth, though I’m curious if the soy milk contributed to that, so I’ll have to try it again without it. 👀 It was naturally pleasant enough that I didn’t feel the need to add any sweetener. I was honestly a little scared of the “herbal” description because that’s not usually what I gravitate toward, but I didn’t find it aggressively herbal at all. In milk, it felt malty, medium-bodied, and rounded, with no distracting bitterness or astringency. I loved experimenting with it. 💚

Sayamakaori quickly became one of my favorite matchas to experiment with. Its bold herbal profile stays present even in flavored drinks, while the natural sweetness keeps everything beautifully balanced. Every recipe I’ve made with it still tastes unmistakably like matcha.

I absolutely LOVED it. Super smooth, rich & has an amazing color. Paired really well with my homemade blueberry syrup! I made a matcha latte!